Joseph Fielding Smith

For other people named Joseph Fielding Smith, see Joseph Fielding Smith (disambiguation).

Joseph Fielding Smith
10th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
January 23, 1970 (1970-01-23) – July 2, 1972 (1972-07-02)
Predecessor	David O. McKay
Successor	Harold B. Lee
Counselor in the First Presidency
October 29, 1965 (1965-10-29) – January 18, 1970 (1970-01-18)
Called by	David O. McKay
End reason	Dissolution of First Presidency upon the death of David O. McKay
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 9, 1951 (1951-04-09) – January 23, 1970 (1970-01-23)
End reason	Became President of the Church
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
August 8, 1950 (1950-08-08) – April 4, 1951 (1951-04-04)
End reason	Became President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 7, 1910 (1910-04-07) – January 23, 1970 (1970-01-23)
Called by	Joseph F. Smith
End reason	Became President of the Church
LDS Church Apostle
April 7, 1910 (1910-04-07) – July 2, 1972 (1972-07-02T1876)
Called by	Joseph F. Smith
Reason	John Henry Smith added to First Presidency
Reorganization at end of term	Bruce R. McConkie ordained
Personal details
Born	Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. July 19, 1876(1876-07-19) Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, United States
Died	July 2, 1972(1972-07-02) (aged 95) Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Resting place	Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37.92″N 111°51′28.8″W
Spouse	Louie Emily Shurtliff (1898-1908)(her death) Ethel Georgina Reynolds (1908-1937)(her death) Jessie Ella Evans (1938-1971)(her death)
Children	11
Signature

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.

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, Louie Emily "Emyla" Shurtliff (born 16 June 1876) on April 26, 1898. In March 1899, Smith was called on a mission to Great Britain by Lorenzo Snow, the President of the Church. On May 12, 1899, Smith was set apart as a missionary and ordained a Seventy by his father. A small group of missionaries, including Smith and his older brother Joseph Richards Smith, left the next day for England. After his return from the British mission in July 1901, Smith and his wife Louise had two daughters, Josephine and Julina. Louise Shirtliff Smith died of complications of a third pregnancy on March 28, 1908.

Smith married Ethel Georgina Reynolds (born 23 October 1889), the daughter of prominent LDS Church leader George Reynolds, on November 2 1908. They had four girls (Emily, Naomi, Lois, Amelia) and five boys, Joseph Fielding (most often called Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr.), Lewis Warren, George Reynolds, Douglas Allan and Milton Edmund. Their youngest daughter Amelia married Bruce R. McConkie; McConkie became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shortly after Smith's death. Ethel Reynolds Smith died of a cerebral hemorrhage on 26 August 1937, at age 47.

Ethel had specifically requested that Jessie Ella Evans (December 29, 1902-1971) sing at her funeral. Evans, born to Jonathan Evans and his wife the former Janet Buchanan, joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 1918, was a member of the American Light Opera Company (1923-1927) and the Salt Lake County Recorder. In November Evans and Smith got engaged.

In April 1938, Smith married Evans in the Salt Lake Temple. The marriage was performed by Heber J. Grant. The couple had no children, although Milton was only eleven when Joseph and Jessie married and George and Douglas were still under the age of 18. Smith's third wife died on 2 August 1971.

Church service

Smith while a member of the Quorum of the Twelve (Ca. 1942)

After completing his mission in 1901, Smith began working in the office of the Church Historian and Recorder. He authored the book entitled The Origins of the Reorganized Church and the Question of Succession in 1909, which was written to defend the LDS Church against the recent proselytizing of missionaries for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church) in Utah. 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 Genealogical Society of Utah. In 1921 Smith assumed the office of Church Historian and Recorder which he held until 1970. Early in his apostleship, his creationist 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.

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.

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. 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

Smith became President of the Church on January 23, 1970, following the death of President David O. McKay. Although he only served as president of the church for two and a half years, his administration introduced several new initiatives: Area Conferences were introduced; some significant organizational restructuring in the Church Sunday School system and the Church Department of Social Services; and the church magazines were realigned into the Ensign, New Era and Friend in English, with centralized planning for all publications. His tenure was also marked by steady growth in the number of serving missionaries and the dedication of LDS temples in Ogden and Provo, Utah.

Death

Smith died at Salt Lake City at age 95. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.

• 

  Grave marker of Joseph Fielding Smith.

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. 
• —— (1909). Origin of the "Reorganized" Church. http://books.google.com/books?id=j2UoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q=&f=false. 
• —— (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. 

Sources

• Allen, James B.; Embry, Jessie L.; Mehr, Kahlile B. (1995), Hearts Turned to the Fathers: A History of the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1894-1994, BYU Studies Monographs, Provo, Utah: BYU Studies, ISBN 0842523278, http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/u?/byustudies,2282 .
• Smith, Joseph Fielding, Jr.; Stewart, John J. (1972), The Life of Joseph Fielding Smith, Tenth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 0877474842 .

External links

Listen to this article (info/dl)

This audio file was created from a revision of the "Joseph Fielding Smith" article dated 2007-01-28, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (Audio help)

More spoken articles

Media related to Joseph Fielding Smith at Wikimedia Commons

• Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: Joseph Fielding Smith
• Works by or about Joseph Fielding Smith in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles
Preceded by David O. McKay	President of the Church January 23, 1970–July 2, 1972	Succeeded by Harold B. Lee
	President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles April 9, 1951–January 23, 1970
Preceded by Anthony W. Ivins	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles April 7, 1910–January 23, 1970	Succeeded by James E. Talmage