Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was an American leader in theLatter Day Saint movement and asettler of the Western United States. He was thePresident ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until his death in 1877. He foundedSalt Lake City and he served as the firstgovernor of theUtah Territory. Young also led the foundings of the precursors to theUniversity of Utah andBrigham Young University.
Young was apolygamist, marrying a total of 55 wives, 54 of them after he converted to Mormonism.[1] The policy was difficult for many in the church. Young stated that upon being taught about plural marriage, "It was the first time in my life that I desired the grave."[2] By the time of his death, Young had 56 children by 16 of his wives; 46 of his children reached adulthood.[3]
In 1902, 25 years after Young's death,The New York Times established that Young's direct descendants numbered more than 1,000.[4]
In 2016 Young was estimated to have around 30,000 descendants.[5]
The following are notable descendants of Brigham Young.
| Name | Relationship to Brigham Young | Wife of Brigham Young descended from | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Emma L.G. Bowen | Granddaughter | Lucy Bigelow | An opera singer and later the wife ofAlbert E. Bowen, a member of theQuorum of the Twelve Apostles. She was often referred to as Lucy Gates and after her marriage as Lucy Gates Bowen or Lucy Bowen. |
 | Zina C. Brown | Granddaughter | Zina D. H. Young | Wife ofHugh B. Brown, a member of theLDS Church'sQuorum of the Twelve Apostles andFirst Presidency and a Canadian military officer. |
| Zola G. Brown | Great-granddaughter | Zina D. H. Young | Daughter ofHugh B. Brown and Zina Card Brown. Zola was the first wife ofFLDS Church presidentRulon Jeffs | |
 | Orson S. Card[6] | great-great-grandson | Zina D. H. Young | Novelist, critic, public speaker, essayist and columnist. He writes in several genres but is known best for thescience fiction novelEnder's Game (1985). |
 | Zina Y. Card | Daughter | Zina D. H. Young | Wife ofCharles O. Card who founded the first Mormon settlement in Canada - Cardston, Alberta - and who was referred to as "Canada's Brigham Young." |
| John Willard Clawson | Grandson[7] | Mary Ann Angell | Portrait painter | |
 | Hugh W. Dougall | Grandson | Clarissa Ross | Hymnwriter; Among hymns by Dougall are "Jesus of Nazareth, Savior and King" and the music to "Come Unto Him" and "The Bridge Builder." |
 | Maria Y. Dougall | Daughter | Clarissa Ross | BecameFirst Counselor in the general presidency of theYoung Women |
 | Susa Y. Gates | Daughter | Lucy Bigelow | A prominent women's rights activist in Utah.[8][9] |
 | Charles E. Johnson | Son-in-law | Emmeline Free | Mormon photographer, married Ruth Young. |
| Sandra Tanner | great-great-granddaughter | Mary Ann Angell[10] | Mormon critic | |
| Sally Young Kanosh | Adopted daughter | Clarissa Caroline Decker | Bannock slave bought by Young's brother-in-law and given to the Young family. Worked in the Lion House to feed her adopted family. Later marriedKanosh to form an alliance between Young and Kanosh. | |
| Leah D. Widtsoe | Granddaughter | Lucy Bigelow | A leading expert inhome economics and wife of apostleJohn A. Widtsoe.[8][9] | |
 | B. Morris Young | Son | Margaret Pierce | One of the founders of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA), the predecessor to the LDS Church'sYoung Men organization. From 1885 to the 1900s, B. Morris publicly performed as across-dressing singer under thepseudonymMadam Pattirini.[11][12][13] |
.jpeg) | Bob Young[14][15] | Great-great-great-grandson | Lucy D. Young | AnEmmy nominated broadcast journalist, author, and formermayor ofAugusta, Georgia. He also served a presidential appointment byGeorge W. Bush on theAdvisory Council on Historic Preservation. As of 2013, Young was serving as the president andchief executive officer (CEO) of the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy. |
 | Brigham Young, Jr. | Son | Mary Ann Angell | Ordained anLDS Church apostle by his father.[16] He served aspresident of the LDS Church'sQuorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1899 until his death. |
 | Don C. Young | Son | Emily Dow Partridge | Anarchitect, landscape architect and designer from 1879 to circa 1935. He was the official LDS Church Architect from 1887 until 1893. After 1893, Young practiced privately, with the LDS Church as a frequent client.[17] A preponderance of his work centered on church commissions, or commissions offered him by extended Young family members, or other church members and friends. |
 | John W. Young | Son | Mary Ann Angell | Ordained anLDS Church apostle by his father.[16] He is one of the few Latter-day Saints in history to have been ordained to the office ofapostle without ever becoming a member of the church'sQuorum of the Twelve Apostles or theFirst Presidency.[18] |
 | Joseph A. Young | Son | Mary Ann Angell | Ordained anLDS Church apostle by his father.[16] He is one of the few Latter-day Saints in history to have been ordained to the office ofapostle without ever becoming a member of the church'sQuorum of the Twelve Apostles or theFirst Presidency.[18] |
| Kimball Young | Grandson | Harriet Elizabeth Cook | Sociologist and president of theAmerican Sociological Association in 1945. | |
 | Mahonri Young | Grandson | Margaret Alley | Sculptor;[19] Two of his works, theThis Is The Place Monument and theSeagull Monument are featured prominently inSalt Lake City,Utah. |
 | Waldemar Young | Grandson | Margaret Alley | Screenwriter |
 | Richard W. Young | Grandson | Mary Ann Angell | U.S. Army Brigadier General and an Associate Justice of theSupreme Court of the Philippines;[20] |
 | Steve Young | Great-great-great-grandson | Emily Dow Partridge | Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback,[21]Super Bowl XXIX MVP, 2x NFL MVP (1992,1994). |
 | William H. Young | Grandson | Mary Ann Angell | In 1903, William was convicted of the "Pulitzer Murder" inNew York City and was sentenced tolife imprisonment.[22][23] |
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