Rutherford's Coup: The Watchtower Succession Crisis of 1917 and Its Aftermath

by Rud Persson

Raised a Baptist, in 1906, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, a provincial Missouri attorney with a shrewd and scheming legal mind, became a baptized “Bible Student.” In 1907, Rutherford became the legal counselor for the group's legally chartered corporation, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Ten years later, he became the corporation's president, serving as such for twenty-five years. From the beginning of his presidency to his death, Rutherford turned a small relatively unknown sect into a major religious empire which, in 1931, he named Jehovah's Witnesses. As a former staff researcher for the Watch Tower Corporation, I guarantee that no one is more knowledgeable about Joseph Rutherford’s presidency than Rud Persson.

This unique, eye-opening book is the result of decades of meticulous research. With an engaging style, and drawing on evidence from countless documents, he details how Rutherford and his cronies accomplished an illegal coup d’etat. This book represents the first methodical attempt to examine Rutherford’s rise to executive power amidst forceful opposition to his harsh authoritarianism, and it deserves a place on your bookshelf.

This second edition adds some extra information, corrects some small errata, and adds an index.

918 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2024