List of Latter Day Saint practitioners of plural marriage

According to a consensus of historians, many adherents in the early Latter Day Saint movement practiced plural marriage, a doctrine that states that polygyny is ordained of God. Although the largest denomination in the movement, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, officially abandoned the practice of plural marriage in 1890, a number of churches in the Mormon fundamentalist movement continue to teach and practice it. Historically, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now the Community of Christ), the second largest denomination in the movement, had an anti-polygamy position and denied officially that Smith had taught or practiced it, since Smith denied his involvement during his church leadership.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Pre-succession crisis

The following notable Latter Day Saints are alleged to have practiced plural marriage prior to the 1844 succession crisis that followed the death of Joseph Smith, Jr..

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The following members of the LDS Church practiced plural marriage:

Presidents of the Church

Template:Latter Day Saint biography/Heber J. Grant Template:Latter Day Saint biography/Joseph F. Smith Template:Latter Day Saint biography/Lorenzo Snow Template:Latter Day Saint biography/John Taylor (Mormon)Template:Latter Day Saint biography/Wilford Woodruff Template:Latter Day Saint biography/Brigham Young

Members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Other church general authorities

	Name:	Zerubbabel Snow
	Born:	(1809-03-29)March 29, 1809
	Died:	September 27, 1888(1888-09-27) (aged 79)
	Positions:	First Quorum of the Seventy, 1835-unknown
	Date entered polygamy:	August 25, 1841
	Eventual No. of wives:	3
	Notes:	Was elected Attorney General of the Territory of Utah in 1869.
	Name:	Edward Stevenson
	Born:	(1820-05-01)May 1, 1820
	Died:	January 27, 1897(1897-01-27) (aged 76)
	Positions:	First Council of the Seventy, October 7, 1894-January 27, 1897
	Date entered polygamy:	October 28, 1855
	Eventual No. of wives:	7
	Notes:	He is also notable for writing a memoir of Joseph Smith in 1893, which ended up being the earliest surviving documentary source supporting the story of Joseph Smith having taught prior to 1836 that he had seen God and Jesus Christ as two separate beings in his First Vision.
	Name:	William W. Taylor
	Born:	(1853-09-11)September 11, 1853
	Died:	August 1, 1884(1884-08-01) (aged 30)
	Positions:	First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, April 7, 1880-August 1, 1884
	Date entered polygamy:	March 29, 1884
	Eventual No. of wives:	2
	Notes:	Was a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature
	Name:	John Van Cott
	Born:	(1814-09-07)September 7, 1814
	Died:	February 18, 1883(1883-02-18) (aged 68)
	Positions:	First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, October 8, 1862-February 18, 1883
	Date entered polygamy:	May 02, 1849
	Eventual No. of wives:	5
	Notes:	Served as member of the Council of Fifty.
	Name:	Newel K. Whitney
	Born:	(1795-02-05)February 5, 1795
	Died:	September 24, 1850(1850-09-24) (aged 55)
	Positions:	Presiding Bishop, June 6, 1847-September 23, 1850 First Bishop of the Church, October 7, 1844-June 6, 1847
	Date entered polygamy:	February 14, 1845
	Eventual No. of wives:	up to 8
	Notes:	Served as member of the Council of Fifty.
	Name:	Joseph Young
	Born:	(1797-04-07)April 7, 1797
	Died:	July 16, 1881(1881-07-16) (aged 84)
	Positions:	First Seven Presidents of the Seventy, March 1, 1835-July 16, 1881
	Date entered polygamy:	January 16, 1846
	Eventual No. of wives:	6
	Notes:	Was the elder brother of Brigham Young and a member of the Council of Fifty.

