George Albert Smith
Full name	George Albert Smith
Born	April 4, 1870(1870-04-04)
Place of birth	Salt Lake City, Utah Territory
Died	April 4, 1951 (aged 81)
Place of death	Salt Lake City, Utah
LDS Church President
Ordained	May 21, 1945 (aged 75)
Predecessor	Heber J. Grant
Successor	David O. McKay
LDS Church Apostle
Called by	Joseph F. Smith
Ordained	October 8, 1903 (aged 33)
Reason for ordination	Death of Brigham Young, Jr.
End of term	April 4, 1951 (aged 81)
Reason for end of term	Death
Reorganization at end of term	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). Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1870 ( MDCCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Heber Jeddy Grant ( November 22, 1856 &ndash May 14, 1945) was the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day David Oman McKay ( September 8, 1873 &ndash January 18, 1970) was the ninth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known Joseph Fielding Smith Sr ( November 13, 1838 &ndash November 19, 1918) was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Brigham Young Jr ( December 18, 1836 &ndash April 11, 1903) served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Marion George Romney ( September 19, 1897 &ndash May 20, 1988) was an apostle and a member of the First Presidency of Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1870 ( MDCCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known 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. Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U The term polygamy (a Greek word meaning "the practice of multiple marriage" is used in related ways in Social anthropology, Sociobiology, and John Henry Smith ( September 18, 1848 &ndash October 13, 1911) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First His grandfather, for whom he was named, was also an LDS Church apostle. George Albert Smith ( June 26 1817 &ndash September 1 1875) (commonly known as George A

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. The University of Utah (referred to locally as ' The U' or ' the U of U') is a publicly funded Research university in Salt Lake The University of Utah (referred to locally as ' The U' or ' the U of U') is a publicly funded Research university in Salt Lake In 1896, he had joined the Republican Party and campaigned for William McKinley, who became President. Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year William McKinley Jr ( January 29, 1843 September 14, 1901) was the twenty-fifth President of the United States, and the last The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by He also favored Theodore Roosevelt, McKinley's successor. Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T

While surveying for a railroad as a young man, Smith's eyesight was permanently impaired by glare from the sun. Glare is difficulty seeing in the presence of bright Light such as direct or reflected Sunlight or artificial light such as car Headlamps at night 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. Systemic lupus erythematosus ( SLE or lupus,) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can be fatal though with recent medical advances fatalities are becoming

Smith was known for his patriotism, joining various American patriotic groups and was an ardent supporter of the Boy Scouts. Scouting in Utah has a long history from the 1910s to the present day serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live In 1934, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America awarded him the prestigious Silver Buffalo Award. The Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Smith was an avid genealogist and family historian and was named National Vice President of the Sons of the American Revolution in 1922. Genealogy (from Greek: el γενεά el-Latn genea, "descent" and el λόγος el-Latn logos, "knowledge" is the study of

Marriage and family

In 1892, Smith married Lucy Emily Woodruff, the daughter of Wilford Woodruff, Jr. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year , in the Manti Temple. The Manti Utah Temple (formerly the Manti Temple) is the fifth constructed temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons 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. Wilford Woodruff ( March 1, 1807 &ndash September 2, 1898) was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known 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. ^[1]

LDS Church service

Just prior to his marriage to Lucy, Smith served as a Mutual Improvement Association missionary throughout many areas in Southern Utah. The Young Men (often referred to incorrectly as Young Men's) is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church is one of the most active modern practitioners of Missionary work with over 50000 full-time missionaries This article is about a geographical administrative area within the LDS Church Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church Jonathan Golden Kimball ( June 9, 1853 – September 2, 1938) was a prominent and well known leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Smith was appointed mission secretary.

Smith was called to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1903. Quorum of the TwelveIn The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Quorum of the Twelve, the Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting 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. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. From 1921 to 1935, Smith was the general superintendent of the church's Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. The Young Men (often referred to incorrectly as Young Men's) is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints In 1935 he was succeeded in this position by Albert E. Bowen. Albert Ernest Bowen ( 31 October 1875 – 15 July 1953) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus

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. Rudger Judd Clawson ( March 12, 1857 – June 21, 1943) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church

Administration as President of the Church

Smith became president of the church on May 21, 1945 with the death of Heber J. Grant. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Heber Jeddy Grant ( November 22, 1856 &ndash May 14, 1945) was the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day When World War II ended, Smith helped send supplies to Europe and was also known for his efforts to revitalize missionary work. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. He publicly denounced the activities and political influence of the American Ku Klux Klan. Ku Klux Klan ( KKK) is the name of several past and present secret domestic terrorist organizations in the United States, generally in the southern states that are Smith dedicated the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple on September 23, 1945. The Idaho Falls Idaho Temple (formerly the Idaho Falls Temple) is the tenth constructed and eighth operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Over his lifetime, he traveled approximately a million miles fulfilling church assignments. ^[2]

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". ^[3]

Monument to four generations of a branch of the Smith family, prominent in LDS history.

George Albert Smith's grave marker

Works

• Smith, George Albert (1951). Sayings of a Saint. Alice K. Chase.  
• —— (1948). Sharing the Gospel With Others: Excerpts from the Sermons of President Smith, compiled by Preston Nibley, Deseret News Press.  
• —— (1996). in Robert McIntosh and Susan McIntosh. : The Teachings of George Albert Smith, Eighth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bookcraft, Inc. .  

Notes

References

• Ellsworth, S. George. George Albert Smith. Selection in Church History, Selections from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Ludlow, Daniel H. , Editor. Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, UT, 1992. ISBN 0-87579-924-8.

External links

• Extract from Ellsworth biography
• Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: George Albert Smith