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John Taylor (1808-1887)
Encyclopedia
John Taylor was the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1880 to 1887. He is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States.
Taylor was born in Milnthorpe
, Westmorland
(now part of Cumbria
), England, the son of James and Agnes Taylor. He had formal schooling up to age fourteen, and then he served an initial apprenticeship to a cooper
and later received training as a woodturner
and cabinetmaker
. He was christened
in the Church of England
, but joined the Methodist church at sixteen. He was appointed a lay preacher
a year later, and felt a calling to preach in America
. Taylor's parents and siblings emigrated to Upper Canada
(present-day Ontario
) in 1830. John stayed in England to dispose of the family property and joined his family in Toronto
in 1832. He met Leonora Cannon from the Isle of Man
while attending a Toronto Methodist Church and, although she initially rejected his proposal, married her on January 28, 1833.
Between 1834 and 1836, John and Leonora Taylor participated in a religious study group in Toronto. The group discussed problems and concerns with their Methodist faith, and quickly became known as the "Dissenters." Other members included Joseph Fielding
and his sisters Mary
and Mercy, who later also became prominent in the Latter Day Saint faith.
in Toronto. Leonora was the first to join the church and she persuaded Taylor to continue his studies with Pratt. After the couple's baptism, they were active in preaching and the organization of the church in Canada. They then moved to Far West, Missouri
, where Taylor was ordained an apostle on December 19, 1838. He assisted other church members as they fled frequent conflict to Commerce, Illinois (soon after renamed Nauvoo).
In 1839, Taylor and some of his fellow apostles served missions
in Britain
. While there, Taylor preached in Liverpool
and was responsible for Mormon preaching in Ireland and the Isle of Man
.
to serve as a city councilman, a chaplain, a colonel, a newspaper editor, and a judge advocate for the Nauvoo Legion
. Taylor edited two newspapers in Nauvoo, the Times and Seasons
which was the official organ of the LDS Church and on which he officially was the assistant editor under Joseph Smith, but due to Smith also being president of the Church, Taylor made most of the actual editorial decisions. He also edited the more politically concerned Nauvoo Neighbor
. Taylor was also the editor of the Wasp, the predecessor of the Nauvoo Neighbor for about a year. Thus Taylor was the editor of Nauvoo's two main papers from 1842-1846.
In 1844, Taylor was with church founder Joseph Smith, Jr., his brother Hyrum Smith
, and fellow LDS leader Willard Richards
in the Carthage, Illinois
jail
when the Smiths were killed
by a mob. Taylor was severely wounded in the conflict. His life may have been spared when a musket ball directed towards his chest was stopped by a pocket watch
which he was carrying at the time. However, recent analysis shows the watch may instead have been damaged when Taylor fell against the windowsill.
In 1845 Taylor became the president of the Nauvoo Tradesmen Association. This group worked to encourage local manufacturing of goods for both local use and export. Taylor had two assistants who aided him in running this group, Orson Spencer
and Phineas Richards.
into territory then controlled by Mexico
, while Taylor went to England to resolve problems in church leadership there. On his return, he and Pratt led more Latter-day Saints, a group of about 1500, to the Salt Lake Valley
, where Young and the others had settled.
. He later served in the Utah territorial legislature
from 1853 to 1876. Taylor was elected Speaker of the House for five consecutive sessions, beginning in 1857. In 1852, he wrote a small book, The Government of God, in which he compared and contrasted the secular and ecclesiastical political systems.
From 1868 to 1870 Taylor served as a probate judge of Utah County, Utah
. He also served as superintendent of schools for Utah Territory beginning in 1876.
of two missions
of the LDS Church. In 1849, he began missionary work in France and was the first church mission president in the country. While in France, Taylor published a monthly newspaper called L'Etoile du Deseret
. He also supervised missionary work in Germany, but did not himself go to any of the countries that would later form Germany.
Taylor later served as president of the Eastern States Mission, based in New York City
. In this capacity he published a newspaper that presented the position of the Latter-day Saints.
. He purchased sugar-making equipment in Liverpool
while returning to the United States. These early attempts to make sugar in Utah proved unsuccessful.
(Joseph Smith's brother), he twice sang the song "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief
" in Carthage Jail
just before the Smiths were killed
.
