David W. Preus

David Walter Preus (May 28, 1922 – July 23, 2021) was an American Lutheran minister. He served as the last president/presiding bishop of the American Lutheran Church (ALC) from 1973 until that body merged into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1988.

Birth and early life Preus was born on May 28, 1922, in Madison, Wisconsin. He grew up in Decorah, Iowa, where his father was a pastor and professor at Luther College. His mother was a musician.

He attended college at Luther College, graduating in 1943. After college he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the U.S. Army Signal Intelligence until 1946. He learned Japanese during duty in the Philippines and in Japan. He also served on the Minneapolis City Planning Commission, and other civic organizations. Discussions during his tenure led to the merger of the ALC, the Lutheran Church in America, and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches to form the ELCA on January 1, 1988. While ALC president, he also served as vice president of the Lutheran World Federation and as a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches.

Death Preus died on July 23, 2021, in Minneapolis. His funeral and interment service took place on August 1, 2021, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Laporte, Minnesota.

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