Brigham Young Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
, depicts the LDS prophet as he appeared during most of his tenure as leader of the church. Next to the church's founder, Joseph Smith, Young is often considered the most influential and important figure in LDS history.]]Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church; see also Mormonism), and is, after Jesus Christ and church founder Joseph Smith, Jr, perhaps the most important person in LDS history.
Young has a variety of monikers, among the most popular of which is "The American Moses", (sometimes "The Mormon Moses" or "The Modern Moses") [1] because like the biblical figure, he led his followers in an often arduous "exodus" through a desert, to what they saw as a "promised land". He was also attributed "The Lion of the Lord" for his bold personality.
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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, 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. In 1840 and 1841, he went to England and converted many people to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of these converts 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 larger than the city of Chicago.
Church founder Joseph Smith was impressed by Young's devotion, and appointed him President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles 1841, generally considered second only to Smith in influence.
After Smith was murdered in 1844, there were several claimants to his role as prophet and leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most members—including Smith's mother and brothers—considered Young, as leader of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Smith's most legitimate successor. However, a number of Mormons—later including Smith's wife and children (who had originally approved Young)—rejected Young's leadership; some formed a number of other churches. See Latter-day Saint movement.
Within two years, repeated conflict led many Latter-day Saints to relocate to a territory in what is now Utah; then part of Mexico. Young played a crucial role in keeping the church together by organizing 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 holiday in Utah known as Pioneer Day.
In Utah, Young directed religious and economic matters. He encouraged independence and self-sufficiency. Many cities and towns in Utah and neighboring states were founded under Young's direction. Some have accused Young of being an autocrat during his leadership in Utah. [1]Others disagree with this assessment, perhaps seeing Young as a strong, inspiring leader during a challenging era, and further noting his reputation and legacy are generally well-regarded.
Young was perhaps the most famous polygamist of the early church, although he was preceded in the practice of "Plural Marriage" by Smith, who introduced it. Young married approximately 27 women and had 56 known children. In 1856 he built The Lion House to accommodate his family.
Although proof of Young's involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre is generally regarded as circumstantial evidence, critics have variably charged that Young either knew of, approved of or directed the event. Most historians, including Juanita Brooks—perhaps the massacre's preeminent scholar—concluded that Young had no knowledge of the event when it happened. Some critics also charge that Young actively covered up the debacle or that he was responsible for minimizing or delaying justice to the perpetrators. John D. Lee was executed for the crime, and was the only person convicted for involvement.
Young spoke publicly about the Adam-God theory, one of a number of controversies regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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.
Prominent football player Steve Young is a descendant of Brigham Young.
See also
References
External links
| Preceded by: Joseph Smith, Jr | President of the LDS Church 1847-1877 | Succeeded by: John Taylor |
| Previously ordained: David Wyman Patten | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 1835-1847 | Next ordained: Heber C. Kimball |
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