Louis J. Sieck

Louis John Sieck (March 11, 1884 – October 14, 1952) was a Lutheran minister. He was the president of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis from 1943 to 1952.
Early life and education.
Sieck was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on March 11, 1884. His father, Henry Sieck, was a Lutheran minister and president of St. John's College in Winfield, Kansas, from 1893 to 1895.
Sieck attended Walther College in St. Louis; St. John's College in Winfield, Kansas; Concordia College in Milwaukee; and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He was ordained in 1904. In 1939, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.
Career.
Ministry.
Sieck's first call was to Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Hamburg, Minnesota. He came to Zion Lutheran Church as assistant pastor in 1905, becoming pastor in 1914 following the death of pastor Charles F. Obermeyer, his father-in-law. He was involved with several Lutheran organizations, including the Lutheran Publicity Organization and "The Lutheran Witness". Sieck served as president of the board of directors of KFUO, a Lutheran radio station, from 1926 to 1943. At the 1933 annual Lutheran convention at Concordia Seminary, he spoke of the need for the church to preach and teach rather than focus on the secular.
Concordia Seminary.
Sieck served on the Board of Control of Concordia Seminary from 1939 to 1943. In 1943, Sieck left Zion Lutheran Church to become the president of Concordia Seminary following the end of Ludwig E. Fuerbringer's tenure. During his ten years as president, enrollment reached a record high of 840 students and several new buildings were built. He taught pastoral theology.
At the time of his death, Sieck was chairman of the National Advisory Emergency Planning Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Conference. He was also vice-president of the State Historical Society of Missouri and served on the board of Valparaiso University.
Personal life.
Sieck married Ottilie Obermeyer, the daughter of Charles F. Obermeyer. They had two sons, Lewis and Charles.
Death.
Sieck died of an internal hemorrhage on October 14, 1952, at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. He was buried at New Bethlehem Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri.
Concordia Seminary's Graduate Hall, built in 1951, was renamed Sieck Hall in his honor.
Further reading.
Sherouse, Paul. "Demonic Possession, Exorcism, and Pastoral Care" Master of Divinity Thesis. Concordia Seminary, 1983. Regarding Sieck's involvement with the exorcism of Roland Doe.