Mormons and Presidents: Washington - Monroe

Having a strong interest in both Mormon history and American Political history, as well as a vague aspiration to being a writer, I have long had among my list of potential future projects a tome on the relationship between the nations chief executive and the LDS Church. Well that book has been written for me. It’s called ‘Presidents and Prophets’ and was authored by one Michael K. Winder (1), a man with a strong background in both Mormon history and the study of the Presidency. Now that such a formal work is not ‘required’ by my hands, I’ve decided to embark on an informal crash course on Prophets and Presidents for my blog. I will use information taken from Winder’s book, as well as much else I have learned over the years in satisfying my interest on this subject. Anyone interested in perusing this topic further should really get the afformentioned book, which would look nice on one’s coffee table, especially if one never actually uses it for coffee.

The first few Presidents covered (2) are a bit of a stretch in that they held office prior to the organization of the Church in 1830. However LDS conceptions of the men might be of some interest.

#1 George Washington (1789-1797)

Given the much remarked upon "Americanus" of the Mormon faith and the patriotism of its people, it should come as no surprise that George Washington is venerated by the Latter-day Saints. Our nations first president has long been cited in LDS discourse as a man to be emulated, and as a spirit "foreordained"(3) to his great work.

In 1877 Apostle and future Church President Wilford Woodruff recorded that he was visited by the spirt of George Washington and other founding fathers in the then newly completed St George Temple (where he was serving as Temple President). According to Woodruff, Washington and the forty-nine other signers of the Deceleration of Independence, demanded that their vicarious ordinance work be done, and kind of gave him a guilt trip for having not done so already. Elder Woodruff promptly had ordinance work done for all those men, as well as for fifty other prominent historical figures (4). George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were also vicariously ordained to the office of High Priest, where as typically deceased males are ordained to the office of Elder (5).

#2 John Adams (1797-1801)

As Adams died four years before the organization of the Church, the chapter on him in ‘Presidents and Prophets’ is comprised mostly of a brief discussion of the 2nd presidents religious views, which I will not get into here.

#3 Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)

Jefferson was the President of the United States when Mormonisms founding Prophet Joseph Smith was born in late 1805. He is venerated for his support of religious liberty, and his role in writing the U. S. Constitution, which Mormons believe to have been divinely inspired.

#4 James Madison (1809-1817)

James Madison would, like Jefferson, be chiefly appreciated by Latter-day Saints (theologically at least) for his role in the crafting of the Constitution.

#5 James Monroe (1817-1825)

Monroe was the sitting President when Joseph Smith has his ‘First Vision’ in 1820, and was first visited by the Angel Moroni in the fall of 1823. Some Church leaders have stated their belief that the ‘Monroe Doctrine’ was divinely inspired, included among this group was First Presidency Councilor J. Reuben Clark Jr., who was something of an isolationist (6).

1. Winder is a decedent of LDS First Presidency member John R. Winder, who was the subject of his first book.

2. Meaning the first few Presidents period.

3. Mormon theology holds that the spirits of all people existed with God before they where born, and at least some of these people were selected to accomplish certain tasks in life.

4. These run the gamut from Lord Byron to "Stonewall" Jackson.

5.. The hierarchal arrangement of priesthood offices in the LDS Church (excluding atypical offices such as Apostle or Church President) progress as so: Deacon, Teacher, Priest, Elder, Seventy (now defunct), and High Priest. Though it should be noted that LDS Apostles are usually referred to as ‘Elder’ despite there all being ordained High Priests, this is because Elder (in Mormon thinking) has the connotation of ‘one who preaches’.

6. Clark served in various diplomatic posts, mostly under the Republican presidents of the 1920's. While early in his political career he was involved in the planning of various American intrusions into the affairs of Latin American nations, he later grew to oppose such practice, and took an isolationist position during World War II.