Joseph Fielding Smith (patriarch)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Joseph Fielding Smith was a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served as Patriarch to the Church from October 8, 1942, to 1946. He was born on January 30, 1899, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the son of apostle Hyrum M. Smith and Ida Elizabeth Bowman. He studied theater at the University of Utah and married Ruth Pingree in 1929; they had seven children.

Before becoming patriarch, Smith was on the Mutual Improvement Association General Board, led the university’s Speech Department, and was president of the National Speech Association. When he was called to the patriarchy, the office had recently changed its name to “Patriarch to the Church,” and its duties were reduced; he could not ordain or supervise local stake patriarchs.

He was ordained a high priest and patriarch on October 8, 1942, by church president Heber J. Grant. He served about four years before being released for “ill health,” though it later came to light that he had engaged in same-sex activity. In the 1920s and again in the 1940s, he had relationships with men, including Norval Service, Wallace A. G., and Byram Dow Browning.

The church described the situation as a sad happening. After his release, Smith and his family moved to Honolulu, where he taught English and drama. He was restricted from church duties for about a decade. Around 1957, after reportedly stopping the behavior and confessing to his wife and to the First Presidency, he was allowed to serve again and joined his stake’s high council for the rest of his life.

Joseph Fielding Smith died on August 29, 1964, in Salt Lake City. His grandson Jefferson Smith later served in the Oregon House of Representatives. He shared a name with his grandfather Joseph F. Smith and his uncle Joseph Fielding Smith, who also led the church.