Martin Mortensen (May 29, 1872 – March 12, 1953) was a Danish-born American professor who headed of the Department of Dairy Industry at

Iowa State College Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

Early life and education

Martin Mortensen was born on

North Jutlandic Island The North Jutlandic Island (), Vendsyssel-Thy, or Jutland north of the Limfjord (''Jylland nord for Limfjorden'') is the northernmost part of continental Denmark and of Jutland. It is more common to refer to the three traditional districts of V ...

Sindal Sindal is a railway town on the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It has a population of 3,071 (1 January 2025) and is located in Hjørring Municipality in Region Nordjylland. Until 1 January 2007 ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. He was the son of Peder Christian Mortensen (1821–1902) and Juliane Marie (née Larsen) Mortensen (1827–1904). He completed a three-year course at the Royal Teachers Seminary and then emigrated to the United States in 1893. After working in and managing dairies in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

and on the

Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas North America Countries on the western side of North America have a Pacific coast as their western or south-western border. One of th ...

, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

at Iowa State College (1908) and a LLD (1934) from Kansas State College.

Career

Mortensen became head of the Dairy Industry Department at Iowa State College in 1909 until 1938, and remained as a professor until 1953. He authored text books and also bulletins on dairy research. He was the past president, vice-president and secretary-treasurer of the

American Dairy Science Association The American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) is a non-profit professional organization for the advancement of dairy science. ADSA is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. Consisting of 4500 members, ADSA is involved in research, education, and in ...

Personal life

He married Amelia Christensen (1878–1945) of

Royal, Iowa Royal is a city in Clay County, Iowa, United States. The population was 379 in the 2020 census, a decline from 479 in 2000. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Demographics 2020 ce ...

, and had two children. In 1927, he was made a knight of the Order of the Dannebrog and in 1950 received the Commander's Cross of the

Order of Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known as ''White Knights'' t ...

Selected works

*''Management of Dairy Plants'' (Macmillan; 1921)

References

External links

Portrait of Martin Mortensen (1933)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortensen, Martin Iowa State University faculty Danish emigrants to the United States 1872 births 1953 deaths Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog People from Hjørring Municipality