| Richard R. Lyman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| April 7, 1918 (1918-04-07) – November 12, 1943 (1943-11-12) | |
| End reason | Excommunicated for violating law of chastity |
| LDS ChurchApostle | |
| April 7, 1918 (1918-04-07) – November 12, 1943 (1943-11-12) | |
| Reason | Death ofHyrum M. Smith |
| End reason | Excommunicated for violating law of chastity |
| Reorganization at end of term | Mark E. Petersen ordained |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Roswell Lyman (1870-11-23)November 23, 1870 Fillmore,Utah Territory, United States |
| Died | December 31, 1963(1963-12-31) (aged 93) Salt Lake City,Utah, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Spouse(s) | Amy Brown Lyman |
Richard Roswell Lyman (November 23, 1870 – December 31, 1963) was an American engineer and religious leader who was anapostle inthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1918 to 1943.
Lyman is often noted as the most recent LDS Church apostle to have beenexcommunicated. In 1943, the church'sFirst Presidency became aware that Lyman had for a number of years been in an intimate relationship with a woman other than his legal wife. TheQuorum of the Twelve Apostles convened adisciplinary council and Lyman was immediately excommunicated. Lyman wasrebaptized in 1954 at age 83, nine years prior to his death.[1]: 203
Lyman was the husband ofAmy B. Lyman, the church'sRelief Society general president during the period of his excommunication.
Lyman was born inFillmore,Utah Territory, and was closely related to many early leaders of the LDS Church. His father,Francis M. Lyman, was the son ofAmasa M. Lyman, both of whom were LDS Church apostles. His mother was Clara Caroline Callister, whose grandfather wasJohn Smith, an uncle of church founderJoseph Smith and a churchPresiding Patriarch. Clara's mother was Caroline Smith Callister, the only sister of apostleGeorge A. Smith, who served withBrigham Young as a counselor in the First Presidency. Lyman was ordained anelder in the LDS Church on August 29, 1891, byJoseph F. Smith.
Lyman graduated from high school atBrigham Young Academy (BYA) inProvo, Utah, in 1891 with aNormal Certificate, then taught atBrigham Young College inLogan, Utah, and later studied at theUniversity of Michigan, graduating with aBS degree in 1895. He later pursued graduate studies incivil engineering, earning anMA from theUniversity of Chicago in 1903 and aPhD fromCornell University in 1905.[1]: 175
In 1888, while attending BYA, Lyman began courtingAmy Brown, but then left for the University of Michigan. After his graduation, from 1895 to 1896, Lyman taught at BYA.[2] After eight years of courtship, Lyman married Brown on September 9, 1896; the marriage was performed by Joseph F. Smith in theSalt Lake Temple.[3]
Amy Brown Lyman was a member of the church's Relief Society general board, which had appointed her to lead the church's newly formed Social Service Department to oversee aid to the needy.[4] She had studied and engaged insocial work during Lyman's University of Chicago years. She later served as general secretary of the Relief Society,[3] and then the eighth Relief Society general president from 1940 to 1945.[5]
Richard Lyman was a prolific writer and engineer, contributing both non-technical and scientific articles to various publications. He authored key works on road construction and water flow measurement, earning the prestigious J. James R. Croes Gold Medal in 1915 for his contributions to engineering science. As vice-chairman of the Utah State Road Commission from 1909 to 1918, he played a crucial role in expanding its budget and infrastructure projects. Lyman also served as city engineer of Provo, worked on railroad surveys, and designed waterworks systems across Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. He held leadership roles in multiple irrigation, power, and insurance companies.[3]
Lyman was ordained an apostle on April 7, 1918.[6] As an apostle, he also served as Assistant Commissioner of theChurch Educational System from 1919 to 1924, and as a member of the superintendency of theYoung Men's Mutual Improvement Association until 1935. He was alsopresident of the church’s EuropeanMission from 1936 to 1938.[1]: 175
In 1922, Lyman was assigned to counsel Anna Jacobsen Hegsted, a woman previously excommunicated for polygamy, and prepare her for readmittance to the church.[1]: 178 By 1925 the two had formed an attachment, but were unable to marry due to his existing marriage and the church's ban on polygamy. Lyman and Jacobsen exchanged a promise to marry underplural marriage in the next life and continued to see each other.[1]: 180
Before returning from his service as mission president in Europe in 1938, Lyman maintained their relationship was not sexual.[1]: 179 But upon his return, he reported, "the long separation and the fiery nearness of her being my prospective plural wife ... led to a temptation I did not resist."[1]: 180 By 1943, both individuals were in their seventies.
In 1943,J. Reuben Clark, first counselor in the church's First Presidency and itsde facto leader due tochurch presidentHeber J. Grant's poor health, became aware of suspicious behavior by Lyman.[7] After theSalt Lake City Police Department, who were at the time enforcing anti-polygamy laws, joined the investigation by church leaders, Lyman and Jacobsen's relationship was proven.[1]: 185
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles convened a disciplinary council on November 12, 1943 to hear the case, and Lyman was immediately excommunicated. The church-ownedDeseret News published the excommunication the next day, declaring that "Richard R. Lyman has been excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for violation of theChristianlaw of chastity."[8]
Lyman's wife, Amy B. Lyman, was the general president of the Relief Society at the time of his excommunication. She continued to serve for an additional 16 months before her release.[1]: 195
A minority opinion holds that Lyman and Jacobsen's promise to marry functioned as a "plural marriage by mutual covenant,"[9] but there is little indication that at any point they considered themselves being actually married.[1]: 180 ApostleSpencer W. Kimball recorded regarding the disciplinary council that "He tried to link his sin with polygamy but the evidence gave no corroboration to the story."[10][1]: 191 After the excommunication, J. Reuben Clark worried that Lyman might join theMormon fundamentalist movement, though this did not occur.[1]: 193
Age 72 at the time of his excommunication, Lyman later returned to the LDS Church through rebaptism on October 27, 1954, at age 83, but he was not reinstated as an apostle. He died inSalt Lake City, Utah on December 31, 1963. His fullpriesthood blessings were restored posthumously in 1970.[5]
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles April 7, 1918 – November 12, 1943 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
