Victor Adalbert Otto Bartling (1896-1978) Papers

Victor Adalbert Otto Bartling was born on December 22, 1896 at Waterford, Wisconsin. He was the son of Albert Bartling, a pastor, and of Lucy nee Brohm.

Victor Bartling received his schooling at Concordia College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1910 to 1916. He attended Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, from 1917 to 1919. He was ordained at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Laurium, Michigan, on August 3, 1919. He married Dorothea Pfotenhauer on October 26, 1920.

Victor Bartling served the church as a parish pastor at Zion, Bismark, North Dakota and at Zion, Driscoll, North Dakota from 1919 to 1924. From 1924 to 1926 he served as pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Fargo, North Dakota. In 1926, he received his first call as professor at Concordia College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he served from 1926 until 1950, after which he was called as professor to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He was professor at Concordia Seminary until his retirement in 1968.

He received his Master of Arts degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee in 1942. Victor Bartling was also an author whose articles appeared in The Lutheran Witness, Der Lutheraner, Concordia Pulpit, and Concordia Theological Monthly. His two books, Confessionalism and Our Fathers and Church Membership and Lodge Membership (with Dr. Theodore Graebner) were published in 1925. He also wrote articles for the Lutheran Radio Committee, Milwaukee.

Victor Bartling died October 18, 1978 in Saint Louis and was buried in Concordia Cemetery.