John Andreas Widtsoe (/ˈwɪtsoʊ/; 31 January 1872 – 29 November 1952) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1921 until his death. Widtsoe was also a noted author, scientist, and academic.Widtsoe was born on the island of Frøya in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. At birth his hand was attached to the side of his head, but he had an operation to correct this problem. When Widtsoe was two, his family moved to the Norwegian mainland city of Namsos. His father, also named John, died in February 1878. This left his mother, Anna, as a widow with two young sons to take care of: Widtsoe, who was then five, and his younger brother Osborne Widtsoe.The family moved to Trondheim, where they were introduced to the LDS Church by a shoemaker. Less