List of Latter Day Saint practitioners of plural marriage
Mormonism and polygamy |
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![]() A Mormon "Saint" and Wives by Charles Weitfle (ca.1878–1885) |
Early Mormonism Joseph Smith • Wives of Joseph Smith • Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy • Spiritual wifery |
Brigham Young • Wives of Brigham Young • Late-19th century Mormon polygamy • Mormon colonies in Mexico • 1890 Manifesto • Reed Smoot hearings • 1904 Manifesto |
Mormon fundamentalism AUB • Centennial Park group • Council of Friends • Current state of polygamy • FLDS Church • Kingston Group • List of leaders • Lost boys • Short Creek raid • YFZ Ranch |
Antipolygamy laws |
Case law Reynolds v. US • Cannon v. US • Clawson v. US • Davis v. Beason • Late Corp. of the LDS Church v. US • Cleveland v. US • Brown v. Buhman • List of polygamy court cases |
Related articles |
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According to a consensus of history, many adherents in the early Latter Day Saint movement practiced plural marriage, a doctrine that states that polygyny is ordained of God. Although the largest denomination in the movement, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, officially abandoned the practice of plural marriage in 1890, a number of churches in the Mormon fundamentalist movement continue to teach and practice it. Historically, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now the Community of Christ), the second largest denomination in the movement, had an anti-polygamy position.[1][2][3][4]
Pre-succession crisis
The following notable Latter Day Saints are alleged to have practiced plural marriage prior to the 1844 succession crisis that followed the death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
![]() | Name: | Joseph Smith | |
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Born: | (1805-12-23)December 23, 1805 | ||
Died: | June 27, 1844(1844-06-27) (aged 38) | ||
Positions: | 1st President of the Church of Christ (later the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)[5], April 6, 1830 (1830-04-06) – June 27, 1844 (1844-06-27) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 5, 1841[10] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 33[11] | ||
Notes: | Founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Also Mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois (1842–1844). Commonly believed to have married at least 30 wives before his death[6] and to have taught the doctrine to his close associates, although he publicly denied teaching or practicing polygamy.[7][8][9] | ||
![]() | Name: | Hyrum Smith | |
Born: | (1800-02-09)February 9, 1800 | ||
Died: | June 27, 1844(1844-06-27) (aged 44) | ||
Positions: | Assistant President of the Church, called by Joseph Smith, January 24, 1841 (1841-01-24) – June 27, 1844 (1844-06-27) Latter Day Saint Apostle, called by Joseph Smith, January 24, 1841 (1841-01-24) – June 27, 1844 (1844-06-27) 2nd Presiding Patriarch, called by Joseph Smith, September 14, 1840 (1840-09-14) – June 27, 1844 (1844-06-27) Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Joseph Smith, November 7, 1837 (1837-11-07) – January 24, 1841 (1841-01-24) Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Joseph Smith, September 3, 1837 (1837-09-03) – November 7, 1837 (1837-11-07) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | August 11, 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2[13] | ||
Notes: | Brother of Joseph Smith. Publicly denied practicing polygamy | ||
![]() | Name: | Brigham Young | |
Born: | (1801-06-01)June 1, 1801 | ||
Died: | August 29, 1877(1877-08-29) (aged 76) | ||
Positions: | 2nd President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 14, 1840 (1840-04-14) – December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, February 14, 1835 (1835-02-14) – December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) LDS Church Apostle, called by Three Witnesses, February 14, 1835 (1835-02-14) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 5, 1841[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 55 | ||
Notes: | Succeeded Smith as leader of the LDS Church. Was also Governor of Utah Territory from February 3, 1851, to April 12, 1858. Is probably the most famous Latter Day Saint polygamist with 55 wives. | ||
![]() | Name: | Heber C. Kimball | |
Born: | (1801-06-14)June 14, 1801 | ||
Died: | June 22, 1868(1868-06-22) (aged 67) | ||
Positions: | First Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) – June 22, 1868 (1868-06-22) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, February 14, 1835 (1835-02-14) – December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) LDS Church Apostle, called by Three Witnesses, February 14, 1835 (1835-02-14) – June 22, 1868 (1868-06-22) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1842[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 45 | ||
![]() | Name: | Willard Richards | |
Born: | (1804-06-24)June 24, 1804 | ||
Died: | March 11, 1854(1854-03-11) (aged 49) | ||
Positions: | Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) – March 11, 1854 (1854-03-11) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Joseph Smith, April 14, 1840 (1840-04-14) – December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) LDS Church Apostle, called by Joseph Smith, April 14, 1840 (1840-04-14) – March 11, 1854 (1854-03-11) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 18, 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 14 | ||
Notes: | Richards was incarcerated in Carthage Jail with Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith and John Taylor on June 27, 1844, when the jail was attacked by a mob and the Smith brothers were murdered. | ||
![]() | Name: | William Smith | |
Born: | (1811-03-13)March 13, 1811 | ||
Died: | November 13, 1893(1893-11-13) (aged 82) | ||
Positions: | Petitioner for Patriarchate (RLDS Church), called by Joseph Smith III, April 6, 1872 (1872-04-06) – November 13, 1893 (1893-11-13) 3rd Presiding Patriarch (LDS Church), May 24, 1845 (1845-05-24) – October 6, 1845 (1845-10-06) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, May 25, 1839 (1839-05-25) – October 6, 1845 (1845-10-06) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, February 15, 1835 (1835-02-15) – May 4, 1839 (1839-05-04) Latter Day Saint Apostle, called by Joseph Smith, February 15, 1835 (1835-02-15) – October 6, 1845 (1845-10-06) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | August 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 22 | ||
Notes: | Brother of Joseph Smith. Was removed from the Quorum due to apostasy May 4, 1839, but readmitted May 25, 1839. Was then excommunicated for apostasy on October 6, 1845. Followed James J. Strang for a time, then started his own LDS Church in Covington, Kentucky. In later years he joined the RLDS Church (now Community of Christ) and was a petitioner for RLDS Patriarchate from April 1872 to 13 November 1893. Introduced polygamy to the Strangite Mormons. His Church in Covington, Kentucky, which also disintegrated after he introduced spiritual wifery into it. He always denied he and his brother Joseph had ever practiced or taught spiritual wifery or any other form of polygamy | ||
Name: | Thomas Bullock | ||
Born: | (1816-12-23)December 23, 1816 | ||
Died: | February 10, 1885(1885-02-10) (aged 68) | ||
Positions: | Reporter and Member of the Council of Fifty[14], called by Brigham Young, December 25, 1846 (1846-12-25) – June 24, 1882 (1882-06-24) Clerk in the Church Historian's Office, called by Joseph Smith, c. 1843 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 23, 1843<[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Bullock also was a member of the Council of Fifty and a clerk in the Church Historian's Office.[15][16] | ||
![]() | Name: | Orson Pratt | |
Born: | (1811-09-19)September 19, 1811 | ||
Died: | October 3, 1881(1881-10-03) (aged 70) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, January 20, 1843 (1843-01-20) – October 3, 1881 (1881-10-03) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, April 26, 1835 (1835-04-26) – August 20, 1842 (1842-08-20) LDS Church Apostle, called by Three Witnesses, April 26, 1835 (1835-04-26) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | March 10, 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 10 | ||
Notes: | Younger brother of Parley P. Pratt. Was excommunicated for apostasy Aug 20, 1842, but readmitted Jan 20, 1843. As a result, was given reduced seniority in Jun 1875. Last surviving member of the original Quorum. Under the direction of Brigham Young, he published The Seer. The Seer was a periodical published to defend the LDS Church's practice of polygamy. Despite William Clayton claiming in his journal, first published in 1921, that she had been told of the revelation on polygamy on July 12, 1843,[17][unreliable source?] Emma Smith, Joseph Smith's widow, claimed that the very first time she ever became aware of polygamy being attributed to her late husband was 10 years later when she read about it in Pratt's The Seer in 1853.[18] | ||
![]() | Name: | William Clayton | |
Born: | (1814-07-17)July 17, 1814 | ||
Died: | December 4, 1879(1879-12-04) (aged 65) | ||
Positions: | Member and Clerk of the Council of Fifty[14], called by Joseph Smith, March 11, 1844 (1844-03-11) – December 4, 1879 (1879-12-04) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 27, 1843 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 10 | ||
Notes: | Credited with inventing a version of the modern odometer. Smith dictated the 1843 revelation on polygamy to Clayton. (See Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy) | ||
![]() | Name: | Orson Hyde | |
Born: | (1805-01-08)January 8, 1805 | ||
Died: | November 28, 1878(1878-11-28) (aged 73) | ||
Positions: | President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) – April 10, 1875 (1875-04-10) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, June 27, 1839 (1839-06-27) – November 28, 1878 (1878-11-28) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, February 15, 1835 (1835-02-15) – May 4, 1839 (1839-05-04) LDS Church Apostle, called by Three Witnesses, February 15, 1835 (1835-02-15) – November 28, 1878 (1878-11-28) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 9 | ||
Notes: | Was removed from the Quorum due to apostasy May 4, 1839, but readmitted June 27, 1839. As a result, was given reduced seniority on April 10, 1875. His wife Marinda married Joseph Smith in a polyandrous marriage while Hyde was on a mission to Jerusalem. | ||
![]() | Name: | Parley P. Pratt | |
Born: | (1807-04-12)April 12, 1807 | ||
Died: | May 13, 1857(1857-05-13) (aged 50) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, February 21, 1835 (1835-02-21) – May 13, 1857 (1857-05-13) LDS Church Apostle, called by Three Witnesses, February 21, 1835 (1835-02-21) – May 13, 1857 (1857-05-13) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | June 24, 1843[10] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 11 | ||
