| Julina Lambson Smith | |
|---|---|
 Smith in 1915 | |
| Second Counselor in the general presidency of theRelief Society | |
| October 3, 1910 (1910-10-03) – April 2, 1921 (1921-04-02) | |
| Called by | Emmeline B. Wells |
| Predecessor | Ida Smoot Dusenberry |
| Successor | Louise Y. Robison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Julina Lambson (1849-06-18)June 18, 1849 Salt Lake City,Provisional State of Deseret, United States |
| Died | January 10, 1936(1936-01-10) (aged 86) Salt Lake City,Utah, United States |
| Cause of death | Myocarditis |
| Resting place | Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37″N111°51′29″W / 40.777°N 111.858°W /40.777; -111.858 (Salt Lake City Cemetery) |
| Spouse(s) | Joseph F. Smith |
| Children | 11: including: Joseph Fielding Smith David A. Smith |
| Parents | Alfred Boaz Lambson and Melissa Jane Bigler in |
Julina Lambson Smith (June 18, 1849 – January 10, 1936) was a leader inthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). From 1910 to 1921 she was a member of theGeneral Presidency of theRelief Society. The second wife ofJoseph F. Smith and the mother ofJoseph Fielding Smith, she is the only woman in the history of the LDS Church to have been the wife of aPresident of the Church and the mother of another church president. She worked as a midwife in the Mormon community and delivered over 1,000 babies.
Julina Lambson was born to Alfred Boaz Lambson and Melissa Jane Bigler inSalt Lake City. Her parents wereMormon pioneers who arrived in Utah in 1847. Her family's home was the first house in Salt Lake City to be plastered.[1] As a young girl Julina would often stay with her auntBathsheba W. Smith and it was in her home that Julina was first introduced to the idea of plural marriage.[2] Ten years after arriving in Salt Lake Julina's family was forced toNephi, Utah because of theUtah War. Her family and many other saints passed through great trials after being displaced from their homes.[3]
In 1866, Julina married Joseph F. Smith in theEndowment House. It was Joseph F. Smith's second marriage; Julina was his firstplural wife. Joseph and Levira were divorced in 1867. On August 14 of that same year Julina had her first child, Mercy Josephine.[1]: 168 In the next fifteen years Joseph married four more women. Julina was close friends with the two of her sister wives closer to her in age, Sarah Ellen and Julina's sister Edna.[2]: 213 Joseph F. Smith would go on to be anapostle in the LDS Church and was the church's president from 1901 until his death in 1918. Joseph F. Smith and Julina Smith had 11 children, one of which was Joseph Fielding Smith, longtime historian and apostle of the church and president from 1970 to 1972. Another son wasDavid Smith, who became a member of the church'sPresiding Bishopric. Her son E. Wesley Smith, who was born in Hawaii, twice served as mission president in Hawaii.[4] The couple also adopted two children.[2]: 220
Because of their polygamist lifestyle, their household was in constant need of amidwife. To find a solution, Julina went and got professional training innursing andobstetrics. After being trained as a midwife Julina shared this new ability with many of the expecting sisters in her community and would sacrifice many long nights doing such service.[1]: 170 She was one of the first trained midwives in Utah.[citation needed] When the U.S. Congress passed theEdmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882 Julina and her husband went toLaie, Hawaii to go into hiding afterPresident Taylor suggested doing so. Many other LDS church leaders also went into hiding during this time. Julina and Joseph stayed in Hawaii from January 1885 until the middle of 1887, while all of their children (except the youngest) stayed in Utah with her sister wives. During her time in Hawaii she gave birth to two children and continued using her midwifery skills to help deliver children on the island.[2]: 218 She also ran the missionary kitchen near their home.[1]: 172
After returning home from Hawaii, Smith had three more children and continued her service in the church and as a midwife.[1]: 172 During her lifetime she delivered 1,025 babies and never lost a mother during delivery.[5] In 1901 Joseph F. Smith was called to be the next President of the LDS church and held that position until his death in 1918. Many years later, after suffering a bad fall, Julina died on January 10, 1936, aged 86.[1]: 172–174
In 1870, when the firstYoung Women's Retrenchment Society was first organized in Salt Lake City on award level, Smith was selected as one of its first ward presidents. At that time she also worked at the Endowment House and in 1892, she became a member of the general board of theRelief Society.[1]: 168 WhenEmmeline B. Wells became the president of the Relief Society in 1910, she selected Smith as her second counselor. Along with first counselorClarissa S. Williams, the presidency served until Wells died in 1921.
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