Brigham Young - Leader of the Mormon Church

UTAH LEGENDS

Brigham Young - Leading the Mormons

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Leader of the Mormon movement to Utah, president of the church from 1847 to 1877, and the first governor of Utah, Young's legacy is varied, with praise for his many accomplishments and historical influence, as well as controversy for a number of 19th century events.

Born on June 1, 1801 in Whitingham, Vermont, Brigham was the ninth of eleven children born to John Young and Abigail (Nabby) Howe. He was working as a carpenter and blacksmith when he married Miriam Angeline Works in 1824 and the pair had two daughters. He was drawn to Mormonism after reading the Book of Mormon shortly after its publication in 1830 and joined the church two years later. That same year, his wife, Miriam died.

In 1833, he moved to Kirtland, Ohio and two years later, was ordained an apostle and joined the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as one of its inaugural members on February 14, 1835. In the 1840s he worked as a missionary in England and helped to establish the city of Nauvoo, Illinois.

Brigham Young between 1855 and 1865.

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When Joseph Smith, the founder and leader of the church was killed in 1844, Young succeeded him. Persecuted in Illinois, young led his members to Utah in 1847. As the colonizer and founder of Salt Lake City, Young was appointed the territory's first governor and superintendent of Indian affairs by President Millard Fillmore. Young quickly began to establish settlements throughout Utah, organized a militia, created Indian missions, directed the building of roads, and established businesses and services to allow the territory to be self-sustaining.

When federal officials received reports that Young was electing only Mormons to become government officials, President Buchanan decided to install a non-Mormon governor. This ignited what is known as the Utah War, a confrontation that lasted from May, 1857 until July 1858. Though the war involved a few brief skirmishes, no actual battles occurred between the military forces.

However, it was at the height of the conflict, that the members of the Fancher-Baker wagon train were slaughtered on September 11, 1857. The extent of Young's involvement in the massacre has been a subject of much controversy virtually since the day of the tragic event. Though John D. Lee, the only Mormon punished for the tragedy would claim that he was acting under direct orders from Young, the church leader was pardoned for any alleged role in the atrocity.

Mountain Meadows Massacre drawing by T.B.H. Stenhouse, 1873

Unwilling to give up the territory, Young made plans to burn Salt Lake City and move his followers to Mexico, but at the last minute he relented and agreed to step down as governor April 12, 1858. Continuing to lead the church and the vast majority of Utah's population, relations between

Young and future governors were mixed.

Young then focused on building his Mormon communities and businesses, which flourished over the next decade.

In 1869, the completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory, Utah threatened Young's efforts to safeguard Mormon prosperity and lifestyles by bringing many more people into the territory. To combat this, he responded by establishing numerous Mormon monopolies and pushing the right of women to vote, greatly increasing the number of Mormon voters.

In the meantime, the public outcry regarding polygamy was increasing daily and in 1871, Young was tried under an 1862 federal law that prohibited polygamy in US territories. However, he was eventually acquitted.

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Meeting of the Lines, in Promontory, Utah, 1869.

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