Notes: | In 1857, on a farm northeast of Van Buren, Arkansas, Pratt was murdered by Hector McLean, the legal husband of one of Pratt's plural wives.[19] Pratt is buried near Alma, Arkansas. | ||
![]() | Name: | Amasa Lyman | |
Born: | (1813-03-30)March 30, 1813 | ||
Died: | February 4, 1877(1877-02-04) (aged 63) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 6, 1845 (1845-10-06) – October 6, 1867 (1867-10-06) Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Joseph Smith, February 4, 1843 (1843-02-04) – June 27, 1844 (1844-06-27) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Joseph Smith, August 20, 1842 (1842-08-20) – January 20, 1843 (1843-01-20) Latter Day Saint Apostle, called by Joseph Smith, August 20, 1842 (1842-08-20) – October 6, 1867 (1867-10-06) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | July 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 9 | ||
Notes: | Was temporarily removed from the Quorum of the Twelve due to the re-entry of Orson Pratt on January 20, 1843; Lyman was later readmitted on August 12, 1844. Lyman was excommunicated for apostasy on May 6, 1867. | ||
![]() | Name: | John Taylor | |
Born: | (1808-11-01)November 1, 1808 | ||
Died: | July 25, 1887(1887-07-25) (aged 78) | ||
Positions: | 3rd President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) – July 25, 1887 (1887-07-25) President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 10, 1875 (1875-04-10) – October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Joseph Smith, December 19, 1838 (1838-12-19) – October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) LDS Church Apostle, called by Joseph Smith, December 19, 1838 (1838-12-19) – July 25, 1887 (1887-07-25) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | December 12, 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 9[21] | ||
Notes: | Was promoted to Quorum President when Orson Hyde was given reduced seniority. Had 34 children.[20] | ||
![]() | Name: | Edwin D. Woolley, Sr. | |
Born: | (1807-06-28)June 28, 1807 | ||
Died: | October 12, 1881(1881-10-12) (aged 74) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 6 | ||
Notes: | Woolley was a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature in 1851. | ||
![]() | Name: | Erastus Snow | |
Born: | (1818-11-09)November 9, 1818 | ||
Died: | May 27, 1888(1888-05-27) (aged 69) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Brigham Young, February 12, 1849 (1849-02-12) – May 27, 1888 (1888-05-27) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, February 12, 1849 (1849-02-12) – May 27, 1888 (1888-05-27) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 2, 1844[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 16 | ||
Notes: | Was also a member of the Council of Fifty | ||
![]() | Name: | John D. Lee | |
Born: | (1812-09-12)September 12, 1812 | ||
Died: | March 23, 1877(1877-03-23) (aged 64) | ||
Positions: | Member of the Council of Fifty[14], called by Brigham Young 14 March and 11 April 1844., 1844 – March 23, 1877 (1877-03-23) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 19, 1844[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 19 | ||
Notes: | Was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows massacre. | ||
![]() | Name: | Ezra T. Benson | |
Born: | (1811-02-22)February 22, 1811 | ||
Died: | September 3, 1869(1869-09-03) (aged 58) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Brigham Young, July 16, 1846 (1846-07-16) – September 3, 1869 (1869-09-03) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, July 16, 1846 (1846-07-16) – September 3, 1869 (1869-09-03) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 27, 1844[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 8 | ||
Notes: | Great-grandfather of the thirteenth president of LDS church, Ezra Taft Benson |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The following members of the LDS Church practiced plural marriage:
Presidents of the Church
![]() | Name: | Heber J. Grant | |
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Born: | (1856-11-22)November 22, 1856 | ||
Died: | May 14, 1945(1945-05-14) (aged 88) | ||
Positions: | 7th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, November 23, 1918 (1918-11-23) – May 14, 1945 (1945-05-14) President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, November 18, 1916 (1916-11-18) – November 23, 1918 (1918-11-23) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by John Taylor, October 16, 1882 (1882-10-16) – November 23, 1918 (1918-11-23) LDS Church Apostle, called by John Taylor, October 16, 1882 (1882-10-16) – May 14, 1945 (1945-05-14) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | May 26, 1884 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Grant succeeded Joseph F. Smith as president of the LDS Church in November 1918. However, he was not sustained in the position by the general church membership until June 1919, as the influenza pandemic of 1918 forced a delay of the church's traditional springtime general conference. In 1899, Grant pleaded guilty to unlawful cohabitation and was fined $100.[22] During his tenure as president, Grant enforced the 1890 Manifesto outlawing plural marriage. In 1935, Grant excommunicated members of the church in Short Creek, Arizona, that refused to sign the loyalty pledge to the church that included a renunciation of plural marriage. | ||
![]() | Name: | Joseph F. Smith | |
Born: | (1838-11-13)November 13, 1838 | ||
Died: | November 19, 1918(1918-11-19) (aged 80) | ||
Positions: | 6th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, October 17, 1901 (1901-10-17) – November 19, 1918 (1918-11-19) President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 10, 1901 (1901-10-10) – October 17, 1901 (1901-10-17) First Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Lorenzo Snow, October 6, 1901 (1901-10-06) – October 10, 1901 (1901-10-10) Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Wilford Woodruff, April 7, 1889 (1889-04-07) – October 6, 1901 (1901-10-06) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, July 25, 1887 (1887-07-25) – April 7, 1889 (1889-04-07) Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called by John Taylor, October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) – July 25, 1887 (1887-07-25) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) – October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, July 1, 1866 (1866-07-01) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, July 1, 1866 (1866-07-01) – November 19, 1918 (1918-11-19T1838) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | May 6, 1866 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 6 | ||
Notes: | Son of Hyrum Smith, and nephew of Joseph Smith Issued the Second Manifesto in 1904. | ||
![]() | Name: | Lorenzo Snow | |
Born: | (1814-04-03)April 3, 1814 | ||
Died: | October 10, 1901(1901-10-10) (aged 87) | ||
Positions: | 5th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, September 13, 1898 (1898-09-13) – October 10, 1901 (1901-10-10) President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 7, 1889 (1889-04-07) – September 13, 1898 (1898-09-13) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) – September 13, 1898 (1898-09-13) Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, May 9, 1874 (1874-05-09) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, June 8, 1873 (1873-06-08) – May 9, 1874 (1874-05-09) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Brigham Young, February 12, 1849 (1849-02-12) – June 8, 1873 (1873-06-08) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, February 12, 1849 (1849-02-12) – October 10, 1901 (1901-10-10) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1845 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 11 | ||
Notes: | Brother-in-law of both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young through Eliza R. Snow. Convicted of unlawful cohabitation in 1885 and was imprisoned in 1885 and 1886. Was one of the few Latter-day Saint leaders who ceased cohabiting with his already existing plural wives after the 1890 Manifesto | ||
![]() | Name: | John Taylor | |
Born: | (1808-11-01)November 1, 1808 | ||
Died: | July 25, 1887(1887-07-25) (aged 78) | ||
Positions: | 3rd President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) – July 25, 1887 (1887-07-25) President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 10, 1875 (1875-04-10) – October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Joseph Smith, December 19, 1838 (1838-12-19) – October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) LDS Church Apostle, called by Joseph Smith, December 19, 1838 (1838-12-19) – July 25, 1887 (1887-07-25) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | December 12, 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 9[21] | ||
Notes: | Was promoted to Quorum President when Orson Hyde was given reduced seniority. Had 34 children.[20] | ||
![]() | Name: | Wilford Woodruff | |
Born: | (1807-03-01)March 1, 1807 | ||
Died: | September 2, 1898(1898-09-02) (aged 91) | ||
Positions: | 4th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, April 7, 1889 (1889-04-07) – September 2, 1898 (1898-09-02) President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) – April 7, 1889 (1889-04-07) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Joseph Smith, April 26, 1839 (1839-04-26) – April 7, 1889 (1889-04-07) Apostle, called by Joseph Smith, April 26, 1839 (1839-04-26) – September 2, 1898 (1898-09-02) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | December 12, 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 9 | ||
Notes: | Became Quorum President because Orson Pratt was given reduced seniority. Had 34 children. | ||
![]() | Name: | Brigham Young | |
Born: | (1801-06-01)June 1, 1801 | ||
Died: | August 29, 1877(1877-08-29) (aged 76) | ||
Positions: | 2nd President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 14, 1840 (1840-04-14) – December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, February 14, 1835 (1835-02-14) – December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) LDS Church Apostle, called by Three Witnesses, February 14, 1835 (1835-02-14) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 5, 1841[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 55 | ||
Notes: | Succeeded Smith as leader of the LDS Church. Was also Governor of Utah Territory from February 3, 1851, to April 12, 1858. Is probably the most famous Latter Day Saint polygamist with 55 wives. |
Members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
![]() | Name: | Ezra T. Benson | |
---|---|---|---|
Born: | (1811-02-22)February 22, 1811 | ||
