Hugh B. Brown
Encyclopedia
Hugh Brown Brown was an attorney, educator and author and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Born in Utah, Brown held both American
and Canadian
citizenship during his life.
Brown was a talented speaker, and was well known for conveying religious principles and exhortations through accounts of events in his life. His grandson, Edwin B. Firmage noted:
, in western Canada
. Hugh was the oldest son left in Salt Lake, and he and his sister Lillie, eighteen months his senior, took care of the farm and orchard until their father sent for the family.
Brown was fifteen when his family moved to Alberta
, Canada
. Shortly after his eighteenth birthday, he traveled to Logan, Utah
, to attend Brigham Young College
. Brown also attended Utah State Agricultural College which is now Utah State University
. Dr. John A. Widtsoe
suggested a career in agriculture for Brown. After a brief period at the college, Brown was called to England
as a missionary
for the LDS Church, serving under Heber J. Grant
from 1904 to 1906. Upon his return, Brown established a home in Alberta for Zina Young Card, a childhood friend whom he married in 1908. The first six of the couple's eight children were born in Canada.
and take military training preliminary to organizing a Latter-day Saint contingent for the Canadian reserves. The reserve cavalry unit was established in 1914, with the outbreak of World War I
, and became part of the Thirteenth Overseas Mounted Rifles in 1915. By 1917, Brown had achieved the rank of major in the Canadian military
. He would have attained a higher rank were it not for the prejudice that existed in the British Empire
against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, he was told to his face and without apology that he was denied further promotion. Although the reason was not specified Brown looked at the papers on the desk of the senior officer which stated "This man is a Mormon
."
Brown suffered other injustices from the military establishment, including being forced by a superior officer to sell a beloved horse. However, he held no bitterness for his mistreatment. The Imperial military significantly influenced Brown, as shown in accounts of his service in his later writing, but he ultimately turned away from a military career.
prior to his military service, by working with Z. W. Jacobs, a Cardston
barrister
. Brown completed the five-year apprenticeship while working a farm he had purchased near Cardston. After passing the bar examination at the University of Alberta
, he was admitted to the bar in 1921.
Alberta Stake in 1921, which included all of Alberta north of the Lethbridge airport
and the Northwest Territories
(including present-day Nunavut
).
Brown and his family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah
, in 1927. He quickly became a successful lawyer and a partner in a law firm with J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Albert E. Bowen
, and Preston D. Richards. He formed a lifelong allegiance with the U.S. Democratic Party
, which led to an unsuccessful run for political office and a term of service as first chairman of Utah's Liquor Control Commission from 1935 to 1937. Brown was called as president of the LDS Granite Stake.
Brown served as president
of the British Mission
from 1937 to 1940 and from 1944 to 1946. It was the first of many full-time church positions that brought him admiration and influence. As LDS Servicemen's Coordinator from 1941 to 1945, Brown traveled extensively in North America
and western Europe
as de facto chief chaplain for the thousands of Mormons in American
, British
, and Commonwealth
uniforms; anecdotes born of this experience punctuated his sermons and writings thereafter.
Brown worked as a professor of religion at Brigham Young University
(BYU) from 1946–1950. He also served as co-ordinator of veterans affairs for BYU during this time. He then worked as a senior employee with an Alberta
oil prospecting firm from 1949–1953. Of his time in Alberta, he later wrote:
This prayer preceded his call as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
in 1953. Brown remained in this full-time ecclesiastical position for five years until his call as an apostle of the church.
Brown was ordained an apostle and became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 10, 1958 to replace Adam S. Bennion
, who had died the previous February. He was called to the First Presidency
as a third counselor to Church President David O. McKay
on June 22, 1961. He was called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency on October 12, 1961, upon the death of the first counselor, J. Reuben Clark
. He was called to be First Counselor in the First Presidency in 1963 when the first counselor Henry D. Moyle
died.
Hugh B. Brown favored rescinding the Negro doctrine and expected this change to take place in 1969, but this move was reportedly blocked by Harold B. Lee
. The change ultimately occurred in 1978, three years after Brown's death.
After David O. McKay
died on January 8, 1970, Brown was not called by new Church President Joseph Fielding Smith
to be a member of the First Presidency. Never before in the twentieth century had a new president of the church failed to call a surviving member of the previous First Presidency as a counselor. Rather, Brown returned as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, where he remained until his death.
. After Brown's death, David B. Haight
was called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve.
.
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Born in Utah, Brown held both American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
citizenship during his life.
Brown was a talented speaker, and was well known for conveying religious principles and exhortations through accounts of events in his life. His grandson, Edwin B. Firmage noted:
- Possessed at once with a sense of humor that refused him permission to take himself too seriously, and a profound spirituality based on true humility before God, he moved thousands with a style of classic oratory that will be sorely missed.