Taylor wrote the lyrics to several hymn
s, some of which are still used by the LDS Church. Taylor's hymn Joseph the Seer was sung at the 200th anniversary celebration of Joseph Smith's birth. The 1985 English-language
edition of the LDS Church hymnal
includes two hymns written by Taylor, "Go Ye Messengers of Glory" (#262) and "Go, Ye Messengers of Heaven" (#327).
. Taylor became the third president of the church in 1880. He chose as his counselors Joseph F. Smith
and George Q. Cannon
, the latter being the nephew of his wife Leonora.
As church president, Taylor oversaw the expansion of the Salt Lake community, the further organization of the church hierarchy, the establishment of Mormon colonies in Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona as well as in the Canadian province of Alberta
and the Mexican state of Chihuahua, and the defense of plural marriage
against increasing opposition.
Taylor also established Zion's Central Board of Trade while president of the Church, which was meant to coordinate local trade and production largely done through the local stakes on a wider basis.
In 1878, the Primary Association
was founded by Aurelia Spencer Rogers
in Farmington, Utah
, and, for a time, the organization was placed under the general direction of Relief Society
general president Eliza R. Snow. In 1880, Taylor organized the churchwide adoption of the Primary Association; he selected Louie B. Felt
as its first general president. In October 1880, the Pearl of Great Price was canonized by the church. Taylor also oversaw the issuance of a new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants
. During his term as president, the seventies quorums were also more fully and regularly organized.
In 1882, the United States Congress
enacted the Edmunds Act
, which declared polygamy to be a felony
. Hundreds of Mormon men and women were arrested and imprisoned for continuing to practice plural marriage. Taylor had followed Joseph Smith's teachings on polygamy, and had at least seven wives. He is known to have fathered thirty-five children.
Taylor moved into the Gardo House
alone with his sister Agnes
to avoid prosecution and to avoid showing preference to any one of his families. However, by 1885 he and his counselors were forced to withdraw from public view to live in the "underground": frequently on the move to avoid arrest. During his last public sermon Taylor remarked, "I would like to obey and place myself in subjection to every law of man. What then? Am I to disobey the law of God? Has any man a right to control my conscience, or your conscience? ... No man has a right to do it".
Many viewed Mormon polygamy as religiously, socially and politically threatening. The U.S. Congress passed the Edmunds-Tucker Act
in 1887, which abolished women's suffrage, forced wives to testify against their husbands, disincorporated the LDS Church, dismantled the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company, abolished the Nauvoo Legion
, and provided that LDS Church property in excess of $50,000 would be forfeited to the United States.
For two and a half years, Taylor presided over the church from exile. During this time, he received the 1886 Revelation
, which restated the permanence of the commandment to practice plural marriage; the validity of this revelation
is rejected by the LDS Church but it is used by Mormon fundamentalists to justify the continued practice of polygamy.
in Kaysville, Utah
. Taylor was buried at the Salt Lake City Cemetery
in The Avenues, Salt Lake City, Utah
. For two years after his death, the church was without a presidency. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, with Wilford Woodruff
as president of the quorum, assumed leadership in this interim period. In the April church general conference
of 1889, the First Presidency was reorganized with Wilford Woodruff as the president. Six months later, in the October general conference, Anthon H. Lund
was called to fill President Woodruff's vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
and was married to seven wives: Leonora Cannon, Elizabeth Kaighin, Jane Ballantyne, Mary Ann Oakley, Sophia Whitaker, Harriet Whitaker, and Margaret Young
. He was the father of 34 children.
Taylor's son, John W. Taylor
, continued to serve in the church and in politics and helped to shepherd Utah
to statehood
in 1896. John W. Taylor was ultimately excommunicated from the LDS Church for his opposition to the church's abandonment of plural marriage. His son, Samuel W. Taylor
, became a writer, and the biographer of his father and grandfather.
Another son, William W. Taylor
, served as one of the first presidents of the seventy and also served in the Utah territorial
legislature.
Taylor's wife Margaret Young Taylor
was a member of the inaugural general presidency of what is today the church's Young Women organization. Taylor's daughter Annie Taylor Hyde
was a leader in the Relief Society
general presidency and was the founder of Daughters of Utah Pioneers.
