Lost Legacy: The Mormon Office of Presiding Patriarch

by Irene Bates, E. Gary Smith

The hereditary office of Presiding Patriarch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first occupied by the father of the Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith, had long seemed the focal point of a struggle for authority between those appointed and those born to leadership positions.
Irene Bates and E. Gary Smith, who conclude that the office's demise in 1979 was inevitable, chronicle its history and find it to be a classic example of Max Weber's theory of the "routinization of charisma." From the creation of the patriarchal office in 1833 to its demise, the authors illuminate the tensions between the leadership circle of the Council of Twelve, headed by Brigham Young, and the potential rival power center of the Patriarch. This struggle is related, in turn, to the one between the Smith family and the rest of the Mormon leadership. Also illuminated are recurrent struggles between the president and the Twelve over the patriarchal issue.
Bates and Smith argue that the real source of dissonance between the patriarchs and other church leaders was the impossibility of melding familial authority (the Patriarch) with official authority (the structured leadership of the growing church).

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Mormonism

258 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at how the LDS First Presidency slowly phased out this once co-equal office. I found Eldred G. Smith's story (the last Patriarch) extremely sad.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book that explores curious and fascinating aspect of the institutional development of the LDS church. Very thought provoking. The book has a lot of great primary source documentation of the behind-the-scenes goings on at Church headquarters as the First Presidency and Apostles were figuring this out, and it was eye opening get a small peak into the process of their deliberations and efforts to solve thorny problems.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent in-depth look at the now defunct office of Patriarch to the [LDS] Church is made fascinating by the fact that one of the authors is the eldest son of (and heir presumptive) of the final presiding patriarch. The reader should know this beforehand in order to appropriately weigh the evidence in light of the authors' perspectives (do not skip the Preface, Prologue, or Introduction) on the longstanding tensions between the holders and supporters of the office and various other church leaders regarding the role of the presiding patriarch. Some evidence is perhaps slightly overinterpreted in favor of the importance of the patriarchate or the Smith family, but this is understandable given the history of interactions between the patriarch and other church leaders. In spite of the family connection, the text remains mostly balanced. It provides a detailed history of the office and a compelling theory for the reasons resulting in its dissolution.

This work is also notable for its extensive referencing and photoreproduction of documents and materials in the private collection of the Smith family, as well as the archives of and interviews with the late Patriarch Eldred G. Smith, who was alive at the time the book was researched and written. This occasionally results in the inclusion in the text of information omitted from official LDS sources, some of which, interestingly, are independently verifiable by the reader via publicly available resources.

It may be worth referring to the chapter endnotes as they are encountered in the text rather than skimming through them afterward, primarily because they add interesting detail, but also because some of them are not reference citations, and rather contain additional unsourced comments from the authors. To readers accustomed to academic writing, this style can suggest the text is more thoroughly referenced than it actually is.

Spoiler alert: To the extent that the authors gently imply someone is the unwitting villain of the story, it turns out to be Boyd K. Packer. (I am half joking?)

[Christian Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating history that covers over 100 years. It is a challenging thing to write a coherent and entertaining history but Bates has done it. To many members of the Church today the office of Presiding Patriarch may be unfamiliar as it was done away with in 1979 but the story of the office is a fascinating one. Bates argues that the demise of the office was inevitable, as it was a continuation of the charismatic authority of Joseph Smith, being passed from father to son, and clashed with the organizational authority that won out with the succession of the Quorum of the Twelve to church leadership after Smith's death. I highly recommend this book as a must read to Mormon History enthusiasts.

Summary:
The hereditary office of Presiding Patriarch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first occupied by the father of the Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith, had long seemed the focal point of a struggle for authority between those appointed and those born to leadership positions. In "Lost Legacy", now in paperback, Irene Bates and E. Gary Smith argue that the office's 1979 demise was inevitable. Chronicling the history of the office beginning with its creation in 1833, the authors illuminate the tensions between the leadership circle of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, headed by Brigham Young, and the potential rival power center of the Patriarch. Asserting that the struggle was related to conflict between the Smith family and the rest of the leadership, the book makes the case that the real source of dissonance between the patriarchs and other church leaders was the impossibility of melding familial authority (the Patriarch) with official authority (the structured leadership of the church).

Winner of the Mormon History Association Best Book Award.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread this book after getting to know the nephew of the last Presiding Patriarch. A strange notion that blood carries spiritual properties explains the office of Presiding Patriarch as it also explains other prevalent notions in Mormonism such as the common belief that Mormons and others are descendants of Semitic tribes which have certain tasks and talents given them by God.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the book was it's spotlight on the forgotten branch of the Smith family, the descendants of Jerusha Barden, who were considered less reliable members of the Mormon Church by church leaders. Hyrum Fisher Smith, the grandson of his namesake, was passed over because of his tobacco use, separation from his wife, and inability to keep a steady job. As Mormonism evolves it will be interesting to see which other practices and offices will be retired and then quickly forgotten. I wager that most Mormons today would never claim to know that this office ever existed.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book about the history of the office of Presiding Patriarch of the LDS church. This office has been vacant since 1972, as the then Presiding Patriarch was released and called as a Presiding Patriarch to the Church Emeritus. That man, Eldred G. Smith is now 102 years old (as of this writing 7/27/2009) and lives in Lehi, UT.

This book is great for people who don't mind considering the evolution of LDS theology - or at least man's interpretation of it (priesthood for blacks, polygamy, office of Seventy, etc), and the personalities and very human decisions that are occasionally involved. For those that prefer the static, unerring history of LDS minor theology, this is one to skip.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating overview of the office of Patriarch in the LDS church. I did not know most of the history of the various men who have held this position. This highlights some of the growing pains of an international organization and of course highlights some of the controversy associated with the events in the lives of the patriarchs and the changes in the office. I felt a bit of bitterness in the narrative, but we are all fully aware that leaders of the church come to serve with their own paradigms which does not negate the truthfulness of the teachings of the church.

[Shayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a branch-out read for me, but inspired by the recent death of the last Patriarch to the Church in April, I decided to find out more about it. This book was a good introduction to the calling and its eventual demise. Does a fairly good job illustrating in a balanced way the difficulties faced by both the hierarchical leadership and the line of patriarchs throughout the calling's existence in the LDS Church.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting history of a forgotten part of our past. The book could use more charts showing relationships between all the men mentioned (so many variations on Smith relationships to keep straight! Had to chart some of it out myself to figure out who were cousins). Curious omission mentioning Willard Smith as Heber J Grant's son-in-law but not explaining that he was Joseph F. Smith's son. Poignant and somewhat sad read.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting look at the history of the office of Presiding Patriarch in the Church. Great insights into early church history and the Smith family. All in all, a good read.

[Stephen Cranney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatively quick read on an obscure, but historically interesting hereditary office within the LDS church hierarchy.