Died: | September 3, 1869(1869-09-03) (aged 58) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Brigham Young, July 16, 1846 (1846-07-16) – September 3, 1869 (1869-09-03) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, July 16, 1846 (1846-07-16) – September 3, 1869 (1869-09-03) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 27, 1844[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 8 | ||
Notes: | Great-grandfather of the thirteenth president of LDS church, Ezra Taft Benson | ||
![]() | Name: | Abraham H. Cannon | |
Born: | (1859-03-12)March 12, 1859 | ||
Died: | July 19, 1896(1896-07-19) (aged 37) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Wilford Woodruff, October 7, 1889 (1889-10-07) – July 19, 1896 (1896-07-19) LDS Church Apostle, called by Wilford Woodruff, October 7, 1889 (1889-10-07) – July 19, 1896 (1896-07-19) First Seven Presidents of the Seventy[broken anchor], called by John Taylor, October 8, 1882 (1882-10-08) – October 7, 1889 (1889-10-07) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | Oct 15, 1879 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Was a member of the Council of Fifty. Son of apostle George Q. Cannon. Convicted of unlawful cohabitation in 1886 and imprisoned for six months. | ||
![]() | Name: | George Q. Cannon | |
Born: | (1827-01-11)January 11, 1827 | ||
Died: | April 12, 1901(1901-04-12) (aged 74) | ||
Positions: | First Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Lorenzo Snow, September 13, 1898 (1898-09-13) – April 12, 1901 (1901-04-12) First Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Wilford Woodruff, April 7, 1889 (1889-04-07) – September 2, 1898 (1898-09-02) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, July 25, 1887 (1887-07-25) – April 7, 1889 (1889-04-07) First Counselor in the First Presidency, called by John Taylor, October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) – July 25, 1887 (1887-07-25) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) – October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, May 9, 1874 (1874-05-09) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, June 8, 1873 (1873-06-08) – May 9, 1874 (1874-05-09) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Brigham Young, August 26, 1860 (1860-08-26) – June 8, 1873 (1873-06-08) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, August 26, 1860 (1860-08-26) – April 12, 1901 (1901-04-12) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | October 15, 1879 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3[10] | ||
Notes: | Convicted of unlawful cohabitation in 1886 and imprisoned for six months. | ||
![]() | Name: | Albert Carrington | |
Born: | (1813-01-08)January 8, 1813 | ||
Died: | September 19, 1889(1889-09-19) (aged 76) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) – November 7, 1885 (1885-11-07) Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, May 9, 1874 (1874-05-09) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, June 8, 1873 (1873-06-08) – May 9, 1874 (1874-05-09) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Brigham Young, July 3, 1870 (1870-07-03) – June 8, 1873 (1873-06-08) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, July 3, 1870 (1870-07-03) – November 7, 1885 (1885-11-07) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1842 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Also served as an official Church Historian (1871–1874), as a member of the Council of Fifty and in the Utah Territorial Legislature (1869). Was excommunicated for adultery November 7, 1885, and later rebaptized on November 1, 1887; however, he was not reinstated as an apostle or as a general authority. | ||
![]() | Name: | Rudger Clawson | |
Born: | (1857-03-12)March 12, 1857 | ||
Died: | June 21, 1943(1943-06-21) (aged 86) | ||
Positions: | President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, March 17, 1921 (1921-03-17) – June 21, 1943 (1943-06-21) Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, November 23, 1918 (1918-11-23) – March 17, 1921 (1921-03-17) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 10, 1901 (1901-10-10) – June 21, 1943 (1943-06-21) Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Lorenzo Snow, October 6, 1901 (1901-10-06) – October 10, 1901 (1901-10-10) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Lorenzo Snow, October 10, 1898 (1898-10-10) – October 6, 1901 (1901-10-06) LDS Church Apostle, called by Lorenzo Snow, October 10, 1898 (1898-10-10) – June 21, 1943 (1943-06-21) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | March 29, 1883 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Clawson served in the Quorum of the Twelve for 45 years. The town of Clawson, Utah, is named after him. Clawson was the first person convicted of unlawful cohabitation under the Edmunds Act.[23] He was sentenced to 3½ years imprisonment and fined $1,500.[23] | ||
![]() | Name: | Matthias F. Cowley | |
Born: | (1858-08-25)August 25, 1858 | ||
Died: | June 16, 1940(1940-06-16) (aged 81) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Wilford Woodruff, October 7, 1897 (1897-10-07)[24] – October 28, 1905 (1905-10-28) LDS Church Apostle, called by Wilford Woodruff, October 7, 1897 (1897-10-07)[24] – May 11, 1911 (1911-05-11)[25] | ||
Date entered polygamy: | September 22, 1889 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | The town of Cowley, Wyoming, is named after him. Cowley resigned from the Quorum October 28, 1905. He remained an ordained apostle of the church until his priesthood was suspended in on May 11, 1911, and later restored on April 3, 1936. Reports of Cowley's continuing involvement in new plural marriages led to his priesthood being suspended, and he continued to be linked with plural marriage over the next several years. | ||
![]() | Name: | Jedediah M. Grant | |
Born: | (1816-02-21)February 21, 1816 | ||
Died: | December 1, 1856(1856-12-01) (aged 40) | ||
Positions: | Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, April 7, 1854 (1854-04-07) – December 1, 1856 (1856-12-01) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, April 7, 1854 (1854-04-07) – December 1, 1856 (1856-12-01) First Seven Presidents of the Seventy[broken anchor], called by Brigham Young, December 2, 1845 (1845-12-02) – April 7, 1854 (1854-04-07) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | February 11, 1849 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 7 | ||
Notes: | He was known for his fiery speeches during the Reformation of 1856, earning the nickname, "Brigham's Sledgehammer". He was a member of the Council of Fifty and Mayor of Salt Lake City (1851–56). He is the father of Heber J. Grant, who later served as President of the Church. | ||
![]() | Name: | Orson Hyde | |
Born: | (1805-01-08)January 8, 1805 | ||
Died: | November 28, 1878(1878-11-28) (aged 73) | ||
Positions: | President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) – April 10, 1875 (1875-04-10) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, June 27, 1839 (1839-06-27) – November 28, 1878 (1878-11-28) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, February 15, 1835 (1835-02-15) – May 4, 1839 (1839-05-04) LDS Church Apostle, called by Three Witnesses, February 15, 1835 (1835-02-15) – November 28, 1878 (1878-11-28) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 9 | ||
Notes: | Was removed from the Quorum due to apostasy May 4, 1839, but readmitted June 27, 1839. As a result, was given reduced seniority on April 10, 1875. His wife Marinda married Joseph Smith in a polyandrous marriage while Hyde was on a mission to Jerusalem. | ||
![]() | Name: | Heber C. Kimball | |
Born: | (1801-06-14)June 14, 1801 | ||
Died: | June 22, 1868(1868-06-22) (aged 67) | ||
Positions: | First Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) – June 22, 1868 (1868-06-22) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, February 14, 1835 (1835-02-14) – December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) LDS Church Apostle, called by Three Witnesses, February 14, 1835 (1835-02-14) – June 22, 1868 (1868-06-22) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1842[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 45 | ||
![]() | Name: | Amasa Lyman | |
Born: | (1813-03-30)March 30, 1813 | ||
Died: | February 4, 1877(1877-02-04) (aged 63) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 6, 1845 (1845-10-06) – October 6, 1867 (1867-10-06) Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Joseph Smith, February 4, 1843 (1843-02-04) – June 27, 1844 (1844-06-27) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Joseph Smith, August 20, 1842 (1842-08-20) – January 20, 1843 (1843-01-20) Latter Day Saint Apostle, called by Joseph Smith, August 20, 1842 (1842-08-20) – October 6, 1867 (1867-10-06) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | July 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 9 | ||
Notes: | Was temporarily removed from the Quorum of the Twelve due to the re-entry of Orson Pratt on January 20, 1843; Lyman was later readmitted on August 12, 1844. Lyman was excommunicated for apostasy on May 6, 1867. | ||
![]() | Name: | Francis M. Lyman | |
Born: | (1840-01-12)January 12, 1840 | ||
Died: | November 18, 1916(1916-11-18) (aged 76) | ||
Positions: | President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 6, 1903 (1903-10-06) – November 18, 1916 (1916-11-18) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by John Taylor, October 27, 1880 (1880-10-27) – November 18, 1916 (1916-11-18) LDS Church Apostle, called by John Taylor, October 27, 1880 (1880-10-27) – November 18, 1916 (1916-11-18) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | October 4, 1869 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Member of the Council of Fifty. Son of Amasa M. Lyman. | ||
Name: | Richard R. Lyman | ||
Born: | (1870-11-23)November 23, 1870 | ||
Died: | December 31, 1963(1963-12-31) (aged 93) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Joseph F. Smith, April 7, 1918 (1918-04-07) – November 12, 1943 (1943-11-12) LDS Church Apostle, called by Joseph F. Smith, April 7, 1918 (1918-04-07) – November 12, 1943 (1943-11-12) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1925 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Son of Francis M. Lyman and grandson of Amasa M. Lyman. In 1925, Lyman had begun what he called a polygamous relationship without the knowledge of his first wife. Lyman was excommunicated on November 12, 1943. The Quorum of the Twelve provided the newspapers with a one-sentence announcement, stating that the ground for excommunication was violation of the law of chastity. | ||
![]() | Name: | Marriner W. Merrill | |
Born: | (1832-09-25)25 September 1832 | ||
Died: | 6 February 1906(1906-02-06) (aged 73) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Wilford Woodruff, 7 October 1889 (1889-10-07) – 6 February 1906 (1906-02-06) LDS Church Apostle, called by Wilford Woodruff, 7 October 1889 (1889-10-07) – 6 February 1906 (1906-02-06) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 5 June 1856 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 8 | ||
