| Joseph F. Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 6thPresident ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | |
| October 17, 1901 (1901-10-17) – November 19, 1918 (1918-11-19) | |
| Predecessor | Lorenzo Snow |
| Successor | Heber J. Grant |
| President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| October 10, 1901 (1901-10-10) – October 17, 1901 (1901-10-17) | |
| Predecessor | Brigham Young Jr. |
| Successor | Brigham Young Jr. |
| End reason | Became President of the Church |
| First Counselor in theFirst Presidency | |
| October 6, 1901 (1901-10-06) – October 10, 1901 (1901-10-10) | |
| Called by | Lorenzo Snow |
| End reason | Dissolution of First Presidency upon death of Lorenzo Snow |
| Second Counselor in the First Presidency | |
| April 7, 1889 (1889-04-07) – October 6, 1901 (1901-10-06) | |
| Called by | Wilford Woodruff |
| End reason | Called as First Counselor in the First Presidency |
| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| July 25, 1887 (1887-07-25) – April 7, 1889 (1889-04-07) | |
| End reason | Called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency |
| Second Counselor in the First Presidency | |
| October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) – July 25, 1887 (1887-07-25) | |
| Called by | John Taylor |
| End reason | Dissolution of First Presidency upon death of John Taylor |
| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) – October 10, 1880 (1880-10-10) | |
| End reason | Called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency |
| Counselor in the First Presidency | |
| July 1, 1866 (1866-07-01) – August 29, 1877 (1877-08-29) | |
| Called by | Brigham Young |
| End reason | Dissolution of First Presidency upon death ofBrigham Young |
| LDS ChurchApostle | |
| July 1, 1866 (1866-07-01) – November 19, 1918 (1918-11-19) | |
| Called by | Brigham Young |
| Reason | Brigham Young's discretion[1] |
| Reorganization at end of term | Melvin J. Ballard ordained |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Fielding Smith (1838-11-13)November 13, 1838 Far West, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | November 19, 1918(1918-11-19) (aged 80) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Resting place | Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37.92″N111°51′28.8″W / 40.7772000°N 111.858000°W /40.7772000; -111.858000 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 48 (43 biological, 5 adopted) |
| Parents | Hyrum Smith Mary Fielding |
| Signature | |
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Joseph Fielding Smith Sr. (November 13, 1838 – November 19, 1918) was an American religious leader who served as thesixthpresident ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was a nephew ofJoseph Smith, founder of theLatter Day Saint movement, and the last LDS Church president who had personally known him.
Smith was the son ofchurch patriarchHyrum Smith and his second wife,Mary Fielding, a British convert to the church who married Hyrum after the death of his first wife, Jerusha Barden Smith (1805–1837). In addition to her two children, Mary raised the six children born to Hyrum and Jerusha.
Smith was born inFar West, Missouri, on November 13, 1838. Just a few days before he was born, his father had been taken prisoner under the auspices ofMissouri Executive Order 44 (infamously called the "extermination order" due to its threat against the lives of Mormons who refused to leave the state after clashes between them and a Missouri militia). At point ofbayonet, Hyrum was marched to his home in Far West and ordered to say farewell to his wife. He was told that his "doom was sealed" and that he would never see her again. Hyrum was still in custody inLiberty Jail, Missouri, when Smith was born. He was named after his unclesJoseph Smith andJoseph Fielding. His mother and maternal aunt,Mercy Fielding Thompson, fled with their children toQuincy, Illinois, early in 1839, and they later moved toNauvoo, Illinois, when the majority of the church's members settled. Hyrum was later released from custody during a transfer from Liberty Jail and joined his family in Nauvoo. Joseph F. Smith stated as an adult that he had memories of Nauvoo, and could recall his Uncle Joseph and events that occurred at his uncle's home; he was nearly six years old when his father and unclewere killed inCarthage, Illinois, on June 27, 1844.
Smith's family remained in Nauvoo until September 1846, at which time his mother took their family and fled the city, camping on the west side of theMississippi River among the trees on its banks, without wagon or tent, while the city was bombarded by mobs. His mother was later able to exchange their property in Illinois for a wagon and team of oxen. Smith and his family, along with many other Latter Day Saints, fled the American Midwest. The seven-year-old Smith drove the team of oxen with his family to the Latter Day Saint encampment atWinter Quarters, Nebraska.
