John Willard Young
Encyclopedia
John Willard Young was a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He is one of the few individuals to have been an apostle of the LDS Church and a member of the First Presidency
without ever having been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
, Illinois
to Latter Day Saint apostle Brigham Young
and Mary Ann Angell
. As a young boy, John traveled with the Mormon pioneers from Illinois to Utah Territory
.
John Willard was ordained an apostle by his father on November 22, 1855, when he was eleven.
John's earlier ordination was reconfirmed on February 4, 1864 when his brothers Brigham Young, Jr.
and Joseph Angell Young
were ordained apostles by their father. However, none of them became members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles upon their ordination because the Quorum already had twelve members. Although Brigham Jr. eventually became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, John and Joseph never did.
. He was also involved with the construction of a railroad in Arizona Territory
.
, Lorenzo Snow
, and Albert Carrington
as additional counselors to him in the First Presidency
. After Young's First Counselor George A. Smith
died in September 1875, John Willard Young was called as First Counselor to his father on October 8, 1876. Young served in this capacity until the First Presidency was dissolved by Brigham Young's death less than a year later on August 29, 1877. During his time in the First Presidency, John Willard Young never spent much time in Salt Lake City attending to church leadership duties; since 1863 he had preferred living in New York City
, where he was engaged in a number of failed business ventures that resulted in him assuming a large amount of debt.
office of apostle, Young was called as a counselor to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 6, 1877. However, Young's business practices and practice of living in New York City soon brought him into conflict with other church authorities. At a conference
of the church on April 6, 1881, Young's name was withheld from the names of general authorities who were presented for sustaining
. Between 1881 and 1885, he was tried
before the Quorum of the Twelve on three separate occasions; each time he was reconciled with the Twelve and he retained his position. In 1888, Joseph F. Smith
accused Young of unethically using church funds to maintain a lavish lifestyle, and by April 1889 the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve were discussing removing Young from his position.
Young resigned from his position on October 3, 1891; Young was aware that on that date the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were again discussing his release from his position. After Young's resignation, he was formally released as a counselor to the Twelve at a conference of the church October 6, 1891.
of the LDS Church, though he remained a church apostle for the rest of his life. On December 9, 1899, apostle Franklin D. Richards died. Richards had been the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
and the second-most senior apostle in the church. Richards' death left Young as the second most senior apostle in the church. Although Young did not become the President of the Twelve, under the normal rules of presidential succession in the church, Young would become the President of the Church when Lorenzo Snow
died, since Snow was the only living person who had been ordained an apostle prior to Young. Snow was 85 years old and in poor health, while Young was only 55 year old; it therefore appeared to many that Young would be the next president of the church.
However, many of the general authorities of the church disliked Young and felt that his succession to the presidency of the church would be a disaster for the church. On March 31, 1900, the First Presidency—which consisted of Lorenzo Snow
, George Q. Cannon
, and Joseph F. Smith
—changed the policy of presidential succession. The new president of the church would not longer be the person who had been an ordained apostle the longest; rather, the new president of the church would be the person who had been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the longest period of time. Since Young had never been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, he could not become the president of the church if Snow died. On April 5, 1900, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve unanimously approved the new policy.
On October 10, 1901, Snow died. Five days later, Young arrived in Salt Lake City from New York City, possibly with the intent of assuming the presidency of the church. However, due to the new policy, Joseph F. Smith
was ordained the new president of the church on October 17, 1901. Young returned to New York City, where he lived for the rest of his life. After he died in New York City, Young was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery
.
operator in an exclusive hotel where he had once lived. In 1902 and 1903, his son Hooper Young was involved in a sensational murder investigation and trial after it was determined that a woman had died in John Willard Young's apartment while he was in France on business. The "Pulitzer Murder" case ultimately resulted in Hooper pleading guilty to second degree murder and being sentenced to life imprisonment
in Sing Sing prison. Hooper's conviction had a devastating effect on John Willard, who had initially believed that his son was innocent. John Willard Young continued to attend a branch of the LDS Church in the city for the rest of his life, and he died of cancer in New York City at the age of 79.
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
without ever having been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Early life and apostolic ordination
Young was born in NauvooNauvoo, 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...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
to Latter Day Saint apostle Brigham Young
Brigham 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...
and Mary Ann Angell
Mary Ann Angell
Mary Ann Angell Young was the second woman married to Latter Day Saint leader Brigham Young. They were married on February 28, 1834. Young's first wife, Miriam Angeline Works, had died on September 8, 1832...
. As a young boy, John traveled with the Mormon pioneers from Illinois to Utah Territory
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....
.
John Willard was ordained an apostle by his father on November 22, 1855, when he was eleven.
John's earlier ordination was reconfirmed on February 4, 1864 when his brothers Brigham Young, Jr.
Brigham Young, Jr.