Notes: | Merrill was also the Postmaster of Richmond in 1866, a County Selectman from 1872 to 1879 and a member of the territorial legislature for two terms.[26] Merrill married his eighth wife after the 1890 Manifesto announced the discontinuation of polygamy. He is alleged also to have advocated and performed post-Manifesto plural marriages.[27][28] Merrill was summoned twice as a witness before the Smoot investigation before the United States Congress, but declined citing poor health. | ||
Name: | Charles W. Nibley | ||
Born: | (1849-02-05)February 5, 1849 | ||
Died: | December 11, 1931(1931-12-11) (aged 82) | ||
Positions: | Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Heber J. Grant, May 28, 1925 (1925-05-28) – December 11, 1931 (1931-12-11) Presiding Bishop, called by Joseph F. Smith, December 4, 1907 (1907-12-04) – May 28, 1925 (1925-05-28) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 30 March 1880 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Nibley was also the fifth presiding bishop of the LDS Church between 1907 and 1925. He is one of the few individuals to serve in the First Presidency without having been ordained to the priesthood office of apostle. | ||
![]() | Name: | Orson Pratt | |
Born: | (1811-09-19)September 19, 1811 | ||
Died: | October 3, 1881(1881-10-03) (aged 70) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, January 20, 1843 (1843-01-20) – October 3, 1881 (1881-10-03) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, April 26, 1835 (1835-04-26) – August 20, 1842 (1842-08-20) LDS Church Apostle, called by Three Witnesses, April 26, 1835 (1835-04-26) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | March 10, 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 10 | ||
Notes: | Younger brother of Parley P. Pratt. Was excommunicated for apostasy Aug 20, 1842, but readmitted Jan 20, 1843. As a result, was given reduced seniority in Jun 1875. Last surviving member of the original Quorum. Under the direction of Brigham Young, he published The Seer. The Seer was a periodical published to defend the LDS Church's practice of polygamy. Despite William Clayton claiming in his journal, first published in 1921, that she had been told of the revelation on polygamy on July 12, 1843,[17][unreliable source?] Emma Smith, Joseph Smith's widow, claimed that the very first time she ever became aware of polygamy being attributed to her late husband was 10 years later when she read about it in Pratt's The Seer in 1853.[18] | ||
![]() | Name: | Parley P. Pratt | |
Born: | (1807-04-12)April 12, 1807 | ||
Died: | May 13, 1857(1857-05-13) (aged 50) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Three Witnesses, February 21, 1835 (1835-02-21) – May 13, 1857 (1857-05-13) LDS Church Apostle, called by Three Witnesses, February 21, 1835 (1835-02-21) – May 13, 1857 (1857-05-13) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | June 24, 1843[10] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 11 | ||
Notes: | In 1857, on a farm northeast of Van Buren, Arkansas, Pratt was murdered by Hector McLean, the legal husband of one of Pratt's plural wives.[19] Pratt is buried near Alma, Arkansas. | ||
![]() | Name: | Charles C. Rich | |
Born: | (1809-08-21)August 21, 1809 | ||
Died: | November 17, 1883(1883-11-17) (aged 74) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Brigham Young, February 12, 1849 (1849-02-12) – November 17, 1883 (1883-11-17) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, February 12, 1849 (1849-02-12) – November 17, 1883 (1883-11-17) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 6, 1845 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 6 | ||
Notes: | Was also a member of the Council of Fifty. | ||
![]() | Name: | Franklin D. Richards I | |
Born: | (1821-04-02)April 2, 1821 | ||
Died: | December 9, 1899(1899-12-09) (aged 78) | ||
Positions: | President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, September 13, 1898 (1898-09-13) – December 9, 1899 (1899-12-09) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Brigham Young, February 12, 1849 (1849-02-12) – December 9, 1899 (1899-12-09) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, February 12, 1849 (1849-02-12) – December 9, 1899 (1899-12-09) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | October 13, 1849 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 11 | ||
![]() | Name: | Willard Richards | |
Born: | (1804-06-24)June 24, 1804 | ||
Died: | March 11, 1854(1854-03-11) (aged 49) | ||
Positions: | Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) – March 11, 1854 (1854-03-11) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Joseph Smith, April 14, 1840 (1840-04-14) – December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) LDS Church Apostle, called by Joseph Smith, April 14, 1840 (1840-04-14) – March 11, 1854 (1854-03-11) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 18, 1843[12] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 14 | ||
Notes: | Richards was incarcerated in Carthage Jail with Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith and John Taylor on June 27, 1844, when the jail was attacked by a mob and the Smith brothers were murdered. | ||
![]() | Name: | George A. Smith | |
Born: | (1817-06-26)June 26, 1817 | ||
Died: | September 1, 1875(1875-09-01) (aged 58) | ||
Positions: | First Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, October 7, 1868 (1868-10-07) – September 1, 1875 (1875-09-01) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Joseph Smith, April 26, 1839 (1839-04-26) – October 7, 1868 (1868-10-07) LDS Church Apostle, called by Joseph Smith, April 26, 1839 (1839-04-26) – September 1, 1875 (1875-09-01) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | November 29, 1844 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 7 | ||
Notes: | Cousin of Joseph Smith. During The Utah War, Smith visited southern Utah communities, after learning of the imminent arrival of U.S. troops into Utah Territory. Scholars have asserted that Smith's tour, speeches, and personal actions may have contributed to the fear and tension in these communities, which led to the Mountain Meadows massacre. George A. Smith's grandson, George Albert Smith, later became president of the church in 1945. | ||
![]() | Name: | John Henry Smith | |
Born: | (1848-09-18)September 18, 1848 | ||
Died: | October 13, 1911(1911-10-13) (aged 63) | ||
Positions: | Second Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Joseph F. Smith, April 7, 1910 (1910-04-07) – October 13, 1911 (1911-10-13) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by John Taylor, October 27, 1880 (1880-10-27) – April 7, 1910 (1910-04-07) LDS Church Apostle, called by John Taylor, October 27, 1880 (1880-10-27) – October 13, 1911 (1911-10-13) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 4, 1877 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Son of George A. Smith. After being elected a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature in 1882, he played an important role in the process whereby Utah made the transition from a territory to a state of the United States. | ||
![]() | Name: | John W. Taylor | |
Born: | (1858-05-15)May 15, 1858 | ||
Died: | October 10, 1916(1916-10-10) (aged 58) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by John Taylor, May 15, 1884 (1884-05-15) – April 1905 LDS Church Apostle, called by John Taylor, May 15, 1884 (1884-05-15) – March 28, 1911 (1911-03-28)[29] | ||
Date entered polygamy: | September 25, 1888 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 6 | ||
Notes: | Son of John Taylor. Resigned from the Quorum in October 1905 and was excommunicated in 1911. Due to his staunch belief in the doctrine of plural marriage, Taylor continued to privately marry additional wives even after the church officially forbade the practice with the 1890 Manifesto. When discovered, Taylor resigned from the Quorum of the Twelve. | ||
![]() | Name: | George Teasdale | |
Born: | (1831-12-08)8 December 1831 | ||
Died: | 9 June 1907(1907-06-09) (aged 75) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by John Taylor, 16 October 1882 (1882-10-16) – 9 June 1907 (1907-06-09) LDS Church Apostle, called by John Taylor, 16 October 1882 (1882-10-16) – 9 June 1907 (1907-06-09) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | |||
Eventual No. of wives: | 9 | ||
Notes: | Was also a member of the Council of Fifty. | ||
![]() | Name: | Daniel H. Wells | |
Born: | (1814-10-27)October 27, 1814 | ||
Died: | March 24, 1891(1891-03-24) (aged 76) | ||
Positions: | Counselor to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by John Taylor, October 6, 1877 (1877-10-06) – March 24, 1891 (1891-03-24) Second Counselor in First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, January 4, 1857 (1857-01-04) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, January 4, 1857 (1857-01-04) – March 24, 1891 (1891-03-24) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | February 15, 1849 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 7 | ||
Notes: | Wells was a member of the Council of Fifty, Mayor of Salt Lake City (1866–76), president of the Manti Utah Temple (1888–91), and presided over the continuing construction of the Salt Lake Temple as the superintendent of public works for the LDS Church (1848–63). On April 6, 1877, Wells dedicated the St. George Utah Temple. | ||
![]() | Name: | John R. Winder | |
Born: | (1821-12-11)December 11, 1821 | ||
Died: | March 27, 1910(1910-03-27) (aged 88) | ||
Positions: | First Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Joseph F. Smith, October 17, 1901 (1901-10-17) – March 27, 1910 (1910-03-27) Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, called by William B. Preston, April 8, 1887 (1887-04-08) – October 17, 1901 (1901-10-17) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | September 30, 1855 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 4 | ||
Notes: | Winder was a figure in politics and the militia in the territory. He led the Nauvoo Legion to stop the advance of Johnston's Army in the Utah War of 1857. In the Black Hawk War (Utah), he fought as Adjutant General. Having never been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles prior to his call to the First Presidency, a rarity, there has been some dispute as to whether or not Winder was ordained an Apostle at the time of his appointment as first counselor. The LDS Church has no record of Winder being ordained to the office of Apostle. | ||
![]() | Name: | Abraham O. Woodruff | |
Born: | (1872-11-23)November 23, 1872 | ||
Died: | June 20, 1904(1904-06-20) (aged 31) | ||
