A highly esteemed religious leader, former director of the Bible Institute of the Free Church of America, Professor John Gustaf Princell, died May 1 in Henrotin Hospital after a long illness.

Born in Tolg parish, Smaland, Sweden, September 8, 1845, he came to America with his parents at the age of twelve, and in 1862 he registered as a student at what was then called the Lutheran Seminary, in Chicago, and which was later moved to Paxton, Illinois. After having completed his studies at this school, Princell went to work on the newspaper Hemlandet, where he remained for three years, until 1872, when he became a student at the old Chicago University. A year later he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and enrolled at the 2German Lutheran Seminary there. He graduated from that institution and was ordained as a minister in the Augustana Synod. Here he remained until 1879, when he joined the Mission League. He spent the next four years as director of the Princell Ansgarii College of Knoxville, Illinois. Later on he served as a traveling preacher, until he became the editor of the Chicago-Bladet (Chicago Journal), a position which he held for five years. In 1889 he began to publish the periodical Sanning Och Frid (Truth and Freedom), and at the same time resumed his preaching activities.

In 1894 Princell moved to Minneapolis to head a Free Church congregation, but growing deafness forced him to give up this work. He then became director of a school for preachers, conducted by the Free Church. He remained with that school until last year, when he retired and returned to Chicago.

In his prime Princell was a forceful preacher, who always attracted large audiences wherever he spoke, and he was also an able writer. Besides contributing 3to periodicals and the daily press he wrote A History of the Jews, a book of eight hundred pages.

His home was at 913 Galt Avenue, and he is survived by his wife, Josephina, and four sons.