Brigham Young, Jr. served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1899 until his death. His tenure was interrupted for one week in 1901 when Joseph F...
and Joseph Angell Young
Joseph Angell Young
Joseph Angell Young was an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Young is one of the few Latter-day Saints in history to have been ordained to the office of apostle without ever becoming a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or the First Presidency of the...
were ordained apostles by their father. However, none of them became members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles upon their ordination because the Quorum already had twelve members. Although Brigham Jr. eventually became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, John and Joseph never did.
Activity in western territories
In 1869, Young opened the "Salt Lake City Museum and Menagerie" which was the predecessor of the Deseret MuseumDeseret Museum
The Deseret Museum was an institution dedicated to spreading knowledge in Salt Lake City, Utah.It was originally opened as the "Salt Lake City Museum and Menagerie" by John Willard Young....
. He was also involved with the construction of a railroad in Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
.
First Presidency
On April 8, 1873, Brigham Young added John, Brigham Jr., George Q. CannonGeorge 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...
, Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.-Family:...
, and Albert Carrington
Albert Carrington
Albert Carrington born in Royalton, Vermont, was an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He was ordained as an apostle on July 3, 1870.Carrington served in the Utah Territorial Legislature in 1869...
as additional counselors to him in the First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
. After Young's First Counselor George A. Smith
George A. Smith
George Albert Smith was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and as a member of the church's First Presidency.-Childhood:Smith was born in Potsdam, St...
died in September 1875, John Willard Young was called as First Counselor to his father on October 8, 1876. Young served in this capacity until the First Presidency was dissolved by Brigham Young's death less than a year later on August 29, 1877. During his time in the First Presidency, John Willard Young never spent much time in Salt Lake City attending to church leadership duties; since 1863 he had preferred living 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...
, where he was engaged in a number of failed business ventures that resulted in him assuming a large amount of debt.
Counselor to the Twelve Apostles
Having never been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve but holding the priesthoodPriesthood (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind...
office of apostle, Young was called as a counselor to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 6, 1877. However, Young's business practices and practice of living in New York City soon brought him into conflict with other church authorities. At a 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 the church on April 6, 1881, Young's name was withheld from the names of general authorities who were presented for sustaining
Common consent
Common consent is a democratic principle established by the Latter Day Saint movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., who taught in 1830 that "all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith." As it is most frequently used by the Church of Jesus Christ of...
. Between 1881 and 1885, he was tried
Disciplinary council
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a disciplinary council is an ecclesiastical trial during which a member of the church is tried for alleged violations of church standards. If a member of the LDS Church is found guilty of an offence by a disciplinary council, he or she may be...
before the Quorum of the Twelve on three separate occasions; each time he was reconciled with the Twelve and he retained his position. In 1888, Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
accused Young of unethically using church funds to maintain a lavish lifestyle, and by April 1889 the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve were discussing removing Young from his position.
Young resigned from his position on October 3, 1891; Young was aware that on that date the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were again discussing his release from his position. After Young's resignation, he was formally released as a counselor to the Twelve at a conference of the church October 6, 1891.
Denial of church presidency
Although he lived another 33 years, Young never again served as a general authorityGeneral authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of the LDS Church, though he remained a church apostle for the rest of his life. On December 9, 1899, apostle Franklin D. Richards died. Richards had been the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President 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...
and the second-most senior apostle in the church. Richards' death left Young as the second most senior apostle in the church. Although Young did not become the President of the Twelve, under the normal rules of presidential succession in the church, Young would become the President of the Church when Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.-Family:...
died, since Snow was the only living person who had been ordained an apostle prior to Young. Snow was 85 years old and in poor health, while Young was only 55 year old; it therefore appeared to many that Young would be the next president of the church.
However, many of the general authorities of the church disliked Young and felt that his succession to the presidency of the church would be a disaster for the church. On March 31, 1900, the First Presidency—which consisted of Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.-Family:...
, 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...
, and Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
—changed the policy of presidential succession. The new president of the church would not longer be the person who had been an ordained apostle the longest; rather, the new president of the church would be the person who had been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the longest period of time. Since Young had never been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, he could not become the president of the church if Snow died. On April 5, 1900, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve unanimously approved the new policy.
On October 10, 1901, Snow died. Five days later, Young arrived in Salt Lake City from New York City, possibly with the intent of assuming the presidency of the church. However, due to the new policy, Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
was ordained the new president of the church on October 17, 1901. Young returned to New York City, where he lived for the rest of his life. After he died in New York City, Young was buried at 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...
.
Later life
After returning to New York City, Young was employed as an elevatorElevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
operator in an exclusive hotel where he had once lived. In 1902 and 1903, his son Hooper Young was involved in a sensational murder investigation and trial after it was determined that a woman had died in John Willard Young's apartment while he was in France on business. The "Pulitzer Murder" case ultimately resulted in Hooper pleading guilty to second degree murder and being sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
in Sing Sing prison. Hooper's conviction had a devastating effect on John Willard, who had initially believed that his son was innocent. John Willard Young continued to attend a branch of the LDS Church in the city for the rest of his life, and he died of cancer in New York City at the age of 79.