Joseph F. Smith - Church President

Church President

Smith was chosen by the twelve apostles and set apart as President of the Church on October 17, 1901. This was ratified by a special conference and solemn assembly of the priesthood on November 10, 1901. He chose as his counselors John R. Winder, a native of the United Kingdom, and Anthon H. Lund, a native of Denmark. After Winder died, Lund became the First Counselor and Smith's second cousin John Henry Smith became the Second Counselor.

Joseph F. Smith gave more influence to the Presiding Patriarch of the church than had any president since Joseph Smith, Jr. The church's presiding patriarch, John Smith, was his elder half-brother.

Joseph F. Smith was the first church president to travel outside of North America while president of the church. In 1906 he went on a tour to Europe.

One of the first issues he faced was the ongoing difficulties for the Church due to the practice of plural marriage. As Church President, Smith supported Mormon Apostle Reed Smoot's candidacy for the U.S. Senate. But Smoot's election was contested on the grounds that he was an officer in the Church. The Senate investigation again focused national attention on Mormon marriages and political influence. Additional attention was given to Smith because of his opposition to the re-election of Utah's senior U.S. Senator, non-Mormon Thomas Kearns. Following his appearance before a Senate panel in 1904, Smith took steps to prevent any surreptitious continuation of church plural marriages. On April 6, 1904, Smith issued the "Second Manifesto." He also declared that any church officer who performed a plural marriage, as well as the offending couple, would be excommunicated. He clarified that the policy applied world-wide, and not just in North America. Two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, John W. Taylor and Matthias F. Cowley, resigned in 1905 following the second manifesto. Smith, however, continued to live with his plural wives after the 1890 and the 1904 manifestos. In 1906, Smith was brought to trial on a charge of unlawful cohabitation with four women in addition to his lawful wife; he pleaded guilty and was fined $300, the maximum penalty then permitted under the law.

Smith's seventeen year administration made efforts toward improving the Church's damaged relationships with the federal government and related issues dealing with the Church's financial situation. The administration acquired historic sites, constructed numerous meetinghouses, and expanded the church system of educational academies and universities. He also oversaw a continued growth in Church membership.

Smith died of pneumonia in Salt Lake City on November 19, 1918, and was succeeded by President Heber J. Grant. Due to the widespread influenza pandemic of 1918–1920, a graveside service, rather than a public funeral, was held. Smith was interred in the Salt Lake City cemetery on November 22, 1918.

Smith is often remembered as church president for the construction and dedication of Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial near South Royalton, Vermont on December 23, 1905 and the Seagull Monument at Temple Square in Salt Lake City on October 1, 1913. In 1913, Boy Scouting became the official youth activity program for the church's young men. During much of his presidential tenure, Smith oversaw the planning and construction of the Laie Hawaii Temple in Lā'ie, Hawai'i, one of his part-time residences. Smith died at Salt Lake City on November 19, 1918, a year before the Hawaii Temple was to be dedicated. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery. Smith left a body of religious writings often used in discussing church doctrine and religious conduct.