While at Winter Quarters, Smith and another boy, Thomas Burdick, were out on horseback some distance from the settlement, watching the cattle graze. They saw a band of twenty or thirty American Indians ride into the valley on the other side of the cattle. Burdick rode back to camp to get help while Smith rode toward the Indians and got between the Indians and the herd before the Indians reached them. Smith was able to turn the herd back toward the settlement, and, coupled with the noise and arrival of the Indians, started a stampede which saved the herd from capture. He was still riding with the herd at full speed when two Indians picked him up off of his horse from either side and dropped him to the ground. A company of men from the encampment then arrived, chased away the fleeing Indians, and recovered the herd, but Smith's horse was stolen.
Smith and his family remained at Winter Quarters until the spring of 1848 when Smith drove his mother's wagon across the plains to theSalt Lake Valley.
After arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in 1848, Smith's mother worked to raise her own children as well as the children of her husband's first wife. Mary Fielding Smith died in 1852, apparently ofpneumonia, leaving Smith an orphan at the age of 13. Smith reported that he was devastated by his mother's death, and relied upon the emotional support and help ofBrigham Young and his stepfather,Heber C. Kimball. Even with the support of his older half-brotherJohn Smith, Smith assumed primary responsibility for his young sister, Martha Ann, and subsequently left school in 1854. His leaving school was closely linked to his resistance of a teacher's attempt to whip Martha.[2]
At the age of fifteen, Smith was called to go on his first LDSmission to theSandwich Islands under the direction ofapostleParley P. Pratt. This mission assignment at an unusually young age happened after Smith assaulted a teacher who he felt was unfairly punishing another student; decades later Smith wrote in the LDS publicationImprovement Era of the burning rage and explosive temper of his youth which he blamed in part on his reaction to the deaths of his parents.[3] Smith was ordained anelder byGeorge A. Smith on April 24, 1854, and received hisendowment at theEndowment House the same day. He then traveled toSan Bernardino, California, where he worked to earn money for passage on a ship to San Francisco. In the San Francisco area, possibly in what is nowFremont, California, on the farm ofJohn Horner, he was again employed in agricultural pursuits seeking to earn money for passage to Hawaii.[4][5]
After a difficult period of adjustment to the local culture,[6] Smith successfully learned theHawaiian language and reported great success in four years of missionary work on the islands. Besides serving with various American companions on his mission, he also had two Hawaiian companions: Paake, who was a property manager for some ofJonathan Napela's property, and Lalawaia. He spent the first part of his mission onMaui, but later presided over groups of branches on theisland of Hawaii and then over all LDS Church units onMolokai.[7]
Smith was called back toUtah Territory in 1857, largely as a result of theUtah War. He traveled overland from San Francisco to San Bernardino and then north through Las Vegas on his return. He arrived in Utah in February 1858. Shortly after this, Smith joined the territory's militia, named theNauvoo Legion, and spent several months patrolling the eastern side of theRocky Mountains. Later in his tour of duty, he served as chaplain of Colonel Heber C. Kimball'sregiment, with the rank ofcaptain. After tensions between the church and the federal government abated, Smith assisted his relatives in their return to northern Utah from areas of southern Utah, where they had taken their families for safety.
During the 1858–59 session of the Utah territorial legislature, Smith served as thesergeant-at-arms. In 1859, he married his first wife, Levira Smith. In the LDS Church, Smith was ordained aseventy in March 1858 and then ahigh priest and a member of the Salt LakeStakehigh council in October 1858.[8]
In 1860, at 22 years of age, Smith was sent on a mission toGreat Britain. He and his cousin, Samuel H. B. Smith, drove mule teams over the plains to Winter Quarters to help pay their way. Shortly after arriving in England, Smith was made theconference president in Sheffield. Among the church members in that city wasWilliam Fowler; Smith was present at the meeting where Fowler's hymn "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" was first sung.[9] After a short time, Smith was appointed to the pastorate, an office that existed only in the BritishMission for a short time. In this position, he presided over the Sheffield Conference as well as four other adjacent conferences. He served in the British Mission for three years, the last part undermission presidentGeorge Q. Cannon, when he was sent on short assignments toDenmark andFrance. Smith left England in June 1863. After a short stay in New York City to earn enough money to return home, he served as the chaplain of a Mormon pioneer wagon company bound for Utah from Nebraska.[10]
Smith had only been home for a short while when he was called to accompanyEzra T. Benson,Lorenzo Snow,William W. Cluff, and Alma L. Smith on a mission to the Sandwich Islands to correct the problems in the church caused byWalter M. Gibson. Gibson misrepresented his blessing fromBrigham Young as an appointment to be a leader in the church, and then established a separate church with a quorum of the 12, calling himself a prophet, and charging people to receive the priesthood. Smith acted as principal interpreter for the apostles, and after Gibson was excommunicated, Smith was left in charge of the mission. Smith returned home in the winter of 1864–65. Prior to leaving Hawai'i Smith andWilliam W. Cluff located a new gathering place for the Saints inLaie, Hawaii.[11]
Smith had a notable experience during this mission. The group anchored their boat in a rough channel in order to go ashore, proposing that the party should land using the freight boat. Smith was strongly opposed to this, saying that the boat was unfit for the rough waters and that there was a great danger of capsizing. He offered to go ashore alone to obtain a boat fit to transport the party, to which they refused. They were persistent, however, chiding him for his waywardness, with one leader even saying, "Young man, you would be better to obey counsel." Smith then reiterated his impression of danger, imploring them not to go, but they insisted, so he asked that they leave their satchels, clothes, and valuables and permit him to stay. They reluctantly consented and set out for land. Partway there, the freight boat was overturned by the rough water about 20 or 30 feet deep, andLorenzo Snow nearly drowned in the ocean. Snow's unconscious body was recovered, and on shore they were able to resuscitate him. Thanks to Smith's actions, all of their belongings were saved.