Taylor was born in Milnthorpe
Milnthorpe
Milnthorpe is a large village within the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. Straddling the A6 road, the town contains several old hostelries and hosts a market in The Square every Friday...
, Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
(now part of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
), England, the son of James and Agnes Taylor. He had formal schooling up to age fourteen, and then he served an initial apprenticeship to a cooper
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
and later received training as a woodturner
Woodturning
Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe . Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it...
and cabinetmaker
Cabinet making
Cabinet making is the practice of using various woodworking skills to create cabinets, shelving and furniture.Cabinet making involves techniques such as creating appropriate joints, dados, bevels, chamfers and shelving systems, the use of finishing tools such as routers to create decorative...
. He was christened
Infant baptism
Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. In theological discussions, the practice is sometimes referred to as paedobaptism or pedobaptism from the Greek pais meaning "child." The practice is sometimes contrasted with what is called "believer's baptism", or...
in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, but joined the Methodist church at sixteen. He was appointed a lay preacher
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
a year later, and felt a calling to preach in 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...
. Taylor's parents and siblings emigrated to Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
(present-day Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) in 1830. John stayed in England to dispose of the family property and joined his family in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1832. He met Leonora Cannon from the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
while attending a Toronto Methodist Church and, although she initially rejected his proposal, married her on January 28, 1833.
Between 1834 and 1836, John and Leonora Taylor participated in a religious study group in Toronto. The group discussed problems and concerns with their Methodist faith, and quickly became known as the "Dissenters." Other members included Joseph Fielding
Joseph Fielding
Joseph Fielding was an early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement. He served as the second president of the British Mission , coordinating the activities of missionaries in sections of the United Kingdom and parts of Europe. He was the brother of Mary Fielding, the second wife of Hyrum Smith,...
and his sisters Mary
Mary Fielding Smith
Mary Fielding Smith Kimball was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement, the second wife of LDS Church leader Hyrum Smith and the mother of Joseph F. Smith....
and Mercy, who later also became prominent in the Latter Day Saint faith.
Early church service
Taylor and his wife first came in contact with the Latter Day Saint church in 1836 after meeting church apostle Parley P. PrattParley P. Pratt
Parley Parker Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1835 until his murder in 1857. He served in the Quorum with his younger brother, Orson Pratt...
in Toronto. Leonora was the first to join the church and she persuaded Taylor to continue his studies with Pratt. After the couple's baptism, they were active in preaching and the organization of the church in Canada. They then moved to Far West, Missouri
Far West, Missouri
Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri.-Foundation and early history:The town was founded by Missouri Mormon leaders, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. The town was platted originally as a square area,...
, where Taylor was ordained an apostle on December 19, 1838. He assisted other church members as they fled frequent conflict to Commerce, Illinois (soon after renamed Nauvoo).
In 1839, Taylor and some of his fellow apostles served missions
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...
in Britain
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...
. While there, Taylor preached in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and was responsible for Mormon preaching in Ireland and the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
.
Nauvoo
Taylor returned to Nauvoo, IllinoisNauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
to serve as a city councilman, a chaplain, a colonel, a newspaper editor, and a judge advocate for the Nauvoo Legion
Nauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
. Taylor edited two newspapers in Nauvoo, the Times and Seasons
Times and Seasons
Times and Seasons was a 19th-century Latter Day Saint periodical published monthly or twice-monthly at Nauvoo, Illinois, from November 1839 to February 15, 1846...
which was the official organ of the LDS Church and on which he officially was the assistant editor under Joseph Smith, but due to Smith also being president of the Church, Taylor made most of the actual editorial decisions. He also edited the more politically concerned Nauvoo Neighbor
Nauvoo Neighbor
The Nauvoo Neighbor was a weekly newspaper edited and published by Latter Day Saint Apostle John Taylor in Nauvoo, Illinois from 1843 to 1845. While it was not an official publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Neighbor was consistently pro-Mormon and its primary target...
. Taylor was also the editor of the Wasp, the predecessor of the Nauvoo Neighbor for about a year. Thus Taylor was the editor of Nauvoo's two main papers from 1842-1846.
In 1844, Taylor was with church founder Joseph Smith, Jr., his brother 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....