Other notable members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

	Name:	Milo Andrus
	Born:	(1814-03-06)March 6, 1814
	Died:	June 19, 1893(1893-06-19) (aged 79)
	Date entered polygamy:	January 1, 1848
	Eventual No. of wives:	11
	Notes:	Andrus was one of the members of Zion's Camp, and helped build the Kirtland, Nauvoo, Salt Lake, and Saint George Temples.
	Name:	Gilbert Belnap
	Born:	(1821-12-22)December 22, 1821
	Died:	February 26, 1899(1899-02-26) (aged 77)
	Date entered polygamy:	June 26, 1852
	Eventual No. of wives:	2
	Notes:	Belnap was a Mormon pioneer, early bishop, missionary, Weber County sheriff, and colonizer. He married first cousins; his first wife was the daughter of Martha McBride Knight, one of Joseph Smith's plural wives. He was issued a recommend in 1857 to take a third wife which was never used.
	Name:	John Milton Bernhisel
	Born:	(1799-06-23)June 23, 1799
	Died:	September 28, 1881(1881-09-28) (aged 82)
	Date entered polygamy:	c.1845
	Eventual No. of wives:	7
	Notes:	Bernhisel was elected as Utah Territory's first delegate to Congress in 1851
	Name:	Hugh Findlay
	Born:	(1822-06-09)June 9, 1822
	Died:	March 2, 1900(1900-03-02) (aged 77)
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1857
	Eventual No. of wives:	2
	Notes:	Findlay was one of the first two Mormon missionaries to enter India and initiated Mormon missionary work in the Shetland Islands.
	Name:	William J. Flake
	Born:	(1839-07-03)July 3, 1839
	Died:	August 10, 1932(1932-08-10) (aged 93)
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1868
	Eventual No. of wives:	2
	Notes:	Flake helped settle parts of Arizona
	Name:	David Fullmer
	Born:	(1803-07-07)July 7, 1803
	Died:	October 21, 1879(1879-10-21) (aged 76)
	Date entered polygamy:	January 21, 1846
	Eventual No. of wives:	2
	Notes:	David Fullmer was a members of the Council of Fifty and the Nauvoo City Council.
	Name:	John S. Fullmer
	Born:	(1807-07-21)July 21, 1807
	Died:	October 8, 1883(1883-10-08) (aged 76)
	Date entered polygamy:	January, 21, 1846
	Eventual No. of wives:	3
	Notes:	John Fullmer was a members of the Council of Fifty and the Utah Territorial House of Representatives.
	Name:	Archibald Gardner
	Born:	(1814-09-02)September 2, 1814
	Died:	February 8, 1902(1902-02-08) (aged 87)
	Date entered polygamy:	April 19, 1849
	Eventual No. of wives:	11
	Notes:	Prominent business man and bishop for 32 years
	Name:	Ephraim Hanks
	Born:	(1826-03-21)March 21, 1826
	Died:	June 9, 1896(1896-06-09) (aged 70)
	Date entered polygamy:	March 27, 1856
	Eventual No. of wives:	4
	Notes:	Hanks was a prominent member of the 19th-century Latter Day Saint movement, a Mormon pioneer and a leader in the early settlement of Utah. Hanks played a role in the rescue of the Martin handcart company, although he wasn't present during the famous Sweetwater crossing.^[5] Hanks also led a militia company in scouting expeditions during the Utah War in 1857 and 1858.
	Name:	Abraham Hoagland
	Born:	(1797-03-24)March 24, 1797
	Died:	February 14, 1872(1872-02-14) (aged 74)
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1847
	Eventual No. of wives:	4
	Notes:	Hoagland was an early Mormon leader, pioneer, and one of the founders of Royal Oak, Michigan, and Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
	Name:	Jacob Hamblin
	Born:	(1819-04-02)April 2, 1819
	Died:	August 31, 1886(1886-08-31) (aged 67)
	Date entered polygamy:	September 30, 1849
	Eventual No. of wives:	2
	Notes:	Hamblin was a Western pioneer, Mormon missionary, and diplomat to various Native American Tribes of the Southwest and Great Basin.
	Name:	Charles S. Peterson
	Born:	(1818-07-28)July 28, 1818
	Died:	September 26, 1889(1889-09-26) (aged 71)
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1849
	Eventual No. of wives:	4
	Notes:	Peterson was the first settler of Utah's Morgan Valley,^[6] a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature, and one of the first settlers in the Mormon colonies in Mexico.
	Name:	Lot Smith
	Born:	(1830-03-15)March 15, 1830
	Died:	June 21, 1892(1892-06-21) (aged 62)
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1851
	Eventual No. of wives:	8
	Notes:	Lot was an officer in the Nauvoo Legion. He was sent on a special mission by Young to delay the United States Army from reaching Utah in 1857.
	Name:	Orson Spencer
	Born:	(1802-03-14)March 14, 1802
	Died:	October 15, 1855(1855-10-15) (aged 53)
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1835
	Eventual No. of wives:	6
	Notes:	Spencer was a member of the Council of Fifty and was named the first chancellor of the University of Deseret in 1850.
	Name:	David K. Udall
	Born:	(1851-09-07)September 7, 1851
	Died:	February 18, 1938(1938-02-18) (aged 86)
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1882
	Eventual No. of wives:	3
	Notes:	Udall married last wife in 1903, 13 years after the 1890 Manifesto
	Name:	John Lyon
	Born:	(1803-03-04)March 4, 1803
	Died:	November 28, 1889(1889-11-28) (aged 86)
	Date entered polygamy:	March 28, 1856
	Eventual No. of wives:	2
	Notes:	Lyon was a Scottish Latter Day Saint poet and hymn writer.

