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| - Joseph Fielding Smith was the tenth prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was known as an able writer and wrote numerous books. Joseph Fielding Smith was born on July 19, 1876. His father was Joseph F. Smith, and his grandfather was Hyrum Smith, the brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was raised to uphold and recognize the religious contributions of his ancestors, and he felt a powerful kinship to the Prophet Joseph Smith, Hyrum, and his father, Joseph F. Smith. He was an avid reader in his youth and loved to learn about the gospel. By the time he was ten, he had read the Book of Mormon from beginning to end twice.
- Joseph Fielding Smith (January 30, 1899 – August 29, 1964) was Presiding Patriarch and a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1942 until 1946. Smith was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the son of LDS Church apostle Hyrum M. Smith and Ida Elizabeth Bowman. He went to school at the University of Utah, where he majored in Theater. In 1929, he married Ruth Pingree. Together they had seven children, Ruth, Ida, R.P. "Joe", Denis, Lynne, Hyrum, and Pauline. Smith died and was buried in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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| - Joseph Fielding Smith (January 30, 1899 – August 29, 1964) was Presiding Patriarch and a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1942 until 1946. Smith was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the son of LDS Church apostle Hyrum M. Smith and Ida Elizabeth Bowman. He went to school at the University of Utah, where he majored in Theater. In 1929, he married Ruth Pingree. Together they had seven children, Ruth, Ida, R.P. "Joe", Denis, Lynne, Hyrum, and Pauline. At the age of 43, Smith was ordained a high priest and Patriarch to the Church on October 8, 1942, by church president Heber J. Grant. He served only four years before it was reported by the church that he had requested to be released from his position. His request was granted by church president George Albert Smith on October 6, 1946, with the church announcing that Smith was released for reasons of "ill health." After Smith's death it was discovered that the patriarch had been involved in a homosexual affair with a 21-year-old U.S. Navy sailor, who was also a Latter-day Saint. After being released, Smith took his family to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he continued to raise his family. For a time, Smith was not allowed to hold any position in the church, but reportedly was "treated with compassion." In 1957, Smith was again allowed to serve in the church after he had forsaken his "homosexual behavior". Shortly thereafter, Smith's wife Ruth wrote a letter to church president David O. McKay expressing her gratitude for the church's help, stating, "I know, better than anyone else, the trial our family has been to you and to the authorities." In 1957 and after, Smith served as a member of his stake's high council. Smith died and was buried in Salt Lake City, Utah. Smith's grandson Jefferson Smith served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 2008 to 2012. Smith shares a name with his grandfather, Joseph F. Smith, and his uncle, Joseph Fielding Smith, both of whom served as apostles and later as church presidents.
- Joseph Fielding Smith was the tenth prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was known as an able writer and wrote numerous books. Joseph Fielding Smith was born on July 19, 1876. His father was Joseph F. Smith, and his grandfather was Hyrum Smith, the brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was raised to uphold and recognize the religious contributions of his ancestors, and he felt a powerful kinship to the Prophet Joseph Smith, Hyrum, and his father, Joseph F. Smith. He was an avid reader in his youth and loved to learn about the gospel. By the time he was ten, he had read the Book of Mormon from beginning to end twice. He married Louie Emily (Emyla) Shurtliff in the Salt Lake Temple on April 26, 1898, and a year later left on a mission to England, where he served for two years. In April of 1906, he became assistant Church Historian. His wife tragically died in March of 1908, leaving behind two young daughters. In November, Joseph Fielding Smith married Ethel Georgina Reynolds, and together they had another five sons and four daughters. Elder Smith was a careful and diligent teacher to his children, and was rewarded by seeing all his sons and daughters remain faithful to the Church. His upstanding posterity is as much an achievement as his prophetic role or the books he authored. On April 7, 1910, Joseph Fielding Smith was ordained as an Apostle for the Church at 34 years of age. When he was ordained, the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper criticized him and the Church for practicing nepotism, but Joseph Fielding Smith was determined to serve the Church in whatever capacity he was called. The vilification by the newspaper ignored his qualifications for the apostleship. Joseph Fielding Smith was foreordained for his calling as prophet—his mother had received a revelation that her son would become an apostle (Bruce R. McConkie, pp. 24-31). In a patriarchal blessing Elder Smith received at nineteen, he had also been told, "It shall be thy duty to sit in council with thy brethren, and to preside among the people" (John Smith, Patriarchal Blessing to Joseph Fielding Smith, Jan. 19, 1896; copy in LDS Church Historian's Library). [1] As an Apostle he gained a reputation for his incredible knowledge of the scriptures. President Heber J. Grant called him “the best posted man on the scriptures of the General Authorities of the Church that we have” (Francis M. Gibbons, Joseph Fielding Smith: Gospel Scholar, Prophet of God, p. 290). He published more books than any other president of the Church, although that was not his intent. Most of them were compilations of talks or answers to questions he had received about the Church. Most of his writings are still used today and are widely referenced. In 1937 Joseph Fielding Smith’s second wife passed away. He married again, this time to Jessie Ella Evans in 1938. Sadly she too passed away one year before President Smith. In 1939 President Smith was touring the European missions when it was decided that the missionaries needed to be evacuated so they would avoid being caught when the brewing-war (World War II) broke out. President Smith worked closely with the mission presidents in organizing the evacuation of missionaries, and he placed local brethren, such as Pieter Vlam in the presidencies of missions (which often did not even exist then, with most mission presidents at that time presiding without counselors) so that the church could continue to operate. From 1945-1949 President Smith was president of the Salt Lake Temple. This was an appropriate position for a man who had been the head of the Utah Geneological Society and thus closely involved with the preparing of names for temple work for many years. In 1957 his book Elijah The Prophet and His Mission another expression of his close connection to temple work, was published. On January 23, 1970 Joseph Fielding Smith became President of the Church. He helped reorganize some of the organizations of the Church and consolidated all of the various Church magazines into three magazines. He once said, “our mission is to preach the doctrines of salvation in plainness and simplicity as they are revealed and recorded in the scriptures” (Francis M. Gibbons, Joseph Fielding Smith: Gospel Scholar, Prophet of God, p. 472). President Smith’s teachings certainly live up to this mission. President Smith served for two years until his death on July 2, 1972. Back to Previous Church Prophet On to Next Church Prophet
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