Upon his return home, Smith was employed in theChurch Historian's office for a number of years. It was while working in this position he met his second wife,Julina Lambson, who was a niece ofBathsheba W. Smith, a wife of church apostleGeorge A. Smith.
Smith also served as a clerk in theEndowment House from the death of Brigham Young until the building was razed in 1890. Smith's latter mission to Hawaii was largely prompted by the fact that Smith held this position: since he had in his possession the records of the Endowment House, Smith could be a valuable witness for the federal government's prosecutions of Mormon polygamists.
Smith served seven terms in the Utah territorial House of Representatives, specifically from 1865 to 1870, 1872, and 1874. He was a member of the Salt Lake City Council for many years and in this position was a key advocate of establishing city parks. He was thus one of the people involved with the establishment of Pioneer Park and Liberty Park in Salt Lake City.[12] In 1868 and 1869, Smith served as a member of theProvo City Council.[12] Smith served as a member of the Utah Territorial Council, essentially the equivalent of the upper house of the legislature, in 1880 and 1882. He also served as president of the Utah constitutional convention in 1882. The state constitution produced by this convention did not go into effect because Congress did not vote to grant Utah statehood until 1895.
Smith also served as a LDS Church representative on boards of many Utah businesses.
On April 5, 1859, the twenty year old Smith married his sixteen-year-old cousin, Levira Annette Clark Smith, daughter ofSamuel H. Smith, performed by Brigham Young in his office.[13] When Joseph F. Smith left on his mission to England the next year, his companion for the journey was Levira's brother, Samuel.[14] When Smith returned from his mission in 1863, his wife Levira was in a poor mental state, suffering from what was most likely major depression.[15]: 183 She would spend weeks at a time unable to get out of bed or function during Smith's mission, during which time Brigham Young acted "with kind and fatherly care."[15]: 222 Smith wrote of the state he found Levira upon returning home, "emaciated, enfeebled ... a mere shadow of her former self."[15]: 235 Smith became her primary caregiver during the next six months, before Brigham Young assigned him to another mission in Hawaii.[15]: 241
Levira left to live with relatives in California in September 1864.[15] When Smith returned to California in November 1864 Levira did not feel well enough to return to Utah in the winter time.[15]: 245 Smith disagreed and they departed on a wagon train to Utah, but she only made it as far as Dutch Flats, Nevada before becoming too ill to continue.[15]: 245 After consulting local women, Smith decided the best course of action for Levira would be to return to San Francisco. Upon returning to San Francisco, Levira began to bleed heavily off and on for the next six months, and was informed by a doctor she had probably miscarried.[15]: 246
As Levira and Smith stayed apart, their letters grew more acrimonious.[15]: 250 By summer of 1865 it became clear that Levira did not want to return to Utah, and was worried Smith was considering taking on a plural wife.[15]: 251 In July 1865 Levira made arrangements with Brigham Young to return to Utah, which Smith found insulting.[15]: 252 Levira spent much of the time in Utah living with her mother.[15]: 253 When Smith did take a plural wife in spring of 1866, he said Levira "freely gave her consent thereto."[15]: 253 Shortly thereafter Levira permanently moved out to live with her mother.[15]: 253
On June 10, 1867 Levira filed for legal separation.[16] By August 1867, the fighting between Levira and Smith attracted the attention of Brigham Young, who intervened.[15]: 256 Young asked Levira to list her grievances.[15]: 256 Levira stated that Smith was verbally abusive, discounting her illness and once stating that she "ought to have a hole bored in the top of [her] head and some manure put into it for brains," and that telling her that the inability to have children allowed her to "whore it up."[15]: 256 Levira recounted that Smith walked into a room where a man had been reading to her alone, and "he called me a d_m whore a little damned illegitimate whore and a liar and if he ever caught a man in my room again there would be bloodshed if he had to swing for it, he threw my chair back against the stove."[15]: 256 Smith responded that his comment about "manure" was "in jest," and stated regarding finding Levira alone being read to, "I do believe believe that if I had been armed I would have done violence."[15]: 258 Levira also accused Smith of physical violence towards her, striking her with a rope.[15]: 256 Smith responded that it was not with a rope, but with a peach tree branch as thick as an "office pencil," framing the violence in the 19th century context of the legal right of a husband to punish his wife, according to Smith, "like a willful and disobedient child."[15]: 256