Other sects within the Latter Day Saint movement

Mormon fundamentalists sects

The following are notable members of the Mormon fundamentalist movement who have practiced plural marriage:

Template:Latter Day Saint biography/Leroy S. Johnson Template:Latter Day Saint biography/John W. Woolley Template:Latter Day Saint biography/Lorin C. Woolley

	Name:	Owen A. Allred
	Born:	(1914-01-14)January 14, 1914
	Died:	February 14, 2005(2005-02-14) (aged 91)
	Date entered polygamy:	1942
	Eventual No. of wives:	8
	Notes:	Owen Allred became leader of the Apostolic United Brethren following the murder of his brother Rulon Allred.
	Name:	Rulon C. Allred
	Born:	(1906-03-29)March 29, 1906
	Died:	May 10, 1977(1977-05-10) (aged 71)
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1926
	Eventual No. of wives:	at least 12
	Notes:	Leader of the Apostolic United Brethren. On May 10, 1977, Allred was shot and killed by two women in his office in Murray, Utah. One of the women was later identified as Rena Chynoweth, one of Ervil LeBaron's wives. Although acquitted of the charges, Chynoweth later confessed to the crime in her memoir, The Blood Covenant.
	Name:	John Y. Barlow
	Born:	(1874-03-04)March 4, 1874
	Died:	December 29, 1949(1949-12-29) (aged 75)
	Date entered polygamy:	1902
	Eventual No. of wives:	4
	Notes:	While serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Barlow defended his polygamous views and was dishonorably released.^[7] Later, LDS Church apostle Melvin J. Ballard, the president of the Northwest States Mission during Barlow's service there, served as witness in the disciplinary council that resulted in Barlow's excommunication.^[8]
	Name:	J. Leslie Broadbent
	Born:	(1891-06-03)June 3, 1891
	Died:	March 16, 1935(1935-03-16) (aged 43)
	Date entered polygamy:	June 1915
	Eventual No. of wives:	4
	Notes:	In 1927, Broadbent published a pamphlet Celestial Marriage advocating the practice of plural marriage. This was one of the first Mormon fundamentalist tracts and was a factor in his subsequent excommunication by the LDS Church in July 1929.
	Name:	Tom Green (polygamist)
	Born:	1948
	Date entered polygamy:	1980s
	Eventual No. of wives:	7
	Notes:	Green and his lifestyle were the subject of the British-made documentary One Man, Six Wives and Twenty-Nine Children. He and his wives have appeared on various television programmes and have a higher level of media exposure than many other contemporary polygamists.
	Name:	James D. Harmston
	Born:	November 1940
	Died:	June 27, 2013
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1990
	Eventual No. of wives:	at least 8^[9]
	Notes:	Raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, James D. Harmston and his wife broke away from the Church in the 1980s and founded the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days.
	Name:	Rulon Jeffs
	Born:	(1909-12-06)December 6, 1909
	Died:	September 8, 2002(2002-09-08) (aged 92)
	Date entered polygamy:	March 2, 1909^[12]
	Eventual No. of wives:	As many as 75^[13]
	Notes:	Rulon Jeffs was a leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was reported that at the time of Jeffs' death at age 92 that he may have had as many as 75 wives and 65 children;^[10] however, conflicting sources indicate that Jeffs may have been survived by 19 or 20 wives and "about 60 children," including 33 sons.^[11]
	Name:	Warren Jeffs
	Born:	(1955-12-03) December 3, 1955 (age 68)
	Date entered polygamy:
