Leonard John Nuttall Sr. (July 6, 1834 – February 23, 1905) was a private secretary for John Taylor and

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 ...

, and was a member of the

Council of Fifty "The Council of Fifty" (also known as "the Living Constitution", "the Kingdom of God", or its name by revelation, "The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ") was a La ...

who kept a detailed journal of the early history 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). Nuttall was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and emigrated to

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...

in 1852 after converting to the LDS Church. He served in the militia in

Utah County, Utah Utah County is the second-most populous county in the U.S. state of Utah. The county seat and largest city is Provo, which is the state's third-largest city, and the largest outside of Salt Lake County. As of the 2020 United States Census, th ...

, and was first elected to the Provo City Council in 1861. He served as a justice of the peace and alderman in that city as well. Nuttall also served as the auditor and recorder of Provo from 1861 until 1875. From 1864 until 1875, he served as Utah County Clerk and clerk of the county probate court. He served as the secretary of the Provo Co-Operative Mercantile Institution from its inception in 1869. Nuttall was also the first person to operate a printing press in Utah County, doing so in 1870. In 1872 Nuttall was made chief clerk of the Utah Territorial Legislature. In the LDS Church, Nuttall served for a few years in the 1860s as a member of the high council of the Utah Stake, which covered all of Utah County at the time. From 1874 to 1875 he served 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 ...

in England. He was made

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the

Kanab Kanab ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Utah, United States.Find a County
". ''N ...

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

in 1875. He also served as the first recorder of the St. George Temple. He served as the first president of the Kanab Stake when it was organized in 1877. Starting in 1897, he served as a member of the General Board of the

Deseret Sunday School Union Sunday School (formerly the Deseret Sunday School Union) is an organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 11 and older, are encouraged to participate i ...

. In 1879, Nuttall became a private secretary for John Taylor, replacing George Reynolds, who was serving a prison term for practicing plural marriage. Nuttall continued in this position first to John Taylor and then to Wilford Woodruff until 1892. For several years starting in 1880 Nuttall was a member of the

University of Deseret The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of D ...

board of regents. From 1881 to 1887 he served as Utah Territorial Superintendent of Schools. Nuttall died in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

.State of Utah Death Certificate
.

Notes

References

* Clarence G. Jensen (1962)
A Biographical Study of Leonard John Nuttall, Private Secretary to Presidents John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff
(MA thesis: Brigham Young University) (9.5 MB download) * L. John Nuttal (Jedediah S. Rogers ed.). ''In the President's Office: The Diaries of L. John Nuttall, 1879–1892'' (Salt Lake City: Signature Books)

External links

L. John Nuttall papers
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Brigham Young University {{DEFAULTSORT:Nuttall, L. John 1834 births 1905 deaths Clergy from Liverpool Converts to Mormonism English emigrants to the United States English Latter Day Saints English leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints English Mormon missionaries Mormon missionaries in the United Kingdom Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement People from Provo, Utah Sunday School (LDS Church) people

See also

Notes

References

External links