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General Church Officers, March–July 1843

General Church Officers, March–July 1843

The following charts identify the general leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; local church leadership in , Illinois, and in Europe; city officials in Nauvoo; and the officers of other relevant organizations between 1 March and 31 July 1843.

First Presidency

Throughout the period covered in this volume, JS served as of the church, with as associate president and and as counselors. Hyrum was previously a counselor in the presidency, but shortly after he succeeded his father as patriarch in December 1840, a January 1841 revelation indicated that Law should take his place in the presidency and that Hyrum should have the “blessing and glory, and honor and priesthood and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon . . . .” Cowdery had received the keys of the priesthood in connection with JS, had been sustained as “Second Elder of the Church” on 6 April 1830, and had served in the church’s presidency from December 1834 to April 1838 under the titles “assistant president” and “assistant Councillor.” The January 1841 revelation also identified Hyrum Smith as “a prophet and a seer and a revelator.” Later church historians applied the term “associate president” to Hyrum Smith’s unusual position. Although this title was not used during his lifetime, it seems to accurately describe his role in relation to JS.

In early February 1843, JS proposed to make a “councillr to the fir[s]t Presidency,” possibly to replace , who was estranged from JS at the time. Although JS and Rigdon met and reconciled several days later, with Rigdon expressing that “he & his family were willing to be saved,” Lyman apparently retained his appointment as a counselor in the First Presidency, and at the end of February, JS assigned him to take charge of the new church settlement at , Illinois. JS again considered removing Rigdon from the presidency and presented the First Presidency “for trial” at a church conference in April 1843, but the congregation ultimately voted to sustain him and the rest of the presidency in their positions. There is no record of Lyman being ordained or sustained to a position in the First Presidency, but evidence suggests he was subsequently considered a member of the presidency. In April 1843, he addressed a special conference of the church—with his remarks subsequently published in full by the Times and Seasons, which was typically done only for members of the First Presidency—and at a July 1843 conference, listed Lyman’s name alongside JS’s other counselors, Sidney Rigdon and .

March–July 1843

Joseph Smith, president

, associate president

, counselor

Patriarch

was appointed of the church in 1834 and served in that position until his death in September 1840. Prior to his death, Smith ordained his son as his successor. In January 1841, JS dictated a revelation that appointed to the First Presidency so that Hyrum Smith could “take the office of priesthood and patriarch, which was appointed unto him by his father by blessing and also by right.” That same revelation appointed Hyrum, as patriarch, to hold the sealing power and to be “a prophet and a seer and a revelator unto my church as well as my servant Joseph.” Hyrum Smith functioned in this office for the remainder of his life.

March–July 1843

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

When the was originally organized in 1835, the group included the first six men on the list below. By December 1841, the other six members of the original quorum had died or become disaffected.

The final six men on the list joined the quorum between December 1838 and April 1841 to replace those members.

March–July 1843

Presidents of the Seventy

Three of the were organized in 1835 and 1836, but by 1837, all seventies were included in one quorum. Unlike most quorums in the church, which were presided over by a presidency consisting of one president and two counselors, the Quorums of the Seventy were presided over by seven presidents. In 1835, JS instructed that “the seventh president of these presidents is to preside over the six.” Throughout the period covered in this volume, the same seven men served as presidents of the Seventy. It is uncertain whether any one of the presidents was presiding over the others during the period covered in this volume. The order in which they are listed reflects the order in which they were named in an 1841 revelation regarding the church in .

March–July 1843

1
Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845, bk. 18, [5]; Letter to Quorum of the Twelve, 15 Dec. 1840; Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:91, 95].
2
Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:94].
3
Minutes, 20 Jan. 1843; JS, Journal, 4 Feb. 1843.
4
JS, Journal, 11 Feb. 1843; Power of Attorney to Amasa Lyman, 28 Feb. 1843.
5
JS, Journal, 6 Apr. 1843.
6
JS, Journal, 9 Apr. 1843; “A Discourse, Delivered by Elder Amasa Lyman, at the Conference,” Times and Seasons, 1 June 1843, 4:218–220; Historian’s Office, General Church Minutes, 3 July 1843.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
Historian’s Office. General Church Minutes, 1839–1877. CHL
7
JS, Journal, 4 Feb. 1843.
8
Oliver Cowdery, Note, in Patriarchal Blessings 1:8–9; Historical Introduction to Blessing from Joseph Smith Sr., 9 Dec. 1834.
Patriarchal Blessings, 1833–. CHL. CR 500 2.
9
Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845, bk. 18, [5]; Fielding, Journal, 1840–1841, 88–89.
Fielding, Joseph. Journals, 1837–1859. CHL. MS 1567.
10
Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:91, 94].
11
Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 Feb. 1835; Minutes and Discourse, 2 May 1835.
12
John F. Boynton, Luke Johnson, Lyman Johnson, William E. McLellin, and Thomas B. Marsh were excommunicated or removed from office between December 1837 and March 1839; David W. Patten died on 25 October 1838. (John Smith and Clarissa Smith, Kirtland, OH, to George A. Smith, Shinnston, VA, 1 Jan. 1838, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL; Minutes, 13 Apr. 1838; JS, Journal, 11 May 1838; “Extracts of the Minutes of Conferences,” Times and Seasons, Nov. 1839, 1:15; JS History, vol. B-1, 839; see also Historical Introduction to Letter to Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young, 16 Jan. 1839.)
Smith, George Albert. Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
13
John E. Page and John Taylor were ordained apostles on 19 December 1838. Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith were ordained on 26 April 1839. Willard Richards and Lyman Wight were ordained the eleventh and twelfth members of the quorum in April 1840 and April 1841, respectively. (Minute Book 2, 19 Dec. 1838; Woodruff, Journal, 26 Apr. 1839 and 14 Apr. 1840; “From England,” Times and Seasons, June 1840, 1:119; Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841; see also JS, Journal, 8 July 1838.)
Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.
Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.
14
Record of Seventies, bk. A, 3–11.
Record of Seventies / First Council of the Seventy. “Book of Records,” 1837–1843. Bk. A. In First Council of the Seventy, Records, 1837–1885. CHL. CR 3 51, box 1, fd. 1.
15
Instruction on Priesthood, between ca. 1 Mar. and ca. 4 May 1835 [D&C 107:94].
16
Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124:138].

General Church Officers, March–July 1843

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