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For other uses, see Brigham Young University Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Young had a variety of sobriquets, among the most popular of which is "The American Moses," * (sometimes "The Modern Moses" or "The Mormon Moses" *) because, like the biblical figure, he led his followers, the Mormon Pioneers in an often arduous exodus through a desert, to what they saw as a promised land. He was also dubbed "The Lion of the Lord" for his bold personality. He was also called "Brother Brigham."
Life Young was born to a farming family in Vermont and worked as a traveling carpenter and blacksmith, among other trades. Young first married in 1824. Though he had converted to the Methodist faith in 1823, Young was drawn to Mormonism after reading the Book of Mormon shortly after its publication in 1830. He officially joined the new church in 1832 and traveled to Canada as a missionary. After his first wife died in 1833 of gangrene, Young joined many Mormons in establishing a community in Kirtland, Ohio. Young was strongly committed to his new faith. He was ordained an apostle and joined the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as one of the first members on February 14, 1835. During the anti-Mormon persecutions in Missouri in the late 1830's, he suffered the loss of all his property, and other hardships. In 1840 and 1841, he went to England as a missionary for his church. Many of those Young converted moved to the United States to join Mormon communities there. In the 1840s Young was among those who established the city of Nauvoo, Illinois on the Mississippi River. It became the headquarters of the church and was comparable in size to the city of Chicago at the time. While in jail awaiting trial for treason charges, church president Joseph Smith was killed by an armed mob of vigilantes in 1844. Several claimants to his role as church president emerged during the succession crisis that ensued. Sidney Rigdon, the only surviving member of the First Presidency put himself forward as "guardian of the Church," but at a meeting of a congregation in Nauvoo, Young successfully counter-argued that the Quorum of the Twelve should instead lead the Church. This motion carried and Young, as president of the quorum, became the de facto president of the church at Nauvoo. Rigdon became the president of a separate church organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and other potential successors emerged to lead what became separate denominations of the movement. See Latter-day Saint movement. Actions as Church President After three years under the Quorum of the Twelve, Young reorganized a new First Presidency and was declared President of the largest remaining schism in 1847. Repeated conflict led Young to relocate his group of Latter-day Saints to a territory in what is now Utah; then part of Mexico. Young organized the journey that would take the faithful to Winter Quarters, Nebraska, in 1846, then to Utah's Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, a date now recognized as a Utah state holiday and known as Pioneer Day. Shortly after the new Mormon colonies were brought into the United States through Mexican Cession, Young petitioned the U.S. Congress to create the State of Deseret. The Compromise of 1850 instead carved out Utah Territory, and Young was installed as governor. As governor and Church president, Young directed both religious and economic matters. He encouraged independence and self-sufficiency. Many cities and towns in Utah, and some in neighboring states, were founded under Young's direction. Some have accused Young of being an autocrat during his leadership in Utah.* Others disagree with this assessment, recognizing Young as a strong, inspiring leader during a challenging era, and further noting that his reputation and legacy are generally well-regarded. When federal officials received reports of widespread and systematic obfuscation of federal officials in Utah (most notably judges), President Buchanan decided to install a non-Mormon governor. Buchanan accepted the reports of the judges without any further investigation, and sent troops. The troops, ironically, passed by the bloody Kansas-Missouri war without intervening in it. When Young received word that federal troops led by Albert Sydney Johnston (who later would fight against the Union during the Civil War) were headed to Utah with his replacement, he directed resistance, but insisted that no blood be shed. During this episode, now called the Utah War, Young successfully held the U.S. Army at bay for a winter. He made plans to burn Salt Lake City and move his followers to Mexico, but at the last minute he relented, and agreed to step down as governor. He later received a pardon from President Buchanan for his role in the episode. Relations between Young and future governors and U.S. Presidents were mixed. Abraham Lincoln, at the time the transcontinental telegram wire was laid across Utah, worked together with Brigham Young rather than with the federally-appointed governor of the territory. A recurrent question is the nature or extent of Young's involvement in murders and other illegal activities in early Utah, particularly the Mountain Meadows Massacre, which took place in Washington County in 1857. Authorities in nearby Iron County had sent a messenger to Salt Lake City seeking direction from Young, but his response—directing them to leave the wagon party alone—arrived too late to avert the massacre. According to some accounts, John D. Lee, the only person convicted for participation in the massacre, maintained Young's innocence until his death. This in spite of the fact that Lee was personally bitter toward Young for excommunicating him. According to the Life and Confessions of John D. Lee(p. 225), however, we find the conflicting statement, "I have always believed, since that day, that General George A. Smith was then visiting Southern Utah to prepare the people for the work of exterminating Captain Fancher's train of emigrants, and I now believe that he was sent for that purpose by the direct command of Brigham Young." Young was actually indicted on murder charges in 1872, related to a separate incident. This indictment was based on the testimony of William Hickman, who also felt jilted when 8 of his 9 wives left him, after Young had him excommunicated. Young's murder indictment was thrown out when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the process used to select grand juries in Utah was unconstitutional, because it was designed to keep Mormons off juries. In addition to founding the University of Utah, Young also organized the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Brigham Young University is named after him. In 1950, the state of Utah donated a marble statue of Young to the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection. For an overview of Brigham Young's philosophy and teachings, see the book "Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints," by Hugh Nibley. Plural Wives
Works Legacy Brigham Young has several noteworthy descendants: See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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