, and fellow LDS leader Willard Richards
Willard Richards
Willard Richards was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served as Second Counselor in the First Presidency to church president Brigham Young in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death.Willard Richards was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to...
in the Carthage, Illinois
Carthage, Illinois
Carthage is a city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,725 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hancock County. Carthage is most famous for being the site of the murder of Joseph Smith in 1844.- History :...
jail
Carthage Jail
Carthage Jail, located in Carthage, Illinois, was the location of the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum by a mob of approximately 150 men. Friends John Taylor and Willard Richards were also members of the incarcerated party, but were not...
when the Smiths were killed
Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...
by a mob. Taylor was severely wounded in the conflict. His life may have been spared when a musket ball directed towards his chest was stopped by a pocket watch
Pocket watch
A pocket watch is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist. They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wristwatches became popular after World War I during which a transitional design,...
which he was carrying at the time. However, recent analysis shows the watch may instead have been damaged when Taylor fell against the windowsill.
In 1845 Taylor became the president of the Nauvoo Tradesmen Association. This group worked to encourage local manufacturing of goods for both local use and export. Taylor had two assistants who aided him in running this group, Orson Spencer
Orson Spencer
Orson Spencer was a prolific writer and prominent member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in several highly visible positions within the church and left an extensive legacy of theological writings...
and Phineas Richards.
Migration to Utah
In 1846, most Latter-day Saints followed Brigham YoungBrigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
into territory then controlled by Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, while Taylor went to England to resolve problems in church leadership there. On his return, he and Pratt led more Latter-day Saints, a group of about 1500, to the Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably West Valley City, Murray, Sandy, and West Jordan; its total population is 1,029,655 as of 2010...
, where Young and the others had settled.
Government positions
Taylor applied for United States citizenship in 1849. That same year he was appointed an associate judge in the provisional State of DeseretState of Deseret
The State of Deseret was a proposed state of the United States, propositioned in 1849 by Latter-day Saint settlers in Salt Lake City. The provisional state existed for slightly over two years and was never recognized by the United States government...
. He later served in the Utah territorial legislature
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....
from 1853 to 1876. Taylor was elected Speaker of the House for five consecutive sessions, beginning in 1857. In 1852, he wrote a small book, The Government of God, in which he compared and contrasted the secular and ecclesiastical political systems.
From 1868 to 1870 Taylor served as a probate judge of Utah County, Utah
Utah County, Utah
Utah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 368,536 and by 2008 was estimated at 530,837. It was named for the Spanish name for the Ute Indians. The county seat and largest city is Provo...
. He also served as superintendent of schools for Utah Territory beginning in 1876.
Mission president
Taylor served as presidentMission 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 two missions
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...
of the LDS Church. In 1849, he began missionary work in France and was the first church mission president in the country. While in France, Taylor published a monthly newspaper called L'Etoile du Deseret
L'Etoile du Deseret
L'Étoile du Déséret was a monthly French language newspaper published in France by LDS Church Apostle John Taylor beginning in May 1851 and was printed in Paris. It continued until April 1852...
. He also supervised missionary work in Germany, but did not himself go to any of the countries that would later form Germany.
Taylor later served as president of the Eastern States Mission, based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In this capacity he published a newspaper that presented the position of the Latter-day Saints.
Utah Economic Development
While serving as mission president in France Taylor was directed by Brigham Young to prepare to establish a sugar industry in Utah. This was done under the auspices of the Deseret Manufacturing CompanyDeseret Manufacturing Company
The Deseret Manufacturing Company was an unsuccessful venture by the LDS Church in the 1850s to process sugar beets into refined sugar. A test factory was established in an area that is now known as Sugar House, Utah.-Background:...
. He purchased sugar-making equipment in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
while returning to the United States. These early attempts to make sugar in Utah proved unsuccessful.
Musical ability
Taylor is reported to have had a marvelous singing voice. At the request of Hyrum SmithHyrum 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....
(Joseph Smith's brother), he twice sang the song "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief
A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief
"A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" is a seven-stanza poem written in 1826 by James Montgomery. The words of the poem have since been adopted as a Christian hymn.-Origin and authorship:...