Positions: | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Wilford Woodruff, October 7, 1897 (1897-10-07)[24] – June 20, 1904 (1904-06-20) LDS Church Apostle, called by Wilford Woodruff, October 7, 1897 (1897-10-07)[24] – June 20, 1904 (1904-06-20) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | November 1, 1900 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Son of Wilford Woodruff. He was ordained an apostle at the young age of 23, but served less than 8 years due to his death of smallpox. Married his second wife ten years after his father had issued the 1890 Manifesto. | ||
![]() | Name: | Brigham Young Jr. | |
Born: | (1836-12-18)December 18, 1836 | ||
Died: | April 11, 1903(1903-04-11) (aged 66) | ||
Positions: | President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 17, 1901 (1901-10-17) – April 11, 1903 (1903-04-11) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) – April 11, 1903 (1903-04-11) Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, May 9, 1874 (1874-05-09) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, June 8, 1873 (1873-06-08) – May 9, 1874 (1874-05-09) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by Brigham Young, October 9, 1868 (1868-10-09) – June 8, 1873 (1873-06-08) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, February 4, 1864 (1864-02-04) – April 11, 1903 (1903-04-11) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | March 15, 1857 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 6 | ||
Notes: | Son of Brigham Young. Was ordained an apostle in 1864, but did not become member of the Quorum until 1868. Also served several terms in the Utah Territorial Legislature.[30] | ||
![]() | Name: | John Willard Young | |
Born: | (1844-10-01)October 1, 1844 | ||
Died: | February 12, 1924(1924-02-12) (aged 79) | ||
Positions: | Counselor to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called by John Taylor, October 6, 1877 (1877-10-06) – October 3, 1891 (1891-10-03) First Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, October 8, 1876 (1876-10-08) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, May 9, 1874 (1874-05-09) – October 8, 1876 (1876-10-08) Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Brigham Young, June 8, 1873 (1873-06-08) – May 9, 1874 (1874-05-09) LDS Church Apostle, called by Brigham Young, November 22, 1855 (1855-11-22) – February 12, 1924 (1924-02-12) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1844 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 6 | ||
Notes: | Served as member of the Council of Fifty. In 1888, Joseph F. Smith accused Young of unethically using church funds to maintain a lavish lifestyle.[31] By April 1889, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were discussing Young's release. In response, Young resigned from his position on October 3, 1891.[31] For another 33 years, Young remained a church apostle, but never again served as a general authority. |
Other church general authorities
![]() | Name: | Titus Billings | |
---|---|---|---|
Born: | (1793-03-25)March 25, 1793 | ||
Died: | February 6, 1866(1866-02-06) (aged 72) | ||
Positions: | Second Counselor to the Bishop of the Church, called by Edward Partridge, August 1, 1837 (1837-08-01) – May 27, 1840 (1840-05-27) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 20, 1854 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | An early member of the Latter Day Saint movement and a contemporary of both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. He was one of the first converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Billings was present at many of the early events of the Latter Day Saint movement, and served as a church leader in Ohio, Missouri and Utah. | ||
![]() | Name: | Robert T. Burton | |
Born: | (1821-10-25)25 October 1821 | ||
Died: | 11 November 1907(1907-11-11) (aged 86) | ||
Positions: | First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, called by William B. Preston, 5 October 1884 (1884-10-05) – 11 November 1907 (1907-11-11) Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, called by Edward Hunter, 9 October 1874 (1874-10-09) – 16 October 1883 (1883-10-16) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | February 6, 1856 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Member of the presiding bishopric from 1874 until his death. He was also one of the principal officers in the Nauvoo Legion during its Utah reconstitution (including the Utah War)[32] and led the territorial militia against the Morrisites during the 1862 Morrisite War. | ||
![]() | Name: | Zebedee Coltrin | |
Born: | (1804-09-07)September 7, 1804 | ||
Died: | July 21, 1887(1887-07-21) (aged 82) | ||
Positions: | First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, called by Joseph Smith, 1 March 1835 (1835-03-01) – 6 April 1837 (1837-04-06) Patriarch, called by Brigham Young, 31 May 1873 (1873-05-31) – 21 July 1887 (1887-07-21) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | February 5, 1843 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 7 | ||
Notes: | A Mormon pioneer and a general authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1835 to 1837, Coltrin was one of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventy and served in later years as a patriarch in the church, from 1873 until his death. Before he undertook the Mormon practice of polygamy, Zebedee Coltrin's first marriage (1828) to Julia Ann Jennings (1812-1841) was a happy one, but as with the five children Julia ultimately bore him, she also died — at Kirtland, Ohio, at only 29 years of age. Zebedee's second wife, Mary Mott (1820-1886), gave birth to ten more children. She and Zebedee were married 'for time' in 1843, and later, on 20 January 1846, 'sealed for eternity,' in the Nauvoo Temple by Brigham Young — after which, Apostle Parley P. Pratt conferred upon them additional endowment blessings; Mary also stood as proxy that day in the sealing of first wife Julia to their husband. Coltrin married Hannah Husted (1797-1862) and Sarah Oyler (1800-1886) at Nauvoo in 1846, and also Lavinia Elizabeth Fullmer (1838-1907) in 1857 and one Marriet Chaddock in 1874 at Salt Lake City. Finally, noting that none of these additional wives bore him children, it is known that Coltrin found a seventh wife in one Amanda Norwood. | ||
![]() | Name: | Levi W. Hancock | |
Born: | (1803-04-07)April 7, 1803 | ||
Died: | June 10, 1882(1882-06-10) (aged 79) | ||
Positions: | First Seven Presidents of the Seventy[broken anchor], called by Joseph Smith, September 3, 1837 (1837-09-03) – June 10, 1882 (1882-06-10) First Seven Presidents of the Seventy[broken anchor], called by Joseph Smith, March 1, 1835 (1835-03-01) – April 6, 1837 (1837-04-06) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | February 24, 1849 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 5 | ||
Notes: | Served as member of the Council of Fifty (1846) and the 1st Utah Territorial Legislature. Was honorably released from the First Seven Presidents of the Seventy[broken anchor] because he had already been ordained a high priest. | ||
![]() | Name: | Leonard W. Hardy | |
Born: | (1805-12-31)December 31, 1805 | ||
Died: | July 31, 1884(1884-07-31) (aged 78) | ||
Positions: | First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, called by Edward Hunter, October 6, 1856 (1856-10-06) – July 31, 1884 (1884-07-31) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | Nov 28, 1850 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 5 | ||
Notes: | Served as member of the Council of Fifty. | ||
Name: | George Miller | ||
Born: | (1794-11-25)November 25, 1794 | ||
Died: | August 27, 1856(1856-08-27) (aged 61) | ||
Positions: | Second Bishop of the Church, called by Brigham Young, October 7, 1844 (1844-10-07) – Latter end of 1846 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 25, 1846 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Served as member of the Council of Fifty. Served as member of the Council of Fifty. Disfellowshipped from the church on 3 December 1848 due to his opposition of Brigham Young's leadership, however, he was never formally excommunicated. | ||
![]() | Name: | John Hamilton Morgan | |
Born: | (1842-08-08)August 8, 1842 | ||
Died: | August 14, 1894(1894-08-14) (aged 52) | ||
Positions: | First Seven Presidents of the Seventy[broken anchor], called by John Taylor, October 5, 1884 (1884-10-05) – August 14, 1894 (1894-08-14) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 25, 1884 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | An early educator in Utah Territory | ||
![]() | Name: | Isaac Morley | |
Born: | (1786-03-11)March 11, 1786 | ||
Died: | June 24, 1865(1865-06-24) (aged 79) | ||
Positions: | First Counselor to the Bishop of the Church, called by Edward Partridge, June 3, 1831 (1831-06-03)[33] – May 27, 1840 (1840-05-27) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1844 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 7 | ||
Notes: | Morley was one of the first converts to Smith's Church of Christ. Morley was present at many of the early events of the Latter Day Saint movement, and served as a church leader in Ohio, Missouri, and Utah Territory. Served as a member of the Council of Fifty. | ||
![]() | Name: | Stillman Pond | |
Born: | (1803-10-26)October 26, 1803 | ||
Died: | September 30, 1878(1878-09-30) (aged 74) | ||
Positions: | Second Quorum of Seventy, called by Brigham Young, 17 May 1845 (1845-05-17) – 16 February 1853 (1853-02-16) Senior President of Thirty-fifth Quorum of Seventy, called by Brigham Young, 16 February 1853 (1853-02-16) – 30 September 1878 (1878-09-30) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | September 26, 1852 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 5 | ||
Notes: | A native Massachusetts farmer, harnessmaker, and land speculator by trade, Pond was a Mormon Pioneer and church leader recognized for the great personal sacrifices he made in the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Great Salt Lake Valley (Sept 1846 – Sept 1847), in what would later become Utah Territory. Along the Mormon Trail, Stillman lost to disease and death not only his second wife at Winter Quarters, Nebraska, but also — almost incomprehensibly and in utterly devastating circumstances — 8 children from both his first and second marriages (including 18-year-old Abigail, a plural bride of Presiding Bishop Newell K. Whitney). Having earlier lost also his first wife to a New England Yellow Fever epidemic in 1833 (the 33-year-old mother having borne him 5 children), he went on to enter into three additional unions in Utah Territory from 1852 to 1870. Although Stillman suffered divorce from his fourth wife in 1855, all five women bore him children, making him grand-patriarch to a sea of descendants scattered throughout the intermountain West and beyond: Almyra Whittemore (1800-1833), Maria Louisa Davis (1812-1847), Abigail Thorn (1821–1904), Elizabeth Joan Bessac (1813-1875), and Anna Regina Swenson (1837-1909). Stillman Pond was called and set apart by Brigham Young as Senior President of the 35th Quorum of Seventy, in which capacity he served for 25 years until his death (1853-1878). | ||