Early life
Brown was born in Granger, Utah to Homer Manley Brown and Lydia Jane Brown. He later recorded the event of his birth: "It is alleged that I was born in Granger, Utah, in 1883, on the 24th of October. I was there but do not remember the event. However, my mother was an honest woman and I must take her word." His father had a small farm and orchard. When Brown was fourteen, Homer Brown left Utah with his oldest son to establish a farm in Spring CouleeSpring Coulee, Alberta
Spring Coulee is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within Cardston County, located east of Highway 5, approximately southwest of Lethbridge.-History:...
, in western Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Hugh was the oldest son left in Salt Lake, and he and his sister Lillie, eighteen months his senior, took care of the farm and orchard until their father sent for the family.
Brown was fifteen when his family moved to Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Shortly after his eighteenth birthday, he traveled to Logan, Utah
Logan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
, to attend Brigham Young College
Brigham Young College
Brigham Young College was a college and high school in Logan, Utah. It was founded by Brigham Young on 6 August 1877, 23 days before he died. He deeded several acres of land to a board of trustees for the development of a college. This was just two years after he founded Brigham Young Academy in...
. Brown also attended Utah State Agricultural College which is now Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
. Dr. John A. Widtsoe
John A. Widtsoe
John Andreas Widtsoe was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1921 until his death. Widtsoe was also a noted author, scientist, and academician.-Early life:...
suggested a career in agriculture for Brown. After a brief period at the college, Brown was called to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as a missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
for the LDS Church, serving under Heber J. Grant
Heber J. Grant
Heber Jeddy Grant was the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained an apostle on October 16, 1882, on the same day as George Teasdale...
from 1904 to 1906. Upon his return, Brown established a home in Alberta for Zina Young Card, a childhood friend whom he married in 1908. The first six of the couple's eight children were born in Canada.
Military service
In 1912, Canadian leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asked Brown to go to CalgaryCalgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and take military training preliminary to organizing a Latter-day Saint contingent for the Canadian reserves. The reserve cavalry unit was established in 1914, with the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and became part of the Thirteenth Overseas Mounted Rifles in 1915. By 1917, Brown had achieved the rank of major in the Canadian military
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
. He would have attained a higher rank were it not for the prejudice that existed in the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, he was told to his face and without apology that he was denied further promotion. Although the reason was not specified Brown looked at the papers on the desk of the senior officer which stated "This man is a Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
."
Brown suffered other injustices from the military establishment, including being forced by a superior officer to sell a beloved horse. However, he held no bitterness for his mistreatment. The Imperial military significantly influenced Brown, as shown in accounts of his service in his later writing, but he ultimately turned away from a military career.
Legal Training
After returning to Canada, Brown was employed as a cowboy, farmer, and businessman. He renewed an interest in the study of law, which he began at the Law Society of AlbertaLaw Society of Alberta
The Law Society of Alberta is the self-regulating body for lawyers in Alberta, Canada.-Purpose:The Law Society is created and governed by the . As a law society, the Law Society is much more than a professional association and every lawyer who practices in Alberta must belong to it...
prior to his military service, by working with Z. W. Jacobs, a Cardston
Cardston, Alberta
-Demographics:The population of the Town of Cardston according to its 2007 municipal census is 3,578.In 2006, it had a population of 3,452 living in 1,234 dwellings, a 0.7% decrease from 2001...
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
. Brown completed the five-year apprenticeship while working a farm he had purchased near Cardston. After passing the bar examination at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, he was admitted to the bar in 1921.
Church service
Brown was called as president of the LethbridgeLethbridge
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
Alberta Stake in 1921, which included all of Alberta north of the Lethbridge airport
Lethbridge County Airport
Lethbridge County Airport or Lethbridge Airport, , is located south southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It is 10-15 driving minutes from the downtown area and has scheduled service to the Alberta cities of Calgary and Edmonton. The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA...
and the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
(including present-day Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
).
Brown and his family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, in 1927. He quickly became a successful lawyer and a partner in a law firm with J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Albert E. Bowen
Albert E. Bowen
Albert Ernest Bowen was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
, and Preston D. Richards. He formed a lifelong allegiance with the U.S. Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, which led to an unsuccessful run for political office and a term of service as first chairman of Utah's Liquor Control Commission from 1935 to 1937. Brown was called as president of the LDS Granite Stake.
Brown served as president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
of the British Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
from 1937 to 1940 and from 1944 to 1946. It was the first of many full-time church positions that brought him admiration and influence. As LDS Servicemen's Coordinator from 1941 to 1945, Brown traveled extensively in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
as de facto chief chaplain for the thousands of Mormons in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
uniforms; anecdotes born of this experience punctuated his sermons and writings thereafter.
Brown worked as a professor of religion at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU) from 1946–1950. He also served as co-ordinator of veterans affairs for BYU during this time. He then worked as a senior employee with an Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
oil prospecting firm from 1949–1953. Of his time in Alberta, he later wrote:
"In October 1953, I was up in the Canadian Rockies, supervising the drilling of an oil well. Although my family were in good health and good spirits and I was making good money, I was deeply depressed and worried. Early one morning I went up into the mountains and talked with the Lord in prayer. I told Him that although it looked like I was going to become wealthy as a result of my oil ventures, if in His wisdom it would not be good for me or my family I hoped He would put an end to it."