Levira moved to California and divorced him on grounds of adultery with Smith's second wife, Julina Lambson.[15][17][18] Smith and Levira had no children.[16]
Seven years after his first marriage (1866), Brigham Young directed Smith to take aplural wife,Julina Lambson (who became the mother of future presidentJoseph Fielding Smith).
In addition to Levira, Smith had five other plural wives, with whom he fathered forty-three children. He also adopted five children. Thirteen of his biological children preceded him in death: Mercy, Leonora, Sarah Ellen, Heber, Rhoda, Alice, Hyrum, Alfred, Albert, Robert, Zina, Ruth, and John. His adopted son Edward also preceded him in death.
One of Smith's granddaughters, Amelia Smith, marriedBruce R. McConkie, who later became a member of theQuorum of the Twelve Apostles.
On July 1, 1866, Smith became ageneral authority of the LDS Church when he was ordained anapostle by Brigham Young andsustained as a counselor to the First Presidency, where he served until Young's death. However, he was not sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles until the church's October 1867 conference. On February 28, 1874, Smith left for his second mission to England, serving aspresident of the EuropeanMission from 1874 to 1875, returning home upon the death of First Presidency member George A. Smith. He was then called to preside over the DavisStake until he left again in the spring of 1877 for his third mission to England. When news arrived of the death of Young, Smith was released and returned home. The following year, Smith served an Eastern States Mission withOrson Pratt, visiting noteworthy places in the history of the church inMissouri,Ohio,New York andIllinois. During this trip they met with and interviewedDavid Whitmer.
In October 1880, three years after Young's death, Smith was named second counselor in the First Presidency to church presidentJohn Taylor, serving from 1880 to 1887. He later served as second counselor toWilford Woodruff (1889–98), and as second counselor to Lorenzo Snow (1898–1901). Smith was appointed first counselor to Snow on the death of first counselorGeorge Q. Cannon, but, as Snow himself died only four days later, Smith never served in that position. He succeeded Snow as president of the LDS Church andpresident of theSalt Lake Temple. He served as president of the temple until 1911, when he transferred the responsibility toAnthon H. Lund.
Smith also served as editor of theImprovement Era andJuvenile Instructor, and general superintendent of theSunday School andYoung Men's Mutual Improvement Association.
Church president Wilford Woodruff issued hisManifesto proscribing new polygamist marriages in September 1890. Smith's reaction to the Manifesto reveal that the church's movement away from polygamy was anincremental process rather than an abrupt turnaround. Smith wrote to one of his plural wives that the Manifesto would not affect their marriage at all, but simply prevented those who had not yet entered into plural marriages from doing so.[21]
Smith felt it was important for Utah to become a state, and thereby eliminate the ongoing federal supervision ofUtah Territory. Following Woodruff's official discontinuance of new plural marriages in 1890 and the dissolution of the MormonPeople's Party in 1891, Smith championed the anti-polygamyRepublican Party in Utah.
In September 1891, Smith received apresidential pardon fromU.S. PresidentBenjamin Harrison in relation to Smith's practice of plural marriage.[22]
After the death of church president Lorenzo Snow, Smith was chosen by the apostles of the church as Snow's successor. Smith wasset apart asPresident of the Church on October 17, 1901, with Presiding PatriarchJohn Smith acting as voice.[23] This action was ratified by a special conference andsolemn assembly of the priesthood on November 10, 1901. He choseJohn R. Winder andAnthon H. Lund as his counselors. After Winder died, Lund became the first counselor and Smith's second cousin,John Henry Smith, became the second counselor.
