| Levi Richards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Physician for Joseph Smith | |
| Member of the Council of Fifty | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1799-04-14)April 14, 1799 Hopkinton, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | June 18, 1876(1876-06-18) (aged 77) Salt Lake City,Utah Territory, United States |
| Resting place | Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′38″N111°51′29″W / 40.7772°N 111.8580°W /40.7772; -111.8580 (Salt Lake City Cemetery) |
| Signature | |
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Levi Richards (April 14, 1799 – June 18, 1876)[1] was an early leader in theLatter Day Saint movement and amissionary forthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a member of theCouncil of Fifty andAnointed Quorum and served as a physician for movement founderJoseph Smith and others during the years the Latter Day Saints were established inNauvoo, Illinois. Richards was an older brother of churchapostleWillard Richards.
Levi Richards was born inHopkinton, Massachusetts and trained as a botanical physician. He joined theChurch of the Latter Day Saints in 1836 and moved toKirtland, Ohio to join the main gathering of Latter Day Saints.
In the late 1830s, Richards served as a counselor toJoseph Fielding in the presidency of the church'sBritishMission. In 1840, Richards was still serving as a missionary in the British Mission.[2]
Richards married Sarah Griffith on December 25, 1843, withBrigham Young performing the marriage.[3]
Richards served as a member of the Nauvoo City Council.[4]
Richards served another mission in Britain from 1848 to 1853 along with his wife. They left their only child,Levi W. Richards, in care of family members on the advice of Brigham Young. For part of this mission, the Richards served inWales, which was where Sarah Griffith had been born. For part of this time Richards served as the general supervisor of missionary work in Wales, which for all intents and purposes made him themission president in Wales.[5]
After completing their mission, the Richards returned to the United States and headed onUtah Territory where they joined their son Levi W., who was by this time eight years old. Richards lived for several years in downtownSalt Lake City on the block whereCrossroads Plaza Mall was later built. In the early 1870s, he moved to the Avenues area of Salt Lake City. He became apatriarch in the church in 1873, and died at Salt Lake City on June 18, 1876.[6]