	Eventual No. of wives:	78^[17]
	Notes:	Current leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On September 25, 2007, Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of rape as an accomplice and was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years to life.^[14] However, on July 27, 2010, his conviction was reversed by Utah's Supreme Court because of incorrect jury instructions.^[15] Subsequently on August 9, 2011, Jeffs was tried on two other counts of sexual assault of a child, convicted and sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years.^[16]
	Name:	Alex Joseph
	Born:	1936
	Died:	September 27, 1998
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1969
	Eventual No. of wives:	up to 20^[18]
	Notes:	Founder of the Confederate Nations of Israel and mayor of Big Water, Utah. Joseph was the first Libertarian mayor of a community in the United States.
	Name:	Charles E. Kingston
	Born:	1909
	Died:	1947
	Date entered polygamy:
	Eventual No. of wives:	5^[20]
	Notes:	Kingston co-foundered the Latter Day Church of Christ, also known as the Kingston Clan and the Davis County Cooperative.^[19]
	Name:	Paul E. Kingston
	Born:	1959
	Date entered polygamy:
	Eventual No. of wives:	up to 27
	Notes:	Prophet and Presiding Priesthood Leader of the Latter Day Church of Christ, also known as the Kingston Clan, since August 25, 1987.
	Name:	Ervil LeBaron
	Born:	(1925-02-22)February 22, 1925
	Died:	August 16, 1981(1981-08-16) (aged 56)
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1944
	Eventual No. of wives:	at least 13 wives
	Notes:	Founder of the Church of the Lamb of God and using the religious doctrine of blood atonement as justification, ordered the killings of many of his opponents, including Rulon C. Allred. In 1980, He was sentenced to prison for orchestrating the murder of an opponent, and died in prison.
	Name:	Joel LeBaron
	Born:	(1923-06-09)June 9, 1923
	Died:	August 20, 1972(1972-08-20) (aged 49)
	Date entered polygamy:	c. 1944
	Eventual No. of wives:
	Notes:	In 1955, Joel LeBaron and two of his brothers established the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times in Salt Lake City, Utah with Joel as President of the Church. In 1967, Joel's brother, Ervil LeBaron, was removed from leadership in the church when he began to preach that he, and not Joel, was the proper leader of the church. Then on 20 August 1972 Daniel Jordan, one of Ervil's followers, shot and killed Joel.
	Name:	Joseph W. Musser
	Born:	(1872-03-08)March 8, 1872
	Died:	1954
	Date entered polygamy:	March 1902
	Eventual No. of wives:	5
	Notes:	Musser is known for his Mormon fundamentalist books, pamphlets and magazines, as well as being considered a prophet by many Mormon fundamentalists.
	Name:	Charles Zitting
	Born:	(1884-03-30)March 30, 1884
	Died:	July 14, 1954(1954-07-14) (aged 70)
	Date entered polygamy:	pre. April 1, 1931
	Eventual No. of wives:	5
	Notes:	Zitting was a Mormon fundamentalist leader and member of The Council of Friends, in the Short Creek community.
	Name:	Brian David Mitchell
	Born:	(1953-10-18) October 18, 1953 (age 71)
	Date entered polygamy:	June 5, 2002
	Eventual No. of wives:	2 (see note)
	Notes:	Mitchell married three times legally, two of the marriages ending in divorce. Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped and forcibly "married" to him, while he was legally married to his third wife Wanda Barzee.