Name: | George Reynolds | ||
Born: | (1842-01-01)January 1, 1842 | ||
Died: | August 9, 1909(1909-08-09) (aged 67) | ||
Positions: | First Council of the Seventy, called by Wilford Woodruff, April 5, 1890 (1890-04-05) – August 9, 1909 (1909-08-09) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | August 3, 1874 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Was the accused in the U.S. Supreme Court case on polygamy, Reynolds v. United States and was the first convicted Mormon polygamist to serve a term of imprisonment. | ||
![]() | Name: | B. H. Roberts | |
Born: | (1857-03-13)March 13, 1857 | ||
Died: | September 27, 1933(1933-09-27) (aged 76) | ||
Positions: | First Council of the Seventy, called by John Taylor, October 7, 1888 (1888-10-07) – September 27, 1933 (1933-09-27) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | October 2, 1884 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Was denied a seat as a member of United States Congress because of his practice of plural marriage. Convicted of unlawful cohabitation in 1899 and imprisoned for six months | ||
Name: | John Smith | ||
Born: | (1832-09-22)September 22, 1832 | ||
Died: | November 6, 1911(1911-11-06) (aged 79) | ||
Positions: | 5th Presiding Patriarch, called by Brigham Young, February 18, 1855 (1855-02-18) – November 6, 1911 (1911-11-06) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | February 18, 1857 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Nephew of Joseph Smith, Jr. (father was Hyrum Smith). | ||
![]() | Name: | John Smith | |
Born: | (1781-07-16)July 16, 1781 | ||
Died: | May 23, 1854(1854-05-23) (aged 72) | ||
Positions: | 4th Presiding Patriarch, called by Brigham Young, January 1, 1849 (1849-01-01) – May 23, 1854 (1854-05-23) Assistant Counselor in the First Presidency, called by Joseph Smith, September 3, 1837 (1837-09-03) – June 27, 1844 (1844-06-27) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1843 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 10 | ||
Notes: | Younger brother of Joseph Smith, Sr. and uncle of Joseph Smith. Served as a member of the Council of Fifty, as a counselor in the First Presidency(1837–1844), and as the 4th Presiding Patriarch of the LDS Church (1849–1854). Practiced plural marriage and fathered four children. | ||
![]() | Name: | Zerubbabel Snow | |
Born: | (1809-03-29)March 29, 1809 | ||
Died: | September 27, 1888(1888-09-27) (aged 79) | ||
Positions: | First Quorum of the Seventy, 1835-unknown | ||
Date entered polygamy: | August 25, 1841 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Was elected Attorney General of the Territory of Utah in 1869. | ||
![]() | Name: | Edward Stevenson | |
Born: | (1820-05-01)May 1, 1820 | ||
Died: | January 27, 1897(1897-01-27) (aged 76) | ||
Positions: | First Council of the Seventy, October 7, 1894-January 27, 1897 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | October 28, 1855 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 7 | ||
Notes: | He is also notable for writing a memoir of Joseph Smith in 1893, which ended up being the earliest surviving documentary source supporting the story of Joseph Smith having taught prior to 1836 that he had seen God and Jesus Christ as two separate beings in his First Vision. | ||
Name: | William W. Taylor | ||
Born: | (1853-09-11)September 11, 1853 | ||
Died: | August 1, 1884(1884-08-01) (aged 30) | ||
Positions: | First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, April 7, 1880-August 1, 1884 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | March 29, 1884 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Was a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature | ||
![]() | Name: | John Van Cott | |
Born: | (1814-09-07)September 7, 1814 | ||
Died: | February 18, 1883(1883-02-18) (aged 68) | ||
Positions: | First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, October 8, 1862-February 18, 1883 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | May 02, 1849 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 5 | ||
Notes: | Served as member of the Council of Fifty. | ||
![]() | Name: | Newel K. Whitney | |
Born: | (1795-02-05)February 5, 1795 | ||
Died: | September 24, 1850(1850-09-24) (aged 55) | ||
Positions: | Presiding Bishop, June 6, 1847-September 23, 1850 First Bishop of the Church, October 7, 1844-June 6, 1847 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | February 14, 1845 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | up to 8, including two daughters of Stillman Pond — Elizabeth Almira Pond, age 19; and Abigail A. Pond, age 18. | ||
Notes: | Served as member of the Council of Fifty. | ||
![]() | Name: | Joseph Young | |
Born: | (1797-04-07)April 7, 1797 | ||
Died: | July 16, 1881(1881-07-16) (aged 84) | ||
Positions: | First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, March 1, 1835-July 16, 1881 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 16, 1846 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 6 | ||
Notes: | Was the elder brother of Brigham Young and a member of the Council of Fifty. |
Other notable members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
![]() | Name: | Milo Andrus | |
---|---|---|---|
Born: | (1814-03-06)March 6, 1814 | ||
Died: | June 19, 1893(1893-06-19) (aged 79) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 1, 1848 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 11 | ||
Notes: | Andrus was one of the members of Zion's Camp, and helped build the Kirtland, Nauvoo, Salt Lake, and Saint George Temples. | ||
![]() | Name: | Gilbert Belnap | |
Born: | (1821-12-22)December 22, 1821 | ||
Died: | February 26, 1899(1899-02-26) (aged 77) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | June 26, 1852 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Belnap was a Mormon pioneer, early bishop, missionary, Weber County sheriff, and colonizer. He married first cousins; his first wife was the daughter of Martha McBride Knight, one of Joseph Smith's plural wives. He was issued a recommend in 1857 to take a third wife which was never used. | ||
![]() | Name: | John Milton Bernhisel | |
Born: | (1799-06-23)June 23, 1799 | ||
Died: | September 28, 1881(1881-09-28) (aged 82) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c.1845 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 7 | ||
Notes: | Bernhisel was elected as Utah Territory's first delegate to Congress in 1851. Bernhisel married 7 women between 1845 and 1850, however, all but one had deserted him by 1851. | ||
![]() | Name: | Anson Call | |
Born: | (1810-05-13)May 13, 1810 | ||
Died: | August 31, 1890(1890-08-31) (aged 80) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 15, 1851 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 6 | ||
Notes: | Mormon pioneer and an early colonizer of many communities in Utah Territory and surrounding states. Call — who fulfilled many assignments by Brigham Young, including as president of the Bountiful United Order, in a stake presidency, and as a two-time bishop — is perhaps best remembered in Mormon history for recording Joseph Smith's Rocky Mountain prophecy. Call married 6 women between 1833 and 1870, divorcing his second on unfounded rumors of infidelity. Four wives bore him children, while the last two were marriages of protection to the widow of his brother Josiah Call, who was killed by Indians, and of his third wife's widowed sister. Call's plural wives included Mary Flint (1812-1901), Ann Mariah Bowen (1834-1924), Margaretta Unwin Clark (1828-1908), Emma Summers (1828-1912), Henrietta Caroline Williams (1826-1900), and Ann Clark (1817-1893). | ||
![]() | Name: | Anson Bowen Call | |
Born: | (1863-10-20)October 20, 1863 | ||
Died: | January 2, 1958(1958-01-02) (aged 94) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | December 10, 1890 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 4 | ||
Notes: | Bowen Call (known by all of his associates as 'Bowen' to distinguish him from his father Anson Call) was a Mormon colonizer in Colonia Dublán, Mexico, where he served for more than 40 years as a bishop and patriarch (ordained by President George Albert Smith). Bowen married 4 women between 1885 and 1903, losing all but his first to early death. All bore him children. Bowen was a school teacher in both Utah and Wyoming before migrating to Mexico in 1890 — under prophetic direction, in order to legally enter into the practice of U.S.-banned polygamy — with his first wife and children. Bowen's plural wives included Mary Theresa Thompson (1868-1957), Harriet Cazier (1870-1894), Dora Pratt (1878-1904), and Julia Sarah Abegg (1885-1937). Among the last of the Latter Day Saints to practice plural marriage with the Church's 'blessing' — that is, to enter into a Wilford Woodruff-condoned post-Manifesto polygamous union outside the boundaries of the United States — Bowen Call's descendants now number in the thousands, approximating today 3,500. | ||
![]() | Name: | Hugh Findlay | |
Born: | (1822-06-09)June 9, 1822 | ||
Died: | March 2, 1900(1900-03-02) (aged 77) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1857 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Findlay was one of the first two Mormon missionaries to enter India and initiated Mormon missionary work in the Shetland Islands. | ||
![]() | Name: | William J. Flake | |
Born: | (1839-07-03)July 3, 1839 | ||
Died: | August 10, 1932(1932-08-10) (aged 93) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1868 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Flake helped settle parts of Arizona. He was convicted of unlawful cohabitation in 1883 and imprisoned for a short time. | ||
![]() | Name: | David Fullmer | |
Born: | (1803-07-07)July 7, 1803 | ||
Died: | October 21, 1879(1879-10-21) (aged 76) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 21, 1846 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | David Fullmer was a members of the Council of Fifty and the Nauvoo City Council. | ||
Name: | John S. Fullmer | ||
Born: | (1807-07-21)July 21, 1807 | ||
Died: | October 8, 1883(1883-10-08) (aged 76) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | January 21, 1846 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | John Fullmer was a members of the Council of Fifty and the Utah Territorial House of Representatives. | ||
![]() | Name: | Archibald Gardner | |
Born: | (1814-09-02)September 2, 1814 | ||
Died: | February 8, 1902(1902-02-08) (aged 87) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | April 19, 1849 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 11 | ||
Notes: | Prominent business man and bishop for 32 years | ||
![]() | Name: | Ephraim Hanks | |
Born: | (1826-03-21)March 21, 1826 | ||
Died: | June 9, 1896(1896-06-09) (aged 70) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | March 27, 1856 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 4 | ||
