Franklin Dewey Richards (April 2, 1821 – December 9, 1899) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church) from 1849 until his death. He served as the quorum's

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

from 1898 until his death. He was the nephew of

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

Willard Richards Willard Richards (June 24, 1804 – March 11, 1854) was a physician and midwife/nurse trainer and an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He served as second counselor to church president Brigham Young in the First Presidency of th ...

, one of two men who survived the mob attack at Carthage Jail that took the life of LDS Church founder,

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...

and brother,

Hyrum Smith Hyrum Smith (February 9, 1800 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, J ...

. His son, George F. Richards, and grandson, LeGrand Richards, were both members of the quorum, while his son also served as president of the quorum from 1945 to 1950. Richards also served in the Utah Territorial Legislature in 1852 and 1856.

Franklin County, Idaho Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 Census the county had a population of 14,194. The county seat and largest city is Preston. The county was established in 1913 and named after Franklin D. Richard ...

, is named after Richards.

Biography

Richards was born in

Richmond, Massachusetts Richmond is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,407 at the 2020 census. History Present day Richmond was first settled by Mica ...

. He married Jane Snyder in Nauvoo, Illinois. After helping her and their children start on the

Mormon exodus The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

to the west in 1846, Richards and his brother, Samuel, departed on a mission to Great Britain. He served there as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

from 1846 to 1848, and on at least two more occasions, during the 1850s and 1860s.

Calling

Lyman Wight Lyman Wight (May 9, 1796 – March 31, 1858) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the leader of the Latter Day Saints in Daviess County, Missouri, in 1838. In 1841, he was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apo ...

was excommunicated from the church in December 1848 because he refused to join the church in the Salt Lake Valley. This left an opening in the Quorum of the Twelve. To fill the vacancy, and to bring the number of the quorum up to twelve, Richards was called and ordained as the fourth of four apostles on February 12, 1849. The other three apostles were Charles C. Rich,

Lorenzo Snow Lorenzo Snow (April 3, 1814 – October 10, 1901) was an American religious leader who served as the fifth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1898 until his death. Snow was the last president of the ...

, and

Erastus Snow Erastus Snow (November 9, 1818 – May 27, 1888) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1849 until his death. Snow was also a leading figure in Mormon colonizati ...

. A short time after his call as a member of the Twelve, Richards went to England, where he served as

of the British

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

and then as president of the European Mission. In these positions, Richards also served as editor of the '' Millennial Star'' and as director of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund's operations in Europe. He helped compile the documents that are now part of the Pearl of Great Price while serving as a mission president. From 1889 until his death, Richards was the church's twelfth official

Church Historian Church Historian and Recorder (usually shortened to Church Historian) is a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of th ...

President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

When

Wilford Woodruff Wilford Woodruff Sr. (March 1, 1807September 2, 1898) was an American religious leader who served as the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1889 until his death. He ended the public practice of ...

died on September 2, 1898, Snow succeeded him as church president. As the second apostle in seniority, Richards assumed the role of President of the Quorum of the Twelve. His term ended when he died fifteen months later. He was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve for more than 50 years, the longest tenure of any person who did not become the church's president.

Death

Richards suffered a stroke and paralysis in the autumn of 1899. He died peacefully in his home in Ogden, Utah, on December 9, 1899. The vacancy in the quorum created by his death was filled by

Reed Smoot Reed Smoot (January 10, 1862February 9, 1941) was an American politician, businessman, and apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). First elected by the Utah State Legislature to the U.S. Senate in 1902, he serv ...

Family

The Richards family is only the third Latter-day Saint family in history with three consecutive generations in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, with his son, George F. Richards, and grandson, LeGrand Richards, also serving as church apostles.The other two families are the three-generation combination of George A. Smith, John Henry Smith, and George Albert Smith and the three-generation combination of Amasa M. Lyman, Francis M. Lyman, and Richard R. Lyman. Hyrum, Joseph F., and

Joseph Fielding Smith Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. (July 19, 1876 – July 2, 1972) was an American religious leader and writer who served as the tenth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1970 until his death in 1972. He was t ...

were also three consecutive generations of apostles, but Hyrum was never a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Another grandson, Franklin D. Richards became a church general authority, serving as an

Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, commonly shortened to Assistant to the Twelve or Assistant to the Twelve Apostles, was a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1941 and 1976. As the title of t ...

and later as a member of the

Presidency of the Seventy A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...

. A daughter of Richards, Josephine Richards West, was a counselor in the general presidency of the Primary Association. Another descendant, Kent F. Richards, also served as a general authority seventy and transcribed the collection of journals created by Franklin D. Richards.

Notes

External links

* List of Richards' speeches (Wikisource) *
Biography by Grampa Bill
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Franklin D. (Mormon apostle) 1821 births 1899 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries American general authorities (LDS Church) American Mormon missionaries in England Apostles (LDS Church) Converts to Mormonism Members of the Utah Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Mormon pioneers Official historians of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints People from Ogden, Utah Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church) Richards–Young family Mission presidents (LDS Church) Franklin County, Idaho People from Richmond, Massachusetts Latter Day Saints from Massachusetts Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Utah