Frederick William Franz

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Frederick William Franz bigraphy, stories - Presidents

Frederick William Franz : biography

September 12, 1893 – December 22, 1992

Frederick William Franz (September 12, 1893 – December 22, 1992) served as President of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, the legal entity used to direct the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He had previously served as Vice President of the same corporation from 1945 until 1977 and as a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses before replacing Nathan H. Knorr as president in June 1977.Jehovah’s Witnesses – Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1993, page 111.

Biography

Franz was born on September 12, 1893 in Covington, Kentucky. He was baptized in the Lutheran Church, but attended Catholic services as a child as a matter of convenience, before later attending the Presbyterian Church."Looking Back Over 93 Years of Living", The Watchtower, May 1, 1987, page 22-30. He graduated from Woodward High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1911 and attended the University of Cincinnati where he studied liberal arts and later (for two years) Biblical Greek, with the intention of becoming a Presbyterian preacher. He learned German and could read Latin and Greek and in later years learned Spanish, Portuguese and French and a basic understanding of Hebrew. His association with the Bible Students began after he read some of the literature of Charles Taze Russell. He was baptized as a Bible Student on either November 30, 1913,"Rewarded With the Crown of Life", The Watchtower, March 15, 1993, page 31, 32. or, according to Franz, April 5, 1914."Looking Back Over 93 Years of Living", The Watchtower", May 1, 1987, page 25

New World Translation

Franz died in Brooklyn, New York in 1992 at the age of 99New York Times, December 24, 1992. and was succeeded as president by Milton G. Henschel.