Notes: | Hanks was a prominent member of the 19th-century Latter Day Saint movement, a Mormon pioneer and a leader in the early settlement of Utah. Hanks played a role in the rescue of the Martin handcart company, although he wasn't present during the famous Sweetwater crossing.[34] Hanks also led a militia company in scouting expeditions during the Utah War in 1857 and 1858. | ||
![]() | Name: | Abraham Hoagland | |
Born: | (1797-03-24)March 24, 1797 | ||
Died: | February 14, 1872(1872-02-14) (aged 74) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1847 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 4 | ||
Notes: | Hoagland was an early Mormon leader, pioneer, and one of the founders of Royal Oak, Michigan, and Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. | ||
![]() | Name: | Jacob Hamblin | |
Born: | (1819-04-02)April 2, 1819 | ||
Died: | August 31, 1886(1886-08-31) (aged 67) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | September 30, 1849 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Hamblin was a Western pioneer, Mormon missionary, and diplomat to various Native American Tribes of the Southwest and Great Basin. | ||
![]() | Name: | John Lyon | |
Born: | (1803-03-04)March 4, 1803 | ||
Died: | November 28, 1889(1889-11-28) (aged 86) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | March 28, 1856 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 | ||
Notes: | Lyon was a Scottish Latter Day Saint poet and hymn writer. | ||
![]() | Name: | Charles S. Peterson | |
Born: | (1818-07-28)July 28, 1818 | ||
Died: | September 26, 1889(1889-09-26) (aged 71) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1849 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 4 | ||
Notes: | Peterson was the first settler of Utah's Morgan Valley,[35] a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature, and one of the first settlers in the Mormon colonies in Mexico. | ||
Name: | Miles Park Romney | ||
Born: | (1843-08-18)August 18, 1843 | ||
Died: | February 26, 1904(1904-02-26) (aged 60) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1867 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | |||
![]() | Name: | Lot Smith | |
Born: | (1830-03-15)March 15, 1830 | ||
Died: | June 21, 1892(1892-06-21) (aged 62) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1851 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 8 | ||
Notes: | Lot was an officer in the Nauvoo Legion. He was sent on a special mission by Young to delay the United States Army from reaching Utah in 1857. | ||
![]() | Name: | Orson Spencer | |
Born: | (1802-03-14)March 14, 1802 | ||
Died: | October 15, 1855(1855-10-15) (aged 53) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1835 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 6 | ||
Notes: | Spencer was a member of the Council of Fifty and was named the first chancellor of the University of Deseret in 1850. | ||
![]() | Name: | David K. Udall | |
Born: | (1851-09-07)September 7, 1851 | ||
Died: | February 18, 1938(1938-02-18) (aged 86) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1882 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Udall married last wife in 1903, 13 years after the 1890 Manifesto |
Other sects within the Latter Day Saint movement
Mormon fundamentalists sects
The following are notable members of the Mormon fundamentalist movement who have practiced plural marriage:
Name: | Owen A. Allred | ||
---|---|---|---|
Born: | (1914-01-14)January 14, 1914 | ||
Died: | February 14, 2005(2005-02-14) (aged 91) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1942 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 8 | ||
Notes: | Owen Allred became leader of the Apostolic United Brethren following the murder of his brother Rulon Allred. | ||
Name: | Rulon C. Allred | ||
Born: | (1906-03-29)March 29, 1906 | ||
Died: | May 10, 1977(1977-05-10) (aged 71) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1926 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | at least 12 | ||
Notes: | Leader of the Apostolic United Brethren. On May 10, 1977, Allred was shot and killed by two women in his office in Murray, Utah. One of the women was later identified as Rena Chynoweth, one of Ervil LeBaron's wives. Although acquitted of the charges, Chynoweth later confessed to the crime in her memoir, The Blood Covenant. | ||
Name: | John Y. Barlow | ||
Born: | (1874-03-04)March 4, 1874 | ||
Died: | December 29, 1949(1949-12-29) (aged 75) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1902 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 4 | ||
Notes: | While serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Barlow defended his polygamous views and was dishonorably released.[36] Later, LDS Church apostle Melvin J. Ballard, the president of the Northwest States Mission during Barlow's service there, served as witness in the disciplinary council that resulted in Barlow's excommunication.[37] | ||
Name: | J. Leslie Broadbent | ||
Born: | (1891-06-03)June 3, 1891 | ||
Died: | March 16, 1935(1935-03-16) (aged 43) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | June 1915 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 4 | ||
Notes: | In 1927, Broadbent published a pamphlet Celestial Marriage advocating the practice of plural marriage. This was one of the first Mormon fundamentalist tracts and was a factor in his subsequent excommunication by the LDS Church in July 1929. | ||
Name: | Tom Green | ||
Born: | June 9, 1948 | ||
Died: | February 28, 2021 (aged 72)[38] | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1980s | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 7 | ||
Notes: | Green and his lifestyle were the subject of the British-made documentary One Man, Six Wives and Twenty-Nine Children. He and his wives have appeared on various television programmes and have a higher level of media exposure than many other contemporary polygamists. | ||
Name: | James D. Harmston | ||
Born: | November 1940 | ||
Died: | June 27, 2013 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1990 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | at least 8[39] | ||
Notes: | Raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, James D. Harmston and his wife broke away from the Church in the 1980s and founded the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days. | ||
Name: | Rulon Jeffs | ||
Born: | (1909-12-06)December 6, 1909 | ||
Died: | September 8, 2002(2002-09-08) (aged 92) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | March 2, 1909[42] | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | As many as 75[43] | ||
Notes: | Rulon Jeffs was a leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was reported that at the time of Jeffs' death at age 92 that he may have had as many as 75 wives and 65 children;[40] however, conflicting sources indicate that Jeffs may have been survived by 19 or 20 wives and "about 60 children," including 33 sons.[41] | ||
![]() | Name: | Warren Jeffs | |
Born: | (1955-12-03) December 3, 1955 (age 68) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | |||
Eventual No. of wives: | 78[47] | ||
Notes: | Current leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On September 25, 2007, Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of rape as an accomplice and was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years to life.[44] However, on July 27, 2010, his conviction was reversed by Utah's Supreme Court because of incorrect jury instructions.[45] Subsequently on August 9, 2011, Jeffs was tried on two other counts of sexual assault of a child, convicted and sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years.[46] | ||
![]() | Name: | Leroy S. Johnson | |
Born: | (1888-06-12)June 12, 1888 | ||
Died: | November 25, 1986(1986-11-25) (aged 98) | ||
Positions: | Senior Member of the Priesthood Council (Short Creek Community)[48], 1954 – November 25, 1986 (1986-11-25) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1928 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 6[49] | ||
Notes: | Leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Johnson became acquainted with fundamentalist ideas in 1928 after his brother Price introduced him to John Woolley in Centerville, Utah. | ||
Name: | Alex Joseph | ||
Born: | 1936 | ||
Died: | September 27, 1998 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1969 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | up to 20[50] | ||
Notes: | Founder of the Confederate Nations of Israel and mayor of Big Water, Utah. Joseph was the first Libertarian mayor of a community in the United States. | ||
Name: | C. Elden Kingston | ||
Born: | 1909 | ||
Died: | 1947 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1934 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 5[52] | ||
Notes: | Kingston co-founded the Latter Day Church of Christ, also known as the Davis County Cooperative Society.[51] | ||
![]() | Name: | Paul E. Kingston | |
Born: | 1959 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | 1978 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 27 | ||
Notes: | Prophet and Presiding Priesthood Leader of the Latter Day Church of Christ, also known as the Davis County Cooperative Society, since August 25, 1987. | ||
Name: | Ervil LeBaron | ||
Born: | (1925-02-22)February 22, 1925 | ||
Died: | August 16, 1981(1981-08-16) (aged 56) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1944 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | at least 13 wives | ||
Notes: | Founder of the Church of the Lamb of God and using the religious doctrine of blood atonement as justification, ordered the killings of many of his opponents, including Rulon C. Allred. In 1980, he was sentenced to prison for orchestrating the murder of an opponent, and died in prison. | ||
Name: | Joel LeBaron | ||
Born: | (1923-06-09)June 9, 1923 | ||
Died: | August 20, 1972(1972-08-20) (aged 49) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | c. 1944 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | |||
Notes: | In 1955, Joel LeBaron and two of his brothers established the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times in Salt Lake City, Utah, with Joel as President of the Church. In 1967, Joel's brother, Ervil LeBaron, was removed from leadership in the church when he began to preach that he, and not Joel, was the proper leader of the church. Then on 20 August 1972 Daniel Jordan, one of Ervil's followers, shot and killed Joel. | ||
Name: | Joseph W. Musser | ||
Born: | (1872-03-08)March 8, 1872 | ||
Died: | 1954 | ||
Date entered polygamy: | March 1902 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 5 | ||
Notes: | Musser is known for his Mormon fundamentalist books, pamphlets and magazines, as well as being considered a prophet by many Mormon fundamentalists. | ||
![]() | Name: | John W. Woolley | |
Born: | (1831-12-30)December 30, 1831 | ||
