The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded in December 1965 at the American Historical Association (AHA) meeting in San Francisco under the leadership of Latter-day Saint and historian, Leonard J. Arrington. In 1972, MHA became an independent organization with its own annual conferences and publications. The Journal of Mormon History, the official biennial publication of the association, began publication in 1974. MHA also publishes the quarterly Mormon History Newsletter and is an affiliate of both AHA and the Western History Association.
MHA "welcome[s] all who are interested in the Mormon past, irrespective of religious affiliation, academic training, or world location." Its members are composed of people both within and without The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and the Community of Christ including those who reject Mormonism.
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Presidents
MHA presidents are recognized contributors to the field of Mormon history and serve for one year.
| Years | Name | Notability |
|---|---|---|
| 1966–67 | Leonard J. Arrington | MHA co-founder; Utah State University history professor; author of Great Basin Kingdom |
| 1967–68 | Eugene E. Campbell | Brigham Young University (BYU) history professor |
| 1968–69 | T. Edgar Lyon | Nauvoo Restoration |
| 1969–70 | S. George Ellsworth | Utah State University history professor |
| 1970–71 | Richard D. Poll | Western Illinois University vice-president; former Brigham Young University history professor |
| 1971–72 | Davis Bitton | MHA co-founder; University of Utah history professor |
| 1972–73 | James B. Allen | MHA co-founder; Brigham Young University history professor |
| 1973–74 | Reed C. Durham Jr. | Director of Institute of Religion at the University of Utah |
| 1974–75 | Thomas G. Alexander | |
| 1975–76 | Charles S. Peterson | University of Utah history professor; former director of the Utah State Historical Society. |
| 1976–77 | Paul M. Edwards | |
| 1977–78 | Douglas D. Alder | |
| 1978–79 | Milton Backman | Brigham Young University religious education professor |
| 1979–80 | Jan Shipps | Indiana University professor of history and religious studies |
| 1980–81 | Dean C. Jessee | Author of Letters of Brigham Young to his Sons; archivist and researcher with the LDS Church. |
| 1981–82 | Melvin T. Smith | |
| 1982–83 | William D. Russell | |
| 1983–84 | Kenneth W. Godfrey | LDS Institute of Religion Director |
| 1984–85 | Maureen U. Beecher | Brigham Young University English professor with the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History. |
| 1985–86 | Richard L. Bushman | Columbia University history professor; author of Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism. |
| 1986–87 | Richard W. Sadler | |
| 1987–88 | Valeen Tippetts Avery | Co-author of Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith |
| 1988–89 | Stanley B. Kimball | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville history professor; author of Heber C. Kimball: Mormon Patriarch and Pioneer |
| 1989–90 | Carol Cornwall Madsen | Brigham Young University history professor with the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History. |
| 1990–91 | Richard P. Howard | |
| 1991–92 | Ronald W. Walker | |
| 1992–93 | Marvin S. Hill | |
| 1993–94 | Roger D. Launius | |
| 1994–95 | Mario S. DePillis | |
| 1995–96 | David J. Whittaker | Brigham Young University archivist |
| 1996–97 | Linda King Newell | University of Utah history professor; co-author of Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith; former co-editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought; former John Whitmer Historical Association president |
| 1997–98 | Armand L. Mauss | Washington State University professor of sociology and religious studies |
| 1998–99 | Jill Mulvay Derr | BYU History professor, later director of the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute |
| 1999–2000 | Newell G. Bringhurst | |
| 2000–01 | William G. Hartley | |
| 2001–02 | Dean May | |
| 2002–03 | Larry Foster | |
| 2003–04 | Martha Sonntag Bradley | |
| 2004–05 | Donald Q. Cannon | Brigham Young University professor |
| 2005–06 | Philip L. Barlow | Harvard-trained professor of theology and American religious history at Utah State University |
| 2006–07 | Ronald K. Esplin | Director of Joseph Smith Papers Project; former Brigham Young University professor; former Joseph Fielding Smith Institute director. |
| 2007–08 | Paul L. Anderson | BYU Museum of Art curator |
| 2008–09 | Kathryn M. Daynes | Brigham Young University history professor; author of More Wives Than One. |
| 2009–10 | Ronald E. Romig | Community of Christ archivist (No longer serving in this capaciy,) |
| 2010–11 | William P. MacKinnon[1] | Independent historian; author of At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858. |
Journal of Mormon History
Since 1974, MHA has produced the Journal of Mormon History, one of the premier academic journals in the field of Mormon studies. From the founding of MHA until 1974, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought was a principal venue for articles on Mormon History written by MHA members.
A DVD archive of past issues of the Journal is available at MHA's web site.
List of Journal of Mormon History editors
| Name | Position | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Sadler | Editor | 1974–1981 |
| Dean L. May | Editor | 1982–1985 |
| Leonard J. Arrington | Editor | 1986–1987 |
| Lowell M. Durham, Jr. | Editor | 1988–1990 |
| Lavina Fielding Anderson | Editor | 1991–2009 |
| Martha P. Taysom[2] | Editor | 2009–present |
External links
- Official website
- Awards given by the MHA
- First day of the Mormon History Association's annual conference in mid-May 2004 will focus on Rockwell
- University of Utah Press looks to getting back into publishing Mormon-related books like its bestselling biography on Rockwell
- Mormon history group returns to Provo
- Historians debate veracity of book on Lafferty killings at annual conference
- Presentation at annual conference on upcoming book about the Mountain Meadows Massacre
- MHA Awards bestowed at the annual conference
Notes
- ^ "MHA Officers and Board Members". Mormon History Association. July 14, 2009. http://www.mhahome.org/about/officers.php. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ^ Ben (January 29, 2009). "New JMH Editor: Martha P. Taysom". Juvenile Instructor. http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/new-jmh-editor-martha-p-taysom/. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
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