George Albert Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids George Albert Smith |
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| 8th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | |
| May 21, 1945 – April 4, 1951 | |
| Predecessor | Heber J. Grant |
| Successor | David O. McKay |
| President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| June 21, 1943 – May 21, 1945 | |
| Predecessor | Rudger Clawson |
| Successor | George F. Richards |
| End reason | Became President of the Church |
| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| October 8, 1903 – May 21, 1945 | |
| Called by | Joseph F. Smith |
| End reason | Became President of the Church |
| LDS Church Apostle | |
| October 8, 1903 – April 4, 1951 | |
| Called by | Joseph F. Smith |
| Reason | Death of Brigham Young Jr. |
| Reorganization at end of term |
Marion G. Romney ordained |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 4, 1870 Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, U.S. |
| Died | April 4, 1951 (aged 81) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Resting place | Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37″N 111°51′29″W / 40.777°N 111.858°W |
| Spouse(s) |
Lucy Emily Woodruff
(m. 1892; died 1937) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | John Henry Smith Sarah Farr |
| Signature | |
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George Albert Smith Sr. (born April 4, 1870 – died April 4, 1951) was an important American religious leader. He served as the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called the LDS Church).
Contents
Early Life and Education
George Albert Smith was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory. He was one of nineteen children born to John Henry Smith, who was an apostle in the LDS Church. His mother was Sarah Farr. George Albert Smith was named after his grandfather, who was also an apostle and a cousin of the church's founder, Joseph Smith. George Albert Smith and his father, John Henry Smith, are the only father-son pair to have served as apostles at the same time. They were both in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1903 to 1910.
When he was young, George Albert Smith worked at the Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) factory. He also traveled around Utah as a salesman. He went to high school at Brigham Young Academy and graduated in 1884. After that, he studied law for a year at the University of Deseret (which is now the University of Utah).
As a salesman for ZCMI, he went on a long trip, starting in Panaca, Nevada. He would take grocery orders while his friend took shoe orders. During this trip, George Albert Smith often played music on his harmonica and guitar for people. He also made sure to attend LDS Church services every Sunday in the towns he visited. He was often asked to give a talk during these visits.
Work and Public Service
After serving a church mission, George Albert Smith got a job as an assistant salesman at ZCMI in 1894. He was very good at his job and was promoted several times. He eventually became a wholesale grocery salesman for ZCMI in Salt Lake County.
He also worked as a secretary for the Kanab Cattle Company and was a member of the Utah National Guard.
In 1896, he joined the Republican Party and helped campaign for William McKinley, who later became President of the United States. In 1901, he was present at an event in Buffalo and heard the shot that killed President McKinley.
From 1898 to 1903, he was appointed to a position in the Land Office in Utah.
When he was a young man, George Albert Smith worked surveying for a railroad. During this time, the bright glare from the sun permanently damaged his eyesight. After 1903, his frequent travels made him feel very weak. He was later diagnosed with lupus erythematosus, a long-term illness that can make people feel very tired and unwell.
From 1898 to 1902, Smith was in charge of the Republican committee for a voting district in Utah. In 1902, some people wanted him to run for the United States Senate, but he chose not to, allowing Reed Smoot to be the Republican candidate instead.
In 1920, while he was leading the church's European Mission, George Albert Smith toured England and Scotland. He represented ZCMI during a special tour for American goods.
He became a member of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce in 1921. In 1923, he helped welcome US President Warren G. Harding when he visited Salt Lake City.
George Albert Smith was known for his love of his country. He joined several American patriotic groups. He was also a strong supporter of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). He was involved in the church's decision in 1912 to start sponsoring scout troops. He often asked businessmen in Salt Lake City to donate money to scouting. In the 1920s, he was elected to the BSA Regional Executive Council for the 12th region, which covered California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. In 1932, he became a member of the BSA's National Council, the first LDS Church leader to hold this position. He also received the Silver Beaver Award that year. In 1934, he was given the very special Silver Buffalo Award by the BSA's National Council.
He was also very interested in genealogy (studying family history). In 1922, he was named national vice president of the Sons of the American Revolution.
In 1932, George Albert Smith disagreed with many on the ZCMI board. They wanted to cut pensions for retired workers because of the Great Depression. Smith believed the pensions should stay. Because he could not support their decision, he left the board later that year.
Starting in 1933, George Albert Smith was president of the Utah Society for the Sightless. He stayed in this position until 1949. Under his leadership, the society built a new home for the blind in Salt Lake City. They also printed the first Braille edition of the Book of Mormon.
Marriage and Family Life
On May 25, 1892, George Albert Smith married Lucy Emily Woodruff in the Manti Temple. Lucy was the granddaughter of Wilford Woodruff, who was a former church president. George and Lucy had three children. Their first daughter was born several years after they were married, after Lucy received a special blessing to help her become a mother. Lucy had grown up largely in her grandfather's home and saw him almost like a father. George Albert Smith's son, George Albert Smith, Jr., later became a professor at Harvard Business School.