This prayer preceded his call as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, commonly shortened to Assistant to the Twelve or Assistant to the Twelve Apostles, was a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1941 and 1976...
in 1953. Brown remained in this full-time ecclesiastical position for five years until his call as an apostle of the church.
Brown was ordained an apostle and became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 10, 1958 to replace Adam S. Bennion
Adam S. Bennion
Adam Samuel Bennion was a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born in Taylorsville, Utah Territory, Bennion received degrees from the University of Utah, Columbia University and the University of California. He also studied at the University of Chicago...
, who had died the previous February. He was called to the First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
as a third counselor to Church President David O. McKay
David O. McKay
David Oman McKay was the ninth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , serving from 1951 until his death. Ordained an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1906, McKay was a general authority for nearly 64 years, longer than anyone else in LDS Church...
on June 22, 1961. He was called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency on October 12, 1961, upon the death of the first counselor, J. Reuben Clark
J. Reuben Clark
Joshua Reuben Clark, Jr. was an American attorney, civil servant, and a prominent leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Born in Grantsville, Utah Territory, Clark was a prominent attorney in the Department of State, and Under Secretary of State for US president Calvin Coolidge...
. He was called to be First Counselor in the First Presidency in 1963 when the first counselor Henry D. Moyle
Henry D. Moyle
Henry Dinwoodey Moyle was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.-Early life:...
died.
Hugh B. Brown favored rescinding the Negro doctrine and expected this change to take place in 1969, but this move was reportedly blocked by Harold B. Lee
Harold B. Lee
Harold Bingham Lee was eleventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from July 1972 until his death.- Early life :...
. The change ultimately occurred in 1978, three years after Brown's death.
After David O. McKay
David O. McKay
David Oman McKay was the ninth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , serving from 1951 until his death. Ordained an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1906, McKay was a general authority for nearly 64 years, longer than anyone else in LDS Church...
died on January 8, 1970, Brown was not called by new Church President Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. was the tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1970 until his death. He was the son of Joseph F. Smith, who was the sixth president of the LDS Church...
to be a member of the First Presidency. Never before in the twentieth century had a new president of the church failed to call a surviving member of the previous First Presidency as a counselor. Rather, Brown returned as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, where he remained until his death.
Death
Brown died in Salt Lake City and was buried in Salt Lake City CemeterySalt Lake City Cemetery
thumb|The northern section of the cemetery at night, looking towards Salt Lake CityThe Salt Lake City Cemetery is in The Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. Approximately 120,000 persons are buried in the cemetery. Many religious leaders and politicians, particularly many leaders of The...
. After Brown's death, David B. Haight
David B. Haight
David Bruce Haight was the oldest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Life and career:...
was called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve.
Family
Among Hugh B. and Zina Card Brown's children was Hugh Card Brown. This son was killed while serving in the military during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Quotations
- "A sense of relationship and copartnership with God involves the concept of universal brotherhood and that will help to develop intelligent tolerance, open-mindedness, and good-natured optimism. Life is really a battle between fear and faith, pessimism and optimism. Fear and pessimism paralyze men with skepticism and futility. One must have a sense of humor to be an optimist in times like these. And you young women will need a sense of humor if you marry these young men and try to live with them. Golden KimballJ. Golden KimballJonathan Golden Kimball was a prominent and well known leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving as a member of the First Council of the Seventy from 1892 until his death in 1938. He is considered one of the most colorful and beloved of the Church's General Authorities...
once said in a conference, 'The Lord Himself must like a joke or he wouldn't have made some of you people.' But your good humor must be real, not simulated. Let your smiles come from the heart and they will become contagious. You may see men on the street any day whose laugh is only a frozen grin with nothing in it but teeth. Men without humor tend to forget their source, lose sight of their goal, and with no lubrication in their mental crankshafts, they must drop out of the race. Lincoln said, 'Good humor is the oxygen of the soul.' And someone paraphrased, 'The surly bird catches the germ.'"
- "We are grateful in the Church and in this great university that the freedom, dignity and integrity of the individual is basic in Church doctrine as well as in democracy. Here we are free to think and express our opinions. Fear will not stifle thought, as is the case in some areas which have not yet emerged from the Dark Ages. God himself refuses to trammel man's free agency even though its exercise sometimes teaches painful lessons. Both creative science and revealed religion find their fullest and truest expression in the climate of freedom.
"I hope that you will develop the questing spirit. Be unafraid of new ideas for they are the stepping stones of progress. You will of course respect the opinions of others but be unafraid to dissent—if you are informed.
"Now I have mentioned freedom to express your thoughts, but I caution you that your thoughts and expressions must meet competition in the market place of thought, and in that competition truth will emerge triumphant. Only error needs to fear freedom of expression. Seek truth in all fields, and in that search you will need at least three virtues; courage, zest, and modesty. The ancients put that thought in the form of a prayer. They said, 'From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth, from the laziness that is content with half truth, from the arrogance that thinks it has all truth—O God of truth deliver us'."