James Christian Hogenson was born in Denmark in 1874. Six years later, after joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Hogenson family immigrated to the United States and established a farm in Cache County, Utah. Hogenson attended primary school in the nearby town of Newton, and went on to study agricultural science at the Utah Agricultural College. Upon earning his degree in 1899, Hogenson continued his education at the Michigan Agricultural College though he eventually earned a master’s degree from Cornell University. In 1903 Hogenson married Miss Lydia Baker of Mendon, Utah. After a brief stint in Washington D.C., he took a position at the Utah Agricultural College in 1907, a job he held until his death in 1942. Hogenson also served as a member of the Sixty-fourth Quorum of Seventy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Lydia Baker Hogenson was born in Mendon, Utah in 1870. She attend public schools in Cache Valley and later studied education at the Brigham Young College (BYC) from 1896 to 1901. After earning her degree, Lydia became an elementary school teacher. She met her future husband, James C. Hogenson, while they were both employed at the Newton public school in 1903. Lydia spent her entire career as an educator and served as an active member in the American Association for University Women, the Utah Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Parent-Teacher Association and the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. She was also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lydia passed away in March 1947.