Life of Joseph F. Smith

by Joseph Fielding Smith

From the day of his birth until the day of his passing-four score years-there was scarcely a day that was not filled with intense and interesting activity. He commenced life in the midst of tribulation and dark persecution, and through the greater part of his life he was called upon to face the spirit of hate and wickedness, to a degree almost beyond human endurance. He was deprived of his father's loving and needed care and protection when but six years of age, through the wicked, murderous hate of a fiendish mob, among which wore found professed ministers of religion. Fortunately he was left in the care of a loving, capable, highly religious mother, whose soul was filled with a faith and fortitude which carried on in the face of almost insurmountable difficulties. By her he was taught strict obedience to the laws of God. Because of her faith, and integrity to the truth, he learned not only to rely on her counsels in his tender years, but the impressions she left upon his soul continued with him through all his years.

Genres: Biography, Lds, Nonfiction, Religion

490 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. was the tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1970 until his death. He was the son of Joseph F. Smith, who was the sixth president of the LDS Church. His grandfather was Hyrum Smith, brother of LDS Church founder Joseph Smith, Jr., who was Joseph Fielding's great-uncle.

Reviews

[D Crook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joseph F. Smith, the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had a life filled with difficulty. When he was just six years old, his father, Hyrum Smith, was murdered together with Joseph Smith. As a seven-year-old boy, he drove his family's team in inclement weather across the muddy Iowa plains to the hastily established Winter Quarters. He then drove his entire family from Iowa to the Salt Lake Valley when he was eight years old. When he was fourteen, his mother died, leaving him an orphan. One year later, he was sent to Hawaii as a missionary, where he lived for four years. During the Utah territorial period, Joseph F. Smith was driven into hiding to escape the prosecution of federal officials bent on destroying the disenfranchised church and forcing into prison its most prominent men. Once he became the prophet, Joseph F. Smith was lampooned, lambasted, and defamed by an unrelenting and dishonest press and political system that took the opportunity to abuse him.

This book, written by his son, Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was written for the descendants of Joseph F. Smith, and is therefore written in a devotional way. However, it is filled with detail, personal stories, and interesting perspective. This book would have received a higher rating from me, but it lacked any citation to source material. However, it was well-written (for the most part) and I would recommend it to most readers.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because I teach a course on the Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am regularly reading books on these Church leaders to continue to learn more about them and understand their ministries. This biography certainly gave some good context and additional details about Joseph F. Smith's life and ministry that you don't get in typical shorter treatments.
As is typical of a lot of biographies of this era (and perhaps earlier), the first approximately 100 pages of the book are not about Joseph F. Smith at all. Someone could skip this if they didn't want all of that background.
Because the book is written by his son, Joseph Fielding Smith (who himself would become President of the Church just over 30 years later), it is of course somewhat hagiographic. He loves and respects his father and, of course, has a testimony of his divine calling as an Apostle of the Lord. So the book doesn't delve much into some of the possibly more difficult topics. But it does give a useful perspective, for example, Joseph F. Smith's involvement with the Reed Smoot hearings.
Toward the end of the book, there is a really nice chapter on Joseph F. Smith's feelings about his family and his relationships with them. I read an interview recently with Stephen Taysom, who wrote the most recent biography of Joseph F. Smith, and he commented on how gentle and loving Joseph F. Smith could be--you certainly get that from this chapter.
The book is worth reading, but it is a little long in places.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography of President Joseph F. Smith was written by his son, Joseph Fielding Smith in 1937. I wanted to read about his life after hearing Elder Ballard share stories of all the loss Pres Smith experienced in his life and then the vision he had of the spirit world. First off, Joseph Fielding Smith wrote this book for his family. The first quarter of it is about his ancestors. Once it got to his grandfather, Joseph Smith Sr., I became interested. I, especially, loved the stories of his dear mother, Mary Fielding Smith. What an amazing, faith filled woman!
I really loved this book, but felt like it was written like a textbook and missing feeling. Still, I really enjoyed it and it increased my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Finally, the second to last chapter included some feeling and made me cry.

[Layne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Kindle version of this book has got some serious formatting problems. It appears that no one took the time to do even the most basic formatting. It is little more than one big text file. There is no linked table of contents so it is impossible to navigate. Quotes external sources are not formatted correctly or referenced. The entire e-book is a mess that only an amateur editor would allow to be published on Amazon. This is very disappointing.

Be warned that about the first quarter of this book is not about Joseph F. Smith, but seems to be a loose compilation of events from early church history that are not in chronological order. The first 8 chapters don't seem to even belong in the book. I'm not sure why there are they. Yes, they are interesting, but are out of place in a biography of Joseph F. Smith.

