Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Joseph F. Smith
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Smith, Joseph F.
Read Next
The Gateway Arch viewed from the surrounding park area in Gateway Arch National Park (formerly Jefferson National Expansion Memorial) in St. Louis, Missouri.
Why Is Missouri Called the Show Me State?
Discover
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.
The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950
John F. Kennedy as a boy with his family
What Did We Call America’s Elite Before the “1 Percent”?
Baseball laying in the grass. Homepage blog 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics
10 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time
Smith, Joseph F.
Smith, Joseph F. Joseph F. Smith, 1905.

Joseph F. Smith

American religious leader
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-F-Smith
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Joseph Fielding Smith
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Quick Facts
Born:
Nov. 13, 1838, Far West, Mo., U.S.
Died:
Nov. 19, 1918, Salt Lake City, Utah (aged 80)
Also Known As:
Joseph Fielding Smith
See all related content

Joseph F. Smith (born Nov. 13, 1838, Far West, Mo., U.S.—died Nov. 19, 1918, Salt Lake City, Utah) was an American religious leader, the sixth president (1901–18) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the main Mormon denomination).

After his uncle Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, and his father, Hyrum Smith, were murdered in Carthage, Ill., in 1844, he and his mother fled with the majority of the Mormons to Utah. Made an apostle of the church in 1866, Smith advanced within the hierarchy to the office of president in 1901. He also served on the city council of Salt Lake City and in the territorial legislature (1865–74, 1880, 1882). Smith had six wives, but he accepted the decision to give up polygamy reached by church leaders in 1890 and testified before a United States Senate committee that Mormons no longer accepted the practice.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.