The
following charts identify the general leadership of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints; local church leadership in , Illinois, and in
Europe; city officials in Nauvoo; and the
officers of other relevant organizations between 1 March and 31 July
1843.
First Presidency
Throughout
the period covered in this volume, JS served as of the church, with as associate president and and as counselors.
Hyrum was previously a counselor in the presidency, but shortly after he
succeeded his father as patriarch in December 1840, a January 1841 revelation indicated that Law should take his place in the
presidency and that Hyrum should have the “blessing and glory, and honor
and priesthood and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon . .
. .”
Cowdery had received the keys of the priesthood in connection with JS,
had been sustained as “Second Elder of the Church” on 6 April 1830, and
had served in the church’s presidency from December 1834 to April 1838
under the titles “assistant president” and “assistant Councillor.” The
January 1841 revelation also identified Hyrum Smith as “a prophet and a
seer and a revelator.” Later
church historians applied the term “associate president” to Hyrum
Smith’s unusual position. Although this title was not used during his
lifetime, it seems to accurately describe his role in relation to
JS.
In early
February 1843, JS proposed to make a “councillr to the fir[s]t Presidency,” possibly
to replace , who was estranged from JS at the
time. Although JS and Rigdon met and
reconciled several days later, with Rigdon expressing that “he & his
family were willing to be saved,” Lyman apparently retained his
appointment as a counselor in the First Presidency, and at the end of
February, JS assigned him to take charge of the new church settlement at
,
Illinois. JS again considered removing Rigdon from the
presidency and presented the First Presidency “for trial” at a church
conference in April 1843, but the congregation ultimately voted to
sustain him and the rest of the presidency in their positions. There is no record of
Lyman being ordained or sustained to a position in the First Presidency,
but evidence suggests he was subsequently considered a member of the
presidency. In April 1843, he addressed a special conference of the
church—with his remarks subsequently published in full by the
Times and Seasons, which was typically done only for
members of the First Presidency—and at a July 1843 conference, listed Lyman’s name alongside JS’s other
counselors, Sidney Rigdon and .
March–July 1843
Joseph Smith, president
, associate president
, counselor
, counselor
, counselor
Patriarch
was appointed of the church in 1834 and served in that position
until his death in September 1840. Prior to his death, Smith ordained his son as his successor. In January 1841, JS dictated a revelation that appointed to the First Presidency so that Hyrum Smith could
“take the office of priesthood and patriarch, which was appointed unto
him by his father by blessing and also by right.” That same revelation
appointed Hyrum, as patriarch, to hold the sealing power and to be “a
prophet and a seer and a revelator unto my church as well as my servant
Joseph.”
Hyrum Smith functioned in this office for the remainder of his life.
March–July 1843
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
When the
was originally organized in
1835, the group included the first six men on the list below. By December 1841, the
other six members of the original quorum had died or become
disaffected. The final six men on the list joined
the quorum between December 1838 and April 1841 to replace those
members.
March–July 1843
Presidents of the Seventy
Three
of the were organized in 1835 and 1836, but by 1837, all
seventies were included in one quorum. Unlike most quorums in the
church, which were presided over by a presidency consisting of one
president and two counselors, the Quorums of the Seventy were presided
over by seven presidents. In 1835, JS instructed that “the seventh
president of these presidents is to preside over the six.” Throughout the period
covered in this volume, the same seven men served as presidents of the
Seventy. It is uncertain whether any one of the presidents was presiding
over the others during the period covered in this volume. The order in
which they are listed reflects the order in which they were named in an
1841 revelation regarding the church in .