In 1851 the U.S. government toke over the territory of the State of Deseret,
which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was trying to organize
and established the U.S. Territory of Utah, which, until 1861, also comprized
Nevada
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TERRITORIAL OFFICERS
Territorial Governors (1)
(1) Subordinated to the Department of State until 1873,
afterwards to the Department of the Interior.
1870 - 1871 Vernon H. Vaughan* 1838 - 1878
1871 George A. Black*
1871 - 1874 George Lemuel Woods 1832 - 1890
1874 - 1875 Samuel Beach Axtell 1819 - 1891
1875 - 1880 George W. Emery 1830 - 1909
1880 - 1886 Eli Hpuston Murray 1843 - 1896
1886 - 1889 Caleb Walton West 1844 - 1909
1889 - 1893 Arthur Lloyd Thomas 1851 - 1924
1893 - 1896 Caleb Walton West (2x)
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REPRESENTATIVES TO THE U.S. CONGRESS
Territorial Delegates
1865 - 1873 William Henry Hooper (2x) 1813 - 1882
1873 - 1881 George Quale Cannon 1827 - 1901
1881 - 1882 none
1882 - 1893 John Thomas Caine 1829 - 1911
1893 - 1895 Joseph Lafayette Rawlins 1850 - 1926
1895 - 1896 Frank Jenne Cannon 1859 - 1933
U.S. STATE OF UTAH
In 1896 Utah became a State of the Union.
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STATE OFFICERS
Governors
1896 - 1905 Heber Manning Wells 1859 - 1938
1905 - 1909 John Christopher Cutler 1846 - 1928
1909 - 1917 William Spry 1864 - 1929
1917 - 1921 Simon Bamberger 1847 - 1926
1921 - 1925 Charles Rendell Mabey 1877 - 1959
1925 - 1933 George Henry Dern 1872 - 1936
1933 - 1941 Henry Hooper Blood 1872 - 1942
1941 - 1949 Herbert Brown Maw 1893 - 1990
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called Mormon Church)
was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith Jr. (1802 - 1844). (2)
In 1846, in response to anti-Mormon violence, most of his followers migrated
from Illinois to the West, setting up ommunities throughout what would become
the states of Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona , but at that moment part
of Mexico.
In 1849, after Mexico had ceded the territories to the U.S., an attempt was
made to organize them into a separate State of Deseret, but soon afterwards
the U.S. government established the Territory of Utah, only covering part of
the proposed State.
After this the Church gradually lost most of its formal political power.
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GENERAL AUTHORITIES
The Churh was headed by three officials, each assisted by two counselors
(the number of three refering to the Holy Trinity) :
- The Presidents of the Church, heading the whole community and in charge
of Spriritual Affairs
- The Presiding Bishops in charge of "Physical" (= temporal) Affairs
- The Presiding Patriarchs in charge of the Priesthood
Presidents of the Church
1847 - 1877 Brigham Young 1801 - 1877
1877 - 1880 vacant
1880 - 1887 John Taylor (acting head of the Church
1877 - 1880 as President of the Quorum
of the Twelve) 1808 - 1887
1887 - 1889 vacant
1889 - 1898 Wilford Woodruff (acting head of the
Church 1887 - 1889 as President of the
Quorum of the Twelve) 1807 - 1898
1898 - 1901 Lorenzo Snow 1814 - 1901
1901 - 1918 Joseph Fielding Smith 1838 - 1918
1918 - 1945 Heber J. Grant 1856 - 1945
Presiding Bishops
1851 - 1883 Edward Hunter 1793 - 1883
1884 - 1907 William Bowker Preston 1830 - 1908
1907 - 1925 Charles Wilson Nibley 1849 - 1931
1925 - 1938 Sylvester Qualle Cannon 1877 - 1943
1938 - 1952 LeGrand Richards 1886 - 1983
Presiding Patriarchs / Patriarchs to the Church
1855 - 1911 John Smith 1831 - 1911
1912 - 1932 Hyrum Gibbs Smith 1879 - 1932
1932 - 1934 Nicholas Groesbeck Smith* 1881 - 1945
1935 - 1937 Frank Bartmett Woodbury 1867 - 1962
1937 - 1942 George Franklin Richards* 1861 - 1950
1942 - 1946 Joseph Fielding Smith 1899 - 1964
(2)Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
After his death the Church splintered into
several groups, each of which claimed to be
the legitimate successor to his original Church.
Of these groups, the Reorganized Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - founded
in 1860 by the merger of several groups which
didn't make the migration to Utah - became the
most important.
General Authorities
Presidents of the Church
1860 - 1914 Joseph Smith III 1832 - 1914
1915 - 1946 Frederick Madison Smith, son 1874 - 1946
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