Young, Brigham

(1801–77)

   Sect Founder.

   Young was born in Whitingham, Vermont, in the United States of America. He became a follower of Joseph smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) in 1832. In 1835 he was raised to the rank of Apostle and in 1838 he became Chief of the Twelve Apostles. After Smith’s death in 1844, he led the Mormons from Independence, Missouri, to Nauvoo, Illinois, and from there they trekked over the Rocky Mountains to establish themselves finally in Salt Lake City, Utah. Young was a brilliant organiser; he became Governor of the Utah territory in 1850 and the splendid temple and city owe much to his dedication and planning.

   K.J. Hansen, Mormonism and the American Experience (1981);

   T.F. O’Dea, The Mormons (1957).