" in Carthage Jail
Carthage Jail
Carthage Jail, located in Carthage, Illinois, was the location of the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum by a mob of approximately 150 men. Friends John Taylor and Willard Richards were also members of the incarcerated party, but were not...
just before the Smiths were killed
Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...
.
Taylor wrote the lyrics to several hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s, some of which are still used by the LDS Church. Taylor's hymn Joseph the Seer was sung at the 200th anniversary celebration of Joseph Smith's birth. The 1985 English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
edition of the LDS Church hymnal
Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1985 book)
Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official hymn book of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
includes two hymns written by Taylor, "Go Ye Messengers of Glory" (#262) and "Go, Ye Messengers of Heaven" (#327).
Actions as church president
Following Brigham Young's death in 1877, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles governed the church, with John Taylor as the quorum's presidentPresident of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In general, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve is the most senior Apostle in the church, aside from the President of the Church...
. Taylor became the third president of the church in 1880. He chose as his counselors Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
and George Q. Cannon
George Q. Cannon
George Quayle Cannon was an early member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and served in the First Presidency under four successive presidents of the church: Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow...
, the latter being the nephew of his wife Leonora.
As church president, Taylor oversaw the expansion of the Salt Lake community, the further organization of the church hierarchy, the establishment of Mormon colonies in Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona as well as in the Canadian province of 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...
and the Mexican state of Chihuahua, and the defense of plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
against increasing opposition.
Taylor also established Zion's Central Board of Trade while president of the Church, which was meant to coordinate local trade and production largely done through the local stakes on a wider basis.
In 1878, the Primary Association
Primary Association
The Primary is a children's organization and an official auxiliary within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
was founded by Aurelia Spencer Rogers
Aurelia Spencer Rogers
Aurelia Read Spencer Rogers was the founder of Primary, the children's organization and official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
in Farmington, Utah
Farmington, Utah
Farmington is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,255 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Davis County...
, and, for a time, the organization was placed under the general direction of Relief Society
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...
general president Eliza R. Snow. In 1880, Taylor organized the churchwide adoption of the Primary Association; he selected Louie B. Felt
Louie B. Felt
Sarah Louise Bouton Felt was the first general president of the children's Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1880 and 1925.-Early life:...
as its first general president. In October 1880, the Pearl of Great Price was canonized by the church. Taylor also oversaw the issuance of a new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
. During his term as president, the seventies quorums were also more fully and regularly organized.
In 1882, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
enacted the Edmunds Act
Edmunds Act
The Edmunds Act, also known as the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882, is a United States federal statute, signed into law on March 23, 1882, declaring polygamy a felony. The act is named for U.S. Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont...
, which declared polygamy to be a felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
. Hundreds of Mormon men and women were arrested and imprisoned for continuing to practice plural marriage. Taylor had followed Joseph Smith's teachings on polygamy, and had at least seven wives. He is known to have fathered thirty-five children.
Taylor moved into the Gardo House
Gardo House
The Gardo House was the official residence of the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the tenures of John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff.-Construction:...
alone with his sister Agnes
Agnes Taylor
Agnes Taylor Rich Hoagland Schwartz was a Mormon pioneer who played a key role in helping her brother, LDS Church president John Taylor, evade authorities during the federal crackdown on polygamy in the mid-1880s. She was also the mother-in-law of later church president Joseph F. Smith and of...
to avoid prosecution and to avoid showing preference to any one of his families. However, by 1885 he and his counselors were forced to withdraw from public view to live in the "underground": frequently on the move to avoid arrest. During his last public sermon Taylor remarked, "I would like to obey and place myself in subjection to every law of man. What then? Am I to disobey the law of God? Has any man a right to control my conscience, or your conscience? ... No man has a right to do it".
Many viewed Mormon polygamy as religiously, socially and politically threatening. The U.S. Congress passed the Edmunds-Tucker Act
Edmunds-Tucker Act
The Edmunds–Tucker Act of 1887 was passed in response to the dispute between the United States Congress and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding polygamy. The act is found in US Code Title 48 & 1461, full text as 24 Stat. 635, with this annotation to be interpreted as Volume...
in 1887, which abolished women's suffrage, forced wives to testify against their husbands, disincorporated the LDS Church, dismantled the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company, abolished the Nauvoo Legion
Nauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
, and provided that LDS Church property in excess of $50,000 would be forfeited to the United States.
