Franklin L. West

Franklin Lorenzo Richards West was a prominent Utah educator and served as the dean of faculty at Utah State University (then called Utah Agricultural College) for 28 years. He was also a professor of physics.

West was born on February 1, 1885, in Ogden, Utah Territory, and earned a bachelor of science degree from the Utah Agricultural College. He also held a PhD from the University of Chicago.

He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was called to serve as the second assistant in the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association presidency. He served two years. In 1936 he became Commissioner of Church Education and served until his retirement in 1953. During his service, he wrote three manuals for the Church Educational System. He also wrote a biography of Franklin D. Richards, his maternal grandfather and a biography of his grandfather Chauncey W. West.

In 1904, West married Gladys Spencer, a granddaughter of Brigham Young. They had two daughters. They later divorced. West then married Violet Madsen and they had three children. After her passing, he married Sarah Frances Nelson Malmborg. He died on October 21, 1966.