The rest of the book is pretty good. There are two basic themes that I got from the book. Plural marriage and Church finances. Both of these were significant issues in his life. At times it almost felt like the book left the realm of a biography and wandered over to a history of these two issues. This was not a bad thing, but it did feel like a good portion of the book was focused on general church history rather than his biography. I did appreciate that the author avoided long quotes from his conference talks and writings. Those are published elsewhere.

Overall I am grateful that I was able to read the book. It gave me new insights into the life of Joseph F. Smith and the church history of the time.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not about Mormon founder Joseph Smith. Joseph F. Smith is his nephew and the sixth president of the Mormon church. The last president of the church born before the Mormons trecked across the plains, Joseph F. was the last of the old school and life and presidency are fascinating.

One of the great surprises of the book is Joseph's mother, Mary Fielding. She is one of the stalwart Mormon women of the pioneer generation, and her unwavering faith and indomitable will come through well in the early parts of this book. For all the talk of Mormon pioneers in the church, Mary Fielding's life and character have not received their due in sacrament meetings.

Joseph F. was born in the crucible of Mormon persecution and toiled their the rest of his long life. His father Hyrum was martyred with Joseph Smith when Joseph F. was I believe 7 years old. With no time to be a kid, he had to drive a team of oxen across America before he was 10. He was kicked out of school at 15 for "licking" his schoolmaster who had been too rough on some of the younger kids. To keep Joseph out of further trouble, Brigham Young sent him on a mission to Hawaii.

Joseph F's missions there were fraught with extraordinary difficulties and blessed with tremendous miracles. His connection with those islanders at a time when the rest of America was caught up in Manifest Destiny is truly touching.

Not only is Joseph F's life inspiring and highly entertaining, but his tenure as church president is probably more significant than most Mormons realize. I could go on and on. Highly recommended.

[Scott Florence · Rating 3 out of 5]

An astounding servant of the Lord! He was called on his first focused church assignment as a missionary to Hawaii at age 15 and was there for almost 4 years, and never stopped serving after that. He as the son of Hyrum Smith, and 13 both of his natural parents had died. He became an apostle at 28 years old and impacted the church world wide in every way. He led the church at an incredibly challenging time of disinformation and courageously faced his many detractors and won the respect of his people, and really the nation by his death. He was the first President of the church to visit many locations throughout the world and especially his beloved Hawaii. He also directed the beginning of the acquisition of much of the Palmyra properties so sacred to the church today, and instituted the Family Night program in 1915. He lived to 80 years old serving as the prophet for 18 years. Amazing no doubt as a man of God. I did not love to death the style in which the book was written, by his son Joseph Fielding Smith. Rather than a story it always seemed like he was trying to argue or defend his father's words and reputation...none of which needed doing. I can't really put my hand on it...but it was just a little more difficult read than some of the other biographies I have read so far. But...overall, loved the read and what I learned about that great man.

[Damiano · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the advantages of reading a book on a Kindle is you know what percentage of the book you have read as you go. 22% of this book passes before the subject character is born! There is too much about his father, Hyrum. The book offers almost no context for the subject's life. Who was president of the US? What is happening at the time regarding settlement of the West? What did folks eat? Tell us more about the wives - in particular the first wife that left him. Another unhappy element is the lack of noting anything imperfect in the subject's life. JFS only does/thinks correct things. I am not sure JFS would be pleased with this extended eulogy. Joseph F. Smith was a great man to Mormons and non Mormons. God used him to accomplish great things. He deserves a more complete biography.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a partial-read, because I was only interested in reading (and had time for) a few of the chapters.

I picked this up because a blurb in the current lesson manual used in Relief Society and Priesthood piqued my interest in Ethel Reynolds Smith (Joseph Fielding Smith's second wife) and I wanted to learn more about her. As someone who struggles with depression, it is comforting and encouraging to read about others with mental disorders who nonetheless live fulfilling and productive lives.

If I had the time for it, I'd certainly devote myself to reading this book all the way through. It's very informative and pretty well-written.

[Lowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm rating this book 3 stars NOT because of the fantastic subject. I'm rating it as a book. I read this a few years ago, and still thinking at the end, "Is this the best his son could do?"

However, it is still the best biography available on Joseph Fielding Smith. So I still recommend it, despite my rating.

A fantastic, wonderful man who I feel merits a John Adams-type biography of in depth details of both his virtues and his quirks, in the process inspiring us with his overall character and both ups and downs in life.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more a hagiography or a family history than an objective biography, this book still had a great many interesting stories from JFS's early life, and gave a good feel for the culture and mileau of early settled Salt Lake City.

[Terry Earley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This remarkable man was the son of the martyr Hyrum Smith. As a young boy, he crossed the plains with his widowed mother and then served as a missionary at age 15. An inspiring account.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and inspirational.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed getting to know Joseph Fielding better. I purchased this book to help me with my RS lessons this year, and found it a joy to read of his great life.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about a great man.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. He is my favorite President after reading this book.