Hyrum Gibbs Smith was Presiding Patriarch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1912 until his death.

Biography

Smith was born in South Jordan

South Jordan, Utah

South Jordan is a city in the U.S. state of Utah. The city lies in the Salt Lake Valley between the peaks of the Oquirrh Mountains and the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains and is part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area...

, Salt Lake County

Salt Lake County, Utah

Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...

, Utah Territory

Utah Territory

The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....

 to Hyrum Fisher Smith and Annie Maria Gibbs. At the age of 32, he was ordained a high priest

High priest (Mormonism)

In most denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, a high priest is a member of the priesthood within the Melchizedek priesthood order. High priests are typically older and more seasoned leaders within the priesthood. The term derives in part from the Epistle to the Hebrews which describes...

 and Patriarch to the Church on May 9, 1912 by Church President Joseph F. Smith

Joseph F. Smith

Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

. Hyrum G. Smith's paternal grandfather John Smith

John Smith (1832-1911)

John Smith , was the fifth Presiding Patriarch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . His father was Hyrum Smith, the older brother of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of Mormonism....

 was the Presiding Patriarch immediately before him. John Smith was the son of Hyrum Smith

Hyrum Smith

Hyrum Smith was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr....

, the elder brother of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the LDS Church. The father of Joseph and Hyrum, Joseph Smith, Sr.

Joseph Smith, Sr.

Joseph Smith, Sr. was the father of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Sr. was also one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe was translated by Joseph Jr. from the Golden Plates. In 1833 Joseph Sr...

, was the first Patriarch to the Church.

Smith died of pneumonia

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...

 in Salt Lake City. After his death, the office of Presiding Patriarch was left vacant for several years, but was eventually filled by Smith's nephew Joseph Fielding Smith

Joseph Fielding Smith (presiding patriarch)

Joseph Fielding Smith was presiding patriarch and a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1942 until 1946....

. In 1947, Hyrum G. Smith's son Eldred G. Smith

Eldred G. Smith

Eldred Gee Smith holds the position of patriarch emeritus to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held the calling of Patriarch to the Church of the same church between 1947 and 1979. In 2009, Smith surpassed Joseph Anderson as the oldest-lived general authority in the history of...

 became the Patriarch to the Church.

See also

• Lineal Succession (Mormonism)
  Lineal succession (Mormonism)
  Lineal succession was a doctrine, largely abandoned in many denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, whereby certain key church positions are held by right of inheritance. Most frequently the offices connected with lineal succession are those of the President of the Church and the Presiding...
  
  
• Patriarch (Mormonism)
  Patriarch (Mormonism)
  In the Latter Day Saint movement, Patriarch is an office of the Priesthood whose main duty is to give Patriarchal blessings to church members. It is considered to be either an office of the Patriarchal Priesthood or the Melchizedek priesthood...
  
  
• Patriarchal Priesthood
  Patriarchal Priesthood
  In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the patriarchal priesthood is sometimes understood as one of types or "orders" of priesthood. The two commonly known orders are the Aaronic priesthood and the Melchizedek priesthood. The patriarchal priesthood should not be confused with the...
  
  
• Patriarchal blessing
  Patriarchal blessing
  In the Latter Day Saint movement, a patriarchal blessing is a blessing or ordinance given by a patriarch to a church member. Patriarchal blessings are modeled after the blessing given by Jacob to each of his sons prior to his death...