Klaas Kuiper (June 15, 1841 – March 8, 1921) was a

Dutch-American Dutch Americans () are Americans of Dutch and Flemish descent whose ancestors came from the Low Countries in the distant past, or from the Netherlands as from 1830 when the Flemish became independent from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands ...

minister. He was born in

Dwingeloo Dwingeloo () is a village halfway between Meppel and Assen in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Westerveld. The village is known internationally because of the radio telescope of the Dwingeloo Radio O ...

, Netherlands. He studied at the Theological School in Kampen and became a minister of the

Christian Reformed Churches The Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands () is a Protestant church in the Netherlands. History The original name of the church was Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands (''Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerk in Nederland'', CG ...

, serving in Oud Loosdrecht, Ferwerd, and

Garrelsweer Garrelsweer () is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Groningen (province), Groningen. It is a part of the municipality of Eemsdelta. History The village was first mentioned in 1057 as Gerleuiswert, and means "settled height of Gerle ...

. In 1891 he emigrated to the United States, and served as minister in Christian Reformed congregations in

Grand Haven Grand Haven is a city within the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2020 census, Grand Ha ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and

Holland, Michigan Holland is a city in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa and Allegan County, Michigan, Allegan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the West Michigan, western region of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula, the city is si ...

. Kuiper was staunchly orthodox. He served as President of the CRC Synod in 1894 and worked hard in the field of Christian parent-controlled schools, serving as founding president of the Society for Christian Instruction on Reformed Principles. A colleague described him as "the father of Christian education." He was the father of

Barend Klaas Kuiper Barend Klaas Kuiper (July 16, 1877 – July 21, 1961) was a history professor and author who wrote about Dutch Calvinist church history and the Protestant Reformation. Personal life Kuiper was born in Oud-Loosdrecht in the Netherlands on July ...

and Rienk Bouke Kuiper.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuiper, Klaas 1841 births 1921 deaths Dutch emigrants to the United States 19th-century Dutch Calvinist and Reformed ministers People from Westerveld Theological University of the Reformed Churches alumni