Died: | December 13, 1928(1928-12-13) (aged 96) | ||
Positions: | Senior Member of the Priesthood Council, before 1935 – December 13, 1928 (1928-12-13Tdd) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | March 20, 1851 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 3 | ||
Notes: | Woolley was sealed to only one woman during his lifetime, and experienced plural marriage for only six years between 1886 and 1892. However, Woolley is known as the father of Mormon fundamentalism and amongst most fundamentalists is considered an apostle, prophet, and president of the priesthood. | ||
![]() | Name: | Lorin C. Woolley | |
Born: | (1856-10-23)October 23, 1856 | ||
Died: | September 19, 1934(1934-09-19) (aged 77) | ||
Positions: | Senior Member of the Priesthood Council, December 13, 1928 (1928-12-13) – September 19, 1934 (1934-09-19) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | by 1915 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | at least 4 | ||
Notes: | In 1912, Woolley gave the first written account of the background to the 1886 Revelation and of a subsequent meeting in which Taylor stated that plural marriage must and would continue. It is estimated that up to ninety percent of polygamists across the Wasatch Front today trace their sealing authority through this priesthood line.[53] | ||
Name: | Charles Zitting | ||
Born: | (1884-03-30)March 30, 1884 | ||
Died: | July 14, 1954(1954-07-14) (aged 70) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | pre. April 1, 1931 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 5 | ||
Notes: | Zitting was a Mormon fundamentalist leader and member of The Council of Friends, in the Short Creek community. | ||
Name: | Brian David Mitchell | ||
Born: | (1953-10-18) October 18, 1953 (age 70) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | June 5, 2002 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 2 (see note) | ||
Notes: | Mitchell married three times legally, two of the marriages ending in divorce. Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped and forcibly "married" to him, while he was legally married to his third wife Wanda Barzee. |
Other Latter Day Saint sects
![]() | Name: | James J. Strang | |
---|---|---|---|
Born: | (1813-03-21)March 21, 1813 | ||
Died: | July 9, 1856(1856-07-09) (aged 43) | ||
Positions: | Founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), ca. June 1844 – July 9, 1856 (1856-07-09) | ||
Date entered polygamy: | July 13, 1849 | ||
Eventual No. of wives: | 5 | ||
Notes: | Originally, Strang was strenuously opposed to the practice of polygamy;[54] however, in 1849, Strang reversed course and become one of its strongest advocates. Since many of his early disciples had looked to him as a monogamous counterweight to Brigham Young's polygamous version of Mormonism, Strang's decision to embrace plural marriage proved costly to him and his church. |
See also
Notes
- ^ Whitmer 1887
- ^ Times and Seasons, Volume 5, page 474
- ^ Times and Seasons, Volume 5, page 423
- ^ The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star 4 [January 1844]: 144
- ^ Church of Christ was the official name on April 6, 1830: Shields, Steven (1990), Divergent Paths of the Restoration (Fourth ed.), Independence, Missouri: Restoration Research, ISBN 0942284003. In 1834, the official name was changed to Church of the Latter Day Saints and then in 1838 to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: "Minutes of a Conference", Evening and Morning Star, vol. 2, no. 20, p. 160. The spelling "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" was adopted by the LDS Church in Utah in 1851, after Joseph Smith's death in 1844, and is today specified in Doctrine and Covenants 115:4 (LDS Church edition).
- ^ "Gospel Topics: Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo". LDS.org. 2015.
- ^ Quinn, D. Michael (1994), The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Salt Lake City: Signature Books
- ^ Newell, Linda King; Avery, Valeen Tippetts (1994), Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith (2d ed.), University of Illinois Press, pp. 89, 132, ISBN 0-252-06291-4
- ^ For further information, see: Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy, List of Joseph Smith's wives, and Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith
- ^ a b c d Smith 1994.
- ^ As believed by Todd Compton, "A Trajectory of Plurality: An Overview of Joseph Smith's Thirty-three Plural Wives", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 1–38.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Smith 1994, p. 16
- ^ As believed by George D. Smith (Smith 1994)
- ^ a b c Quinn, D. Michael (1980). "The Council of Fifty and Its Members, 1844 to 1945" (PDF). BYU Studies. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University: 22–26. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ Arrington, Leonard J. (Summer 1968). "The Search for Truth and Meaning in Mormon History". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 3 (2): 56–66. doi:10.2307/45227258. JSTOR 45227258. Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2020-03-03. – Bullock worked in the Church Historian's Office, but was not an official "Assistant Church Historian". The first "Assistant Church Historian" was Wilford Woodruff called in 1856, after Bullock left in 1854.
- ^ Lund, Anthon H. (1917), "Remarks § Church Historians", Eighty-eighth Semi-annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Report of the Discourses, pp. 10–12
- ^ a b Journal of William Clayton - excerpts online at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3750/Clayton_intro.html Archived 2009-10-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Saints' Herald 65:1044–1045
- ^ a b Smith 1994, p. 16.
- ^ a b Richard L. Jensen, "The John Taylor Family," Ensign, February 1980, pp. 50–51.
- ^ a b B. H. Roberts, The Life of John Taylor (Salt Lake City, Utah: George Q. Cannon & Sons, 1897).
- ^ Salt Lake Daily Tribune, 1899-09-09, p. 1.
- ^ a b Richard S. Van Wagoner (1989, 2d ed.). Mormon Polygamy: A History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books) p. 119
- ^ a b c d "Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times". Church History in the Fulness of Times Student Manual. LDS Church. 2003. p. 656. Archived from the original on 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
- ^ Cowley resigned from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 28, 1905; however, he remained an ordained apostle of the church until his priesthood was suspended in 1911.
- ^ Merrill, Melvin Clarence (1937), Utah Pioneer and Apostle: Marriner Wood Merrill and His Family, pp. 62–66
- ^ Alexander, Thomas G. (1986), Mormonism in Transition, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, p. 12
- ^ Flake, Kathleen (2004), The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, p. 71
- ^ Taylor resigned from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in April 1905; however, he remained an ordained apostle of the church until his excommunication in 1911.
- ^ Jenson, Andrew (1901–1936), Latter-day Saints Biographical Encyclopedia, vol. 1, Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book and A. Jenson Historical Co, p. 121
- ^ a b Compton, "John Willard Young", p. 124.
- ^ Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: Robert T. Burton
- ^ Joseph Smith Papers, Minute Book #2, p. 6
- ^ Orton, Chad M. (2006). "The Martin Handcart Company at the Sweetwater: Another Look". BYU Studies. 45 (3): 13. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21.
- ^ "The Settlements of Morgan County". Morgan County Utah Historical Society. [1]. Accessed 23 April 2007.
- ^ Morris Q. Kunz, Reminiscences on Priesthood, 21
- ^ LSJ Sermons 1:61
- ^ "Thomas Green Obituary 2021".
- ^ The True & Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days Archived 2010-04-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ NPR report on Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Church - Last accessed Sept 07, 2007
- ^ Mormon Leader Is Survived by 33 Sons and a Void (New York Times)
- ^ Rulon Jeffs Archived 2010-03-30 at the Wayback Machine. Biography of Rulon Jeffs located at www.fldstruth.org (official FLDS website)
- ^ Wade Goodwyn, Howard Berkes and Amy Walters, "Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Church", NPR, 2005-05-03.
- ^ Winslow, B. (2007, November 22). Jeffs is now an inmate at Utah State Prison. Deseret Morning News. Retrieved 29 November 2007 from http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695229917,00.html
- ^ "Utah Supreme Court reverses Warren Jeffs conviction - ABC 4.com - Salt Lake City, Utah News". ABC 4.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-21. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ Whitehurst, Lindsay (August 11, 2011). "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
- ^ Whitehurst, Lindsay (9 August 2011), "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls", Salt Lake Tribune
- ^ Hales, Brian C. "J. Leslie Broadbent". mormonfundamentalism.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ^ "New Page 1". Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
- ^ Brandon Burt, "Utah's Gay Mayor" Archived 2010-12-13 at the Wayback Machine, Salt Lake Metro : article contains background information on Joseph, his adoption of Libertarianism, and the founding of Big Water, Utah
- ^ Utah Attorney General’s Office and Arizona Attorney General’s Office. The Primer, Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities Archived 2013-01-27 at the Wayback Machine. Updated June 2006. Page 23.
- ^ "Charles Elden Kingston". Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
- ^ D. Michael Quinn, "Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism," in Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby, eds., Fundamentalisms and Society: Reclaiming the Sciences, Education, and the Family, Vol. 2 of the Fundamentalism Project of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993), 244.
- ^ (August 12, 1847). Voree Herald as quoted in Fitzpatrick, pp. 74–5. See also Apostle John E. Page at this same source, on his conversations with Strang on the subject.
References
- Brian C. Hales (2006). Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalists : The Generations after the Manifesto (Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books)
- Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia.
- Smith, George D (Spring 1994). "Nauvoo Roots of Mormon Polygamy, 1841-46: A Preliminary Demographic Report". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 27 (1). doi:10.2307/45228320. JSTOR 45228320. Retrieved 2007-05-12..
- D. Michael Quinn, "Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalisms," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, vol. 31, no. 2, Summer 1998
- Whitmer, David (1887). "An Address to All Believers in Christ". Richmond, Missouri. Retrieved 2006-12-30.