John R. Winder - General Authority

General Authority

Church President John Taylor called John R. Winder to serve as Second Counselor to Presiding Bishop William B. Preston on April 8, 1887. During this time, the federal government began to antagonize the church for its practice of plural marriage. After the passage of the Edmunds-Tucker Act in 1887, church leaders went into hiding and church assets were distributed to be kept from being seized. John R. Winder assisted many people on the run from the federal government, by helping to hide them or to post bail. His poplar farm on the south of the city served as a temporary Church headquarters for President John Taylor.

Church President Wilford Woodruff approached John R. Winder, Charles W. Penrose, and George Reynolds to review and edit the manuscript of the 1890 Manifesto. With the publication and announcement of the manifesto, federal persecution stopped.

Another significant contribution of John R. Winder during his tenure as Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric was his work on the interior of the Salt Lake Temple. He managed the interior work to be done, and completed it much ahead of schedule. That earned him praise from leaders of the church. After the dedication, John R. Winder served as First Assistant to Temple President Lorenzo Snow. He remained in the presidency of the temple until his death.

He was called to the First Presidency as First Counselor to President Joseph F. Smith on October 17, 1901. One of the notable efforts of that administration was the legal fight to get Reed Smoot seated as a senator in the Smoot Hearings. They also published a proclamation called The Origin of Man in 1909 that clarified the Church's position on human evolution and reaffirmed that men are the children of God and were created by him.

Winder died on March 27, 1910 in Salt Lake City, Utah of pneumonia. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery. Anthon H. Lund succeeded him as First Counselor in the First Presidency.