For two and a half years, Taylor presided over the church from exile. During this time, he received the 1886 Revelation
1886 Revelation
In the Mormon fundamentalist movement, the 1886 Revelation is the text of a revelation said to have been received by John Taylor, third President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , that is claimed to restate the permanence of the principle of plural marriage...
, which restated the permanence of the commandment to practice plural marriage; the validity of this revelation
Revelation (Latter Day Saints)
Latter Day Saints teach that the Latter Day Saint movement began with a Revelation from God . They also teach that revelation is the foundation of the church established by Jesus Christ and that it remains an essential element of His true church today...
is rejected by the LDS Church but it is used by Mormon fundamentalists to justify the continued practice of polygamy.
Death
Taylor died on July 25, 1887, from congestive heart failureCongestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
in Kaysville, Utah
Kaysville, Utah
Kaysville is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 20,351 at the 2000 census, and 25,820 as of the 2008 estimates.-History:...
. Taylor was buried at the Salt Lake City Cemetery
Salt 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...
in The Avenues, Salt Lake City, Utah
The Avenues, Salt Lake City, Utah
The Avenues is a neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is named after the perfectly grid-like, closely laid out roads called Avenues and Streets. First surveyed in the 1850s, the Avenues became Salt Lake City's first neighborhood. Today, the Avenues neighborhood is generally considered...
. For two years after his death, the church was without a presidency. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, with Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...
as president of the quorum, assumed leadership in this interim period. In the April church general conference
General Conference (LDS Church)
General Conference is a semiannual world conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held in April and October, where members gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to instruction from Church leaders...
of 1889, the First Presidency was reorganized with Wilford Woodruff as the president. Six months later, in the October general conference, Anthon H. Lund
Anthon H. Lund
Anthon Henrik Lund was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a prominent Utah leader.-History:...
was called to fill President Woodruff's vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Family
Taylor practiced plural marriagePlural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
and was married to seven wives: Leonora Cannon, Elizabeth Kaighin, Jane Ballantyne, Mary Ann Oakley, Sophia Whitaker, Harriet Whitaker, and Margaret Young
Margaret Young Taylor
Margaret Young Taylor was a member of the inaugural general presidency of what is today the Young Women organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. She was married to John Taylor, a president of the LDS Church.Margaret Young was born in Westport, Connecticut...
. He was the father of 34 children.
Taylor's son, John W. Taylor
John Whittaker Taylor
John Whittaker Taylor was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was the son of John Taylor, the third president of the church...
, continued to serve in the church and in politics and helped to shepherd 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...
to statehood
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
in 1896. John W. Taylor was ultimately excommunicated from the LDS Church for his opposition to the church's abandonment of plural marriage. His son, Samuel W. Taylor
Samuel W. Taylor
Samuel Woolley Taylor was an American novelist, scriptwriter and historian.- Biography :Taylor was born in Provo, Utah to Janet "Nettie" Maria Woolley and John W. Taylor, the son of John Taylor, the late president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, became a writer, and the biographer of his father and grandfather.
Another son, William W. Taylor
William Whitaker Taylor
William Whitaker Taylor was a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature, member of the Presidency of the Seventy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and a son of LDS Church president John Taylor. He was a half brother to John W...
, served as one of the first presidents of the seventy and also served in the Utah territorial
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....
legislature.
Taylor's wife Margaret Young Taylor
Margaret Young Taylor
Margaret Young Taylor was a member of the inaugural general presidency of what is today the Young Women organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. She was married to John Taylor, a president of the LDS Church.Margaret Young was born in Westport, Connecticut...
was a member of the inaugural general presidency of what is today the church's Young Women organization. Taylor's daughter Annie Taylor Hyde
Annie Taylor Hyde
Annie Taylor Hyde was the founder and first president of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and was a women's leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
was a leader in the Relief Society
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...
general presidency and was the founder of Daughters of Utah Pioneers.
Works
LDS Church publication number 35969.External links
- Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: John Taylor
- Homes of John Taylor Pictures of some of John Taylor's houses.
- The Milo Andrus, Jr. Website includes the John Taylor family with ancestry and descendants.
- http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/people/john_taylor.html