President Heber J. Grant

By virtue of his position as president of the council of apostles, Heber J. Grant became the presiding officer of the Church at the death of President Smith. Heeding the instruction of President Wilford Woodruff—which was given by revelation, and was followed by Presidents Snow and Smith—that the First Presidency should be organized without delay, the council of apostles met November 23, 1918, in the temple, and Heber J. Grant was sustained and set apart as President of the Church. He selected as his counselors Anthon H. Lund and Charles W. Penrose, who had served with President Joseph F. Smith.

President Grant was born November 22, 1856, in Salt Lake City. He is the son of Jedediah Morgan and Rachel Ridgeway Ivins Grant. He is a man of great activity and endless energy; full of sympathy for the down-trodden and the poor. In the financial world he is recognized as a man of keen ability, yet his life has been constantly devoted to the welfare and progress of the Church, his labors in the ministry dating from his early youth. In 1880 he was called to preside over the Tooele Stake of Zion, succeeding Francis M. Lyman who had been called into the council of the twelve. Two years later (October 16, 1882) he was himself ordained an apostle, having been called, with Elder George Teasdale, to that office by revelation. In 1901 he went to Japan and there opened the door for the preaching of the Gospel, and after his return he was called to preside over the European mission, where he labored for three years.

The General Conference Postponed

Because of the influenza epidemic no meetings were held during the winter and spring of 1919. On this account, the general conference, which otherwise would have been held in April, was postponed until June 1, 1919. On that occasion the solemn assembly of the Priesthood was held, and the authorities of the Church were sustained by the usual separate vote of the quorums. That conference was devoted largely to a memorial service for President Joseph F. Smith.

Dedication of the Hawaiian Temple

Thanksgiving day, November 27, 1919, the temple at Laie, Hawaii, was dedicated by President Heber J. Grant. He was accompanied to that land by President Anthon H. Lund, Rudger Clawson, Stephen L. Richards, Presiding Bishop Charles W. Nibley and Arthur Winter. The dedicatory services were repeated, five services being held to accommodate all the people—1,239 souls attending the services. This is the first temple erected outside of the continental United States, and is for the benefit of the native Saints of the islands of the Pacific, The mission in the Hawaiian Islands was opened in 1850 by George Q. Cannon and others, and thousands of the natives received the Gospel. The site for the Hawaiian temple was dedicated by President Joseph F. Smith, June 1, 1915.

Passing of President Lund—Changes in the Presidency

After a brief illness, President Anthon H. Lund, first counselor in the presidency, passed away at his home in Salt Lake City, March 2, 1921. He served in the presidency during the entire ministry of President Joseph F. Smith, having been chosen second counselor in October, 1901. After the death of John R. Winder, the first counselor, he was advanced to that position in April, 1910. President Lund was a man without guile, faithful and true to the Gospel and to the brethren, and beloved by all the Saints.

At the meeting of the council of the presiding authorities held in the Salt Lake Temple, Thursday, March 10, 1921, President Charles W. Penrose was chosen by President Heber J. Grant as his first counselor, and Elder Anthony W. Ivins as his second counselor. Rudger Clawson was at the same time, set apart as president of the twelve apostles, as he became the ranking apostle after the death of President Lund.

Conclusion

At the general conference of the Church held in April, 1920, the one hundredth anniversary of the Prophet’s vision of the Father and the Son, was fittingly observed. The remarks of the brethren who spoke had a bearing on the great work accomplished by the Prophet and the authenticity of his vision. The Improvement Era, the organ of the priesthood quorums of the Church, and the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association, devoted the April number to special articles dealing with the theme of the Vision, and other magazines did the same. A cantata by Evan Stephens, “The Vision,” which was prepared for the occasion, was rendered before a crowded house in the tabernacle, and special topics were considered in the several wards, following the conference.

Ninety years before (1830) the Church was organized with but six members. In 1920 it numbered several hundred thousands. Its property in meeting houses, tabernacles, temples and other necessary buildings, was valued at many millions of dollars. There were 83¹ stakes of Zion, 871 organized wards and 83 branches within those stakes. Missionary work had been carried to various parts of the earth, and there were 24 regularly established missions with numerous conferences and branches. Each stake of Zion contained a high priests’ quorum, and there were 209 quorums of seventy. The total number of men holding the Melchizedek Priesthood was 57,600 and the total number holding the Aaronic Priesthood was 49,780. Many thousands of young people were enrolled in the auxiliary organizations of the Church, and it was conceded by many ministers of other churches, that the “Mormon” Sunday Schools were the best that could be found in all the world.²

The Church at the close of the first one hundred years of its history, dating from the Prophet’s vision in 1820, was looked upon as a power in the earth for good by the great and wise men of the nations. Knowledge of its work had been brought to the attention of kings, presidents and rulers of the earth. The prospects before it for advancement and growth were bright, and it appeared that the prophecy of Isaiah was about to be fulfilled:

“Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people;... lift up a standard for the people.

“Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

“And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD; and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.” —Isaiah 62:10–12

Notes