View source for Joseph Fielding Smith, Patriarch

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'''Joseph Fielding Smith''', the son of apostle [[Hyrum M. Smith]] and Ida Elizabeth Bowman, served as [[Patriarch to the Church]] from 1942 to 1946. The calling had been vacant for ten years since the passing of [[Hyrum Gibbs Smith|Hyrum G. Smith]]. Three other men had served as Acting Presiding Patriarch ([[Nicholas G. Smith]], [[Frank B. Woodbury]], [[George F. Richards]]). The scope of the responsibilities of Patriarch of the Church had changed in that Joseph Fielding Smith did not ordain or formally supervise local stake patriarchs. 

His grandfather [[Joseph F. Smith]] was the sixth president of [http://comeuntochrist.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] and his uncle, also named [[Joseph Fielding Smith]], served as tenth president of the Church.

Smith was born on January 30, 1899, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He served a mission to Hawaii from 1920 to 1922. He was a professor of speech and head of the Speech Department at the University of Utah and pursued further studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was also president of the National Speech Association. 

At the time of his calling as Church Patriarch, he was a member of the [[Mutual]] [[Young Men's Program|Improvement Association]] general board. After four years of service, he was released from his calling, the announcement citing “ill health.”[http://www.gapages.com/smithjf3.htm] It is generally reported that he had been involved in several homosexual affairs and had been released for that reason.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Fielding_Smith_(patriarch)] After his release, he took his wife, Ruth, and their seven children and moved to Hawaii. He continued to work as a teacher of English and drama. The family returned to Utah after several years and Smith served as a member of his stake’s high council.

He died on August 29, 1964, in Salt Lake City. 
[[Category:Church Leaders: Past]][[Category:Patriarch to the Church]]
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