Hoyme was born in Vestre Slidre, Norway, in 1847. He was the son of Gjermund Guldbrandsen and Sigrid Christophersen (Ridste) Hoyme. In 1851 his parents settled in Port Washington, Wis. , and in 1855 moved to Springfield township, near Decorah, Iowa. The following year his father died. Early inured to hardship, Hoyme matured very rapidly.
After a bitter spiritual struggle in which he eventually found peace for his soul, in 1869 at the opening session he enrolled in the Theological School established in Marshall, Wis. That winter the school was in danger of collapse due to the abject despondency of its principal, but Hoyme rallied to his principal's support, and is credited with saving the institution. Urged by Prof. A. Weenaas and others, Hoyme attended the University of Wisconsin in 1871-72 as a sub-freshman, and then continued his theological studies at Augsburg Seminary, Minneapolis, the continuation of the Marshall school.
Called to Duluth, Minn. , he was ordained on June 15, 1873, but the congregation broke up within the year and in 1874 he accepted a call to Menomonie, Wis. Called to Duluth, Minn. , he was ordained on June 15, 1873, but the congregation broke up within the year and in 1874 he accepted a call to Menomonie, Wis. In 1876 he became pastor at Eau Claire, Wis. , where he served until his death. Having been tested and approved, Hoyme now rose rapidly. He served the Norwegian-Danish Conference in various capacities until that body became a party to the church union by which the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America was established in 1890. Hoyme was elected the first president of the new body, and for twelve years he guided its destinies with a firmness, clear-sightedness, and sincerity that put to shame all opposition and moulded the loosely knit elements into a strong and compact body. At his death he was mourned as the greatest president who up to that time had served the Norwegian Lutherans in America.
In 1878 he and the Rev. L. Lund issued a book of sacred songs, Harpen ("The Harp"), of which 20, 000 copies were sold in a short time. In 1893 he published a brochure, Saloonen ("The Saloon"), of which 15, 000 copies were sold in a few weeks. His greatest spiritual and literary strength lay, however, in his sermons, which were characterized by beauty of diction and homely, earnest eloquence. After Hoyme's death selections from his sermons and official papers were issued in 1904, by Dr. E. Kr. Johnson under the titles, G. Hoyme, Prest og Formand ("G. Hoyme, Preacher and President") and I Hvilestunder ("In Moments of Rest").
In 1874 he married Mrs. Ida Othelia Larsen, née Olsen, whose two children received his fatherly affection.