Other Latter Day Saint sects

Template:Latter Day Saint biography/James Strang

Notes

^ Whitmer 1887
^ Times and Seasons, Volume 5, page 474
^ Times and Seasons, Volume 5, page 423
^ The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star 4 [January 1844]: 144
^ Orton, Chad M. (2006). "The Martin Handcart Company at the Sweetwater: Another Look". BYU Studies. 45 (3): 13.
^ "The Settlements of Morgan County". Morgan County Utah Historical Society. [1]. Accessed 23 April 2007.
^ Morris Q. Kunz, Reminiscences on Priesthood, 21
^ LSJ Sermons 1:61
^ The True & Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days
^ NPR report on Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Church - Last accessed Sept 07, 2007
^ Mormon Leader Is Survived by 33 Sons and a Void (New York Times)
^ Rulon Jeffs. Biography of Rulon Jeffs located at www.fldstruth.org (official FLDS website)
^ Wade Goodwyn, Howard Berkes and Amy Walters, "Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Church", NPR, 2005-05-03.
^ Winslow, B. (2007, November 22). Jeffs is now an inmate at Utah State Prison. Deseret Morning News. Retrieved 29 November 2007 from http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695229917,00.html
^ "Utah Supreme Court reverses Warren Jeffs conviction - ABC 4.com - Salt Lake City, Utah News". ABC 4.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
^ Whitehurst, Lindsay (August 11, 2011). "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
^ Whitehurst, Lindsay (9 August 2011), "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls", Salt Lake Tribune
^ Brandon Burt, "Utah's Gay Mayor", Salt Lake Metro : article contains background information on Joseph, his adoption of Libertarianism, and the founding of Big Water, Utah
^ Utah Attorney General’s Office and Arizona Attorney General’s Office. The Primer, Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities. Updated June 2006. Page 23.
^ http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/ChartLinks/CharlesEldenKingston.htm

References

Brian C. Hales (2006). Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalists : The Generations after the Manifesto (Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books)
Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia.
Smith, George D (Spring 1994). "Nauvoo Roots of Mormon Polygamy, 1841-46: A Preliminary Demographic Report". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 27 (1). Retrieved 2007-05-12. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help).
D. Michael Quinn, "Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalisms," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, vol. 31, no. 2, Summer 1998
Whitmer, David (1887). "An Address to All Believers in Christ". Richmond, Missouri. Retrieved 2006-12-30. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[1] Whitmer 1887

[2] Times and Seasons, Volume 5, page 474

[3] Times and Seasons, Volume 5, page 423

[4] The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star 4 [January 1844]: 144

[orton-5] Orton, Chad M. (2006). "The Martin Handcart Company at the Sweetwater: Another Look". BYU Studies. 45 (3): 13.

[MHS-6] "The Settlements of Morgan County". Morgan County Utah Historical Society. [1]. Accessed 23 April 2007.

[7] Morris Q. Kunz, Reminiscences on Priesthood, 21

[8] LSJ Sermons 1:61

[9] The True & Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days

[10] NPR report on Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Church - Last accessed Sept 07, 2007

[11] Mormon Leader Is Survived by 33 Sons and a Void (New York Times)

[12] Rulon Jeffs. Biography of Rulon Jeffs located at www.fldstruth.org (official FLDS website)

[13] Wade Goodwyn, Howard Berkes and Amy Walters, "Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Church", NPR, 2005-05-03.

[Deseret112207-14] Winslow, B. (2007, November 22). Jeffs is now an inmate at Utah State Prison. Deseret Morning News. Retrieved 29 November 2007 from http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695229917,00.html

[15] "Utah Supreme Court reverses Warren Jeffs conviction - ABC 4.com - Salt Lake City, Utah News". ABC 4.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

[Whitehurst-2011-08-11-16] Whitehurst, Lindsay (August 11, 2011). "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2011.

[17] Whitehurst, Lindsay (9 August 2011), "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls", Salt Lake Tribune

[18] Brandon Burt, "Utah's Gay Mayor", Salt Lake Metro : article contains background information on Joseph, his adoption of Libertarianism, and the founding of Big Water, Utah

[UAAG-19] Utah Attorney General’s Office and Arizona Attorney General’s Office. The Primer, Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities. Updated June 2006. Page 23.

[20] ttp://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/ChartLinks/CharlesEldenKingston.htm

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[12]

[13]

[10]

[11]

[17]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[18]

[20]

[19]

v t e Close plural relationships
By type	Bigamy Group marriage Open marriage Open relationship Polyamory Polyandry Polyfidelity Polygamy Polygynandry Polygyny Relationship anarchy
History and culture	Combined marriage Polygamy in Christianity Polygamy in North America Polygyny in Islam
LDS/FLDS	Origin Current state List of practitioners Celestial marriage Sealing Spiritual wifery Placement marriage Lost boys Polygamy czar
Terms	Polycule Compersion New relationship energy Primary and secondary Terminology within polyamory