Frederick William Franz

Frederick William Franz (September 12, 1893 – December 22, 1992) served as President of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, the legal entity used to direct the work of Jehovah's Witnesses. He had previously served as Vice President of the same corporation from 1945 until 1977 and as a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses before replacing Nathan H. Knorr as president in June 1977.^[1]

Biography

Franz was born on September 12, 1893 in Covington, Kentucky. He was baptized in the Lutheran Church, but attended Catholic services as a child as a matter of convenience, before later attending the Presbyterian Church.^[2] He graduated from high school in 1911 and attended the University of Cincinnati where he studied liberal arts and later (for two years) Biblical Greek,^[1][3] with the intention of becoming a Presbyterian preacher.^[2] He learned German and could read Latin and Greek and in later years learned Spanish, Portuguese and French and a basic understanding of Hebrew.^[3] His association with the Bible Students began after he read some of the literature of Charles Taze Russell. He was baptized as a Bible Student on either November 30 1913,^[4] or, according to Franz, April 5, 1914.^[5]

In 1920 he joined the Watch Tower headquarters staff in Brooklyn, New York^[2] and in 1926 became a member of the editorial staff as a Bible researcher and writer for the Society’s publications. Franz was the Society's leading theologian^[6] and has been named as a leading figure in the preparation of the Witnesses' New World Translation of the Bible.^[7][8] His nephew and fellow Governing Body member Raymond Franz resigned from the Governing Body and was subsequently disfellowshipped in 1980 during F.W. Franz's presidency.^[9]

Franz died in Brooklyn, New York in 1992 at the age of 99^[10] and was succeeded by Milton G. Henschel.

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