Phinehas Howe Richards (November 15, 1788 – November 25, 1874) was an early leader in

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) and in the

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 ...

. His first name is also spelled Phineas in some records. Richards was born in

Framingham Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popul ...

Middlesex County, Massachusetts Middlesex County is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,632,002, making it the most populous county in both Massachusetts and New England and the 22nd most populous cou ...

. He was a brother of

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 ...

and the father of Franklin D. Richards. He married Wealthy Dewey in 1818. In, 1825 he was appointed county coroner. His oldest son, George Spencer Richards, died at age 15 at the Haun's Mill Massacre in 1838. Richards joined the Church of the Latter Day Saints in 1837. He was a member of high councils at Kirtland, Nauvoo, Winter Quarters, and

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 ...

. He also served as a member of the Nauvoo City Council. As a member of the Nauvoo City Council he cited the condition of his dead son in arguing why he viewed the '' Nauvoo Expositor'' as a nuisance that the city should protect.Dallin H. Oakes. "The Suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor" ''Utah Law Review'' 1965 In Utah he was part of the 1st territorial legislature, where he was also the chaplain. In 1844, Richards published an appeal to the citizens of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

asking them to take action on the matter of the wrongs

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

had inflicted upon the

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

Notes

References

* Jessee, Dean C., "Biographical Register" in ''The Papers of Joseph Smith: Vol. 2'' p. 584 *

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, ...

. '' History of the Church''. vol. 6, p. 193. * Stevenson, Joseph Grant, "Richards Family History: Volume 1" pp. 110–267 1788 births 1874 deaths 19th-century American politicians American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Converts to Mormonism Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Massachusetts Latter Day Saints from Ohio Latter Day Saints from Utah Members of the Utah Territorial Legislature Mormon pioneers People from Framingham, Massachusetts {{LDS-stub