Everything about George Albert Smith totally explained
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birthplace=
Salt Lake City,
Utah Territory|
dead=dead|
death_date=|
deathplace=
Salt Lake City,
Utah|
prophet_date=|
predecessor=
Heber J. Grant|
successor=
David O. McKay|
president_who_called=
Joseph F. Smith|
apostledate=|
ordination_reason=Death of
Brigham Young, Jr.|
end_date=|
end_reason=Death|
reorganization=
Marion G. Romney ordained|
}}
George Albert Smith (
April 4,
1870 –
April 4,
1951) was the eighth
president of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Biographer and historian S. George Ellsworth has called Smith an example of "Christlike living."
Early life
Born in
Salt Lake City,
Utah Territory, Smith was one of nineteen children of
polygamist Mormon apostle
John Henry Smith and one of his wives, Sarah Farr. His
grandfather, for whom he was named, was also an LDS Church
apostle.
Smith attended high school at Brigham Young Academy, graduating in 1884. He next graduated from the
University of Deseret (later the
University of Utah) in 1888. In
1896, he'd joined the
Republican Party and campaigned for
William McKinley, who became
President. He also favored
Theodore Roosevelt, McKinley's successor.
While surveying for a
railroad as a young man, Smith's eyesight was permanently impaired by
glare from the sun.
After 1903, Smith found his frequent travels debilitating, and began to show prominent symptoms of physical weakness. He was eventually diagnosed with
lupus erythematosus, a chronic debilitating autoimmune disease.
Smith was known for his patriotism, joining various American patriotic groups and was an ardent supporter of the
Boy Scouts. In 1934, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America awarded him the prestigious
Silver Buffalo Award. Smith was an avid
genealogist and family historian and was named National Vice President of the Sons of the American Revolution in 1922.
Marriage and family
In
1892, Smith married Lucy Emily Woodruff, the daughter of
Wilford Woodruff, Jr., in the
Manti Temple. The couple later had three children. Wilford Woodruff Jr. was the son of
Wilford Woodruff who was the fourth president of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lucy had spent much of her time growing up in the household of her grandfather Wilford, and looked on him as almost more of a father than a grandfather.
LDS Church service
Just prior to his marriage to Lucy, Smith served as a
Mutual Improvement Association missionary throughout many areas in Southern Utah.
Smith and his new wife Lucy were
missionaries in the LDS Church's Southern States
Mission under
President J. Golden Kimball from 1892 to 1894. Smith was appointed mission secretary.
Smith was called to be a member of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in
1903. From 1920 until 1923 Smith served as president of the British and European Missions of the church. In this capacity, he preached in the
United Kingdom,
Ireland,
France, the
Netherlands,
Switzerland, and
Germany. From 1921 to 1935, Smith was the general superintendent of the church's
Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. In 1935 he was succeeded in this position by
Albert E. Bowen.
With the death of President
Rudger Clawson, in 1943, Smith was sustained as
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and served in the position for two years.
Administration as President of the Church
Smith became president of the church on
May 21,
1945 with the death of
Heber J. Grant. When
World War II ended, Smith helped send supplies to
Europe and was also known for his efforts to revitalize
missionary work. He publicly denounced the activities and political influence of the American
Ku Klux Klan. Smith dedicated the
Idaho Falls Idaho Temple on
September 23,
1945. Over his lifetime, he traveled approximately a million miles fulfilling church assignments.
George Albert Smith was the first president of the church to visit Mexico while in office. He went there to complete the reconciliation and return to the church of a group of apostate Mexicans known as the "
Third Conventionists".
Works
Further Information
Get more info on 'George Albert Smith'.
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