Joseph Fielding Smith

Joseph Fielding Smith
Full name	Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr.
Born	July 19, 1876(1876-07-19)
Place of birth	Salt Lake City, Utah Territory
Died	July 2, 1972 (aged 95)
Place of death	Salt Lake City, Utah
LDS Church President
Ordained	January 23, 1970 (aged 93)
Predecessor	David O. McKay
Successor	Harold B. Lee
LDS Church Apostle
Called by	Joseph F. Smith
Ordained	April 7, 1910 (aged 33)
Reason for ordination	John Henry Smith added to First Presidency
End of term	July 2, 1972 (aged 95)
Reason for end of term	Death
Reorganization at end of term	Bruce R. McConkie ordained

Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. (19 July 1876 – 2 July 1972) was the tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1970 until his death. He was the son of Joseph F. Smith, who was the sixth president of the LDS Church. His grandfather was Hyrum Smith, brother of LDS Church founder Joseph Smith, Jr., who was Joseph Fielding's great-uncle.

Smith was named to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1910, when his father was president of the church. No church president had a greater length of time as an apostle, (1910–1972), nor had any church president succeeded at such a high age up to that point. He became the oldest LDS Church President, and continued to hold that honor until Gordon B. Hinckley reached Smith's age in June 2006 (Hinckley continued as President for another 19 months). Smith's time as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1951 to 1970 has been surpassed by few; he served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the entire nineteen-year presidency of David O. McKay.

Smith spent some of his years among the Twelve Apostles as the Church Historian and Recorder.

Smith was a religious scholar and a prolific writer. Many of his works are used as references for church members. He wrote the text of a hymn called Does the Journey Seem Long? which appears as hymn #127 in the current edition of the LDS hymnal.

Grave marker of Joseph Fielding Smith.

Early life

Joseph Fielding Smith was born the son of Joseph F. Smith, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, and Julina Lambson. His mother was a midwife. As a boy he often helped his mother by driving her carriage to the various deliveries that she attended in Salt Lake City. Growing up, Smith lived with his family in the immediate vicinity of the current West High School (Salt Lake City).

Family and personal life

Smith married his first wife, Louise Shurtliff, just prior to leaving on his mission to Great Britain. On March 12, 1899, Smith was ordained a Seventy, and left they next day for England. On March 17, 1899, he was set apart as a missionary. He was called as a missionary by Lorenzo Snow, the President of the Church. After Smith returned from his mission, he and his wife had a daughter, but she died in 1908. His second wife was Ethel Reynolds, the daughter of prominent LDS Church leader George Reynolds. They had four girls and five boys. Their youngest daughter was Amelia, who married Bruce R. McConkie; McConkie became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shortly after Smith's death.

After Ethel died, Smith married Jessie Evans, who was at that time a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.^[1]

Church service

After completing his mission in 1901, Smith began working in the office of the Church Historian and Recorder. He was the acting recorder of the general conference in 1910 when he was called as an apostle. Prior to his call as a general authority Smith served as the secretary and treasurer of the Utah Genealogical Society.^[2] In 1921 Smith assumed the office of Church Historian and Recorder which he held until 1970.

Early in his apostleship, his creationist^[3][4][5] views on the dispute between Mormonism's Biblical teachings and the Theory of evolution brought him attention. (See Mormonism and evolution).

Smith spent most of his time as an apostle living in Salt Lake City. He also was president of the Salt Lake Temple from 1945 to 1949. During this time, Smith was sent on a tour of the Spanish-American Mission of the church. Before his return to Salt Lake he informed the president of the Arizona Temple that he would recommend to the First Presidency that the temple ceremonies be translated into Spanish.^[6]

Smith served as president of the Genealogical Society of Utah and its successor the Genealogical Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1934 to 1961. At the time of his release from this position he had already been president of the Quorum of the Twelve for over a decade. During the late 1950s, Smith attempted to reduce staff turnover at the Society by trying to convince the First Presidency that women should be permitted to stay on as employees after they married. However, Smith was only able to get a change to allow them to work six months past marriage.^[7]

Service abroad

Smith did, however, at times take church assignments abroad. In 1939 he was touring the missions in Europe and supervised the withdrawal of missionaries immediately prior to the outbreak of World War II. In 1950 Smith toured the Mexican Mission of the church.^[8] In 1955 Smith made an extensive tour of Asia. On this journey he dedicated Korea and the Philippines for the preaching of the gospel. In 1957 he went to Europe for the dedication of the London Temple and also presided over the excommunication of several missionaries in the French mission who had apostatized.

Administration as President of the Church

Although he only served as president of the church for two and a half years, his administration introduced several new initiatives. It was during his presidency that Area Conferences were first held. Also it was at this time that the church magazines were realigned to be the Ensign, New Era and Friend in English, with centralized planning for all publications.

See also

• Mormonism and evolution

Works

• Smith, Joseph Fielding (1957-1966). Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols. Deseret Book. 
• —— (1946). Church History and Modern Revelation: Being a course of study for the Melchizedek Priesthood Quorums for the Year 1947. The Council of the Twelve Apostles. 
• —— (1954-1956). Doctrines of Salvation: Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith, 3 vols. compiled by Bruce R. McConkie. Bookcraft. 
• —— (1922). Essentials in Church History: A History of the Church From the Birth of Joseph Smith Until the Present Time, with Introductory Chapters on the Antiquity of the Gospel and the "Falling Away". Deseret News. http://www.archive.org/details/essentialsinchur00smitrich. 
• —— (1971). J M. Heslop and Dell R. Van Orden. ed. Joseph Fielding Smith: A Prophet Among the People. Deseret Book. 
• —— (1954). Man, His Origin and Destiny. Deseret Book. 
• —— (1936). The Progress of Man. Genealogical Society of Utah. 
• —— (1945). The Restoration of All Things: A Series of Radio Talks...On Fundamental Principles of the Gospel, Given Over KSL, Commencing June 4, 1944 and Concluding December 31, 1944. Deseret News Press. 
• —— (1970). Seek Ye Earnestly. Deseret Book. 
• —— (1942). The Signs of the Times: A Series of Discussions Sponsored by the Sisters of the Lion House Social Center. Deseret News. 
• —— (1971). Take Heed to Yourselves. Deseret Book. 
• —— (1938). Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Deseret Book Company. http://www.boap.org/LDS/Joseph-Smith/Teachings/. 
• —— (1931). The Way to Perfection: Short Discourses on Gospel Themes. Genealogical Society of Utah. 

Notes

External links

• Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: Joseph Fielding Smith

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