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George Albert Smith, around 1890
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Lucy Emily Woodruff, wife of George Albert Smith
His daughter, Emily Stewart, served for a time on the Primary General Board, which oversees children's programs in the church. She became one of the leaders of Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Lucy Smith also served in the church. She was president of the Relief Society in Europe when George Albert Smith was the mission president there. She was also a member of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association (YW MIA) General Board for 29 years.
Lucy Smith passed away in 1937. George Albert Smith never remarried after her death. This made him the only church president at the time to serve while being a widower, until Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson later did the same.
LDS Church Service
Before he married Lucy, George Albert Smith served as a Mutual Improvement Association (MIA) missionary in Southern Utah. He was assigned to help increase attendance and participation in MIA programs for young men and young women.
George Albert Smith and his new wife, Lucy, served as missionaries in the church's Southern States Mission from 1892 to 1894. George Albert was appointed the mission secretary, which meant he was the main assistant to the mission president. For parts of this time, he was the acting mission president when the mission president was away.
When he went on his mission, George Albert Smith was ordained a seventy. After returning, he was part of a council in Salt Lake City that helped with missionary work in the area.
He also served as a Sunday School teacher and later as the superintendent for the 17th Ward in Salt Lake City.
For several years, he helped lead the youth program for young men in the Salt Lake Stake, which was the largest stake in the church at the time. He and others started new programs and made changes that were later used throughout the church. He then led the youth program for young men in the Salt Lake Stake from 1902 to 1903.
Becoming an Apostle
George Albert Smith was called to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1903. In 1907, he helped the church buy the Joseph Smith farm in Palmyra, New York.
From 1920 to 1921, George Albert Smith served as president of the church's British and European missions. He traveled to the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany. He worked hard to get permission for the church to send more missionaries to these countries.
While leading the European Mission, George Albert Smith took his first airplane flight. He was a strong supporter of using airplanes for travel in the 1920s and 1930s.
From 1922 to 1935, George Albert Smith was the general superintendent of the church's MIA. During his time, the young men's and young women's MIA organizations worked together more closely. For example, the Young Woman's Journal magazine joined with the Improvement Era magazine in 1929.
After returning from Europe in 1921, George Albert Smith had a very busy schedule. He traveled to many stake conferences in Utah, Arizona, and Mexico.
In 1921, he became the chairman of the executive board for the Deseret News newspaper. He also helped with weekday religious classes for children. He was also made chairman of the church's Centennial Celebration Committee, which planned events for the church's 100th anniversary in 1930.
In 1928, George Albert Smith helped the church buy the Hill Cumorah. This was a big achievement after more than 20 years of effort.
In 1930, George Albert Smith invited friends who were interested in church history to his home. They started the Utah Pioneer Trails and Landmarks Association. Smith was the first president of this group. Over the next five years, they placed many historical markers in the western United States, eventually putting up more than 100 monuments and markers.
When Rudger Clawson, the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, passed away in 1943, George Albert Smith became the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He served in this role for two years.
Serving as Church President
After Heber J. Grant passed away, George Albert Smith became the president of the church on May 21, 1945. When World War II ended, he helped send supplies to Europe. He also worked hard to restart missionary work around the world. He spoke out against the activities of the American Ku Klux Klan.
He dedicated the Idaho Falls Temple on September 23, 1945. Throughout his life, he traveled about a million miles to fulfill his church assignments.
George Albert Smith was the first church president to visit Mexico while in office. He went there to help a group of former church members, known as the "Third Conventionists," return to the church. During his time as president, the church's endowment ceremony was translated into other languages for the first time.
Dealing with Illness
While not widely known at the time, George Albert Smith struggled with chronic depression and anxiety. These challenges sometimes made him very unwell. For example, he had a nervous breakdown that kept him mostly in bed from 1909 to 1912. Throughout his life, he would sometimes need to stay in bed for days because of emotional and mental health issues.
George Albert Smith said that these experiences helped him understand the Gospel and his belief in God more deeply. In 1921, he shared that being so close to death helped him know for sure that the gospel is true. Those close to him knew about his emotional struggles. His grandchildren remembered that when he felt a lot of stress, he would sometimes need to rest in bed for several days. It is thought that his physical illness might have been a way for him to rest and get better before returning to his duties.
Death and Lasting Impact
In March 1951, George Albert Smith had a stroke that caused him to be mostly paralyzed on the right side of his body. He gradually became weaker and passed away on April 4, 1951, which was his 81st birthday. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.
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George Albert Smith's grave marker -
Front side of a monument to four generations of the Smith family, who were important in LDS history. -
Back side of a monument to four generations of the Smith family, who were important in LDS history.
His teachings as an apostle were studied in the LDS Church's Sunday Relief Society and Melchizedek priesthood classes in 2012.
See also
In Spanish: George Albert Smith para niños