One of the first issues Smith faced was the ongoing difficulties for the church due to the continuing practice of plural marriage. Smith supported apostleReed Smoot's candidacy for theU.S. Senate, but Smoot's election was contested on the grounds that he was an officer in a church which continued to countenance polygamous marriages. TheSenate investigation again focused national attention on Mormon marriages and political influence. Additional attention was given to Smith because of his opposition to the election and re-election of Utah's senior U.S. Senator, non-MormonThomas Kearns.[24] Following his appearance before a Senate panel in 1904, Smith took steps to prevent any surreptitious addition of new plural marriages within the church. On April 6, 1904, Smith issued an order and declaration in the general conference of the church, popularly referred to as the "second manifesto", and declared that any church officer who performed a plural marriage, as well as the offending couple, would be excommunicated. He clarified that the church's policy against new plural marriages applied worldwide, and not just in the United States. Two members of the Quorum of the Twelve,John W. Taylor andMatthias F. Cowley, resigned in 1905 following these announcements. Smith continued to live with his five plural wives as did other Mormon polygamists. In 1906, Smith was brought to trial on a charge of unlawfulcohabitation with four women in addition to his lawful wife; he pleaded guilty and was fined $300, the maximum penalty then permitted under the law.[25]
Smith gave more influence to thePresiding Patriarch of the church than had any president since Joseph Smith. The church's presiding patriarch,John Smith, was his elder half-brother. During his presidency, Smith apparently pushed to change the order in which church leaders were sustained in general conferences. He intended to have the presiding patriarch sustained before even himself (as president of the church), consistent with his interpretation ofDoctrine and Covenants Section 124 and early historical precedent.[23] This met with opposition from the other apostles, and the proposal was not realized.
In 1906, Smith went on a tour to Europe, becoming the first LDS Church president to travel outside of North America during his presidential tenure.
In 1908, Smith organized a committee to standardize and reform theAaronic Priesthood quorums. This committee standardized the age requirements for young men to be ordained to the office ofTeacher orPriest.[26]
Smith's seventeen-year presidential administration made efforts toward improving the church'sdamaged relationships with the federal government and related issues dealing with the church's financial situation. The administration acquired historic sites, constructed numerous meetinghouses, and expanded the church system of educational academies and universities. He also oversaw a continued growth in church membership.
During Smith's presidential tenure, the LDS Church constructed and dedicated theJoseph Smith Birthplace Memorial nearSouth Royalton, Vermont. It was dedicated by Smith on December 23, 1905, the 100th anniversary of Joseph Smith's birth. Also during Smith's presidency, theSeagull Monument atTemple Square in Salt Lake City was dedicated on October 1, 1913. In 1913, Boy Scouting became the official youth activity program for the church's young men. During much of his presidential tenure, Smith oversaw the planning and construction of theHawaiian Temple inLaie, Hawaii, one of his part-time residences.
Smith died ofpneumonia resulting frompleurisy in Salt Lake City on November 19, 1918,[27] and was succeeded byHeber J. Grant. Due to the widespreadinfluenza pandemic of 1918–20, a graveside service was held, rather than a public funeral. Smith was interred in theSalt Lake City Cemetery on November 22, 1918.
During his administration as president of the church, Smith made significant official statements of church doctrine:
Funded by Lorenzo N. Stohl, the sermons and writings of Smith were compiled byJohn A. Widtsoe,Osborne J. P. Widtsoe,Albert E. Bowen,Franklin S. Harris, and Joseph Quinney. In 1919, the Committee on Study for the Priesthood Quorums of the LDS Church had this work published as the bookGospel Doctrine, for use as instruction forMelchizedek priesthoodquorums of the church.
Smith'steachings as an apostle were the 2000–01 course of study in the LDS Church's SundayRelief Society and Melchizedek priesthood classes.
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Quotations related toJoseph F. Smith at Wikiquote| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles | ||
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| Preceded by | President of the Church October 17, 1901 – November 19, 1918 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles October 10, 1901 – October 17, 1901 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Counselor in theFirst Presidency October 6, 1901 – October 10, 1901 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Second Counselor in theFirst Presidency April 7, 1889 – October 6, 1901 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles July 1, 1866 – October 17, 1901 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Superintendent of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association 1901–1918 | Succeeded by |
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