Difference between revisions of "Albert Carrington"

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Albert Carrington, past Mormon apostle

Albert Carrington was ordained an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on July 3, 1870. Carrington was born on January 8, 1813, in Royalton, Vermont, to Daniel Van Carrington and his wife Isabella Bowman Carrington. He was college-educated, graduating from Dartmouth College in 1834. He taught school in Pennsylvania and then went back to school to study law. He went to Hamilton, Wisconsin, to mine lead, and there he met his future wife, Rhoda Maria Woods.

Carrington was baptized into the Mormon Church on July 18, 1841. Just before the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Carrington moved his family to Nauvoo. The Carringtons quickly became leaders in the community. The Carrington family became typical of the hardship of the Saints who were driven from Nauvoo by mobs in the middle of winter. Albert and Rhoda lost three of their four children during the Exodus from Nauvoo. Settling his wife and remaining child in Iowa temporarily, Albert pushed on ahead to Utah as part of the Pioneer Company. Once settled, he returned to Iowa and took his family to Utah. [1]

In Utah Carrington quickly rose to positions of leadership. He was one of the drafters of the Utah Constitution needed for the application for statehood. He was also selected to be Speaker of the House in the Utah Legislature... all the while serving as personal secretary to President Brigham Young. He also entered into plural marriage by taking a second wife. He would father fifteen children by his wives.

Carrington was Mission President to the European Mission four different times. He was ordained an Apostle July 3, 1870, and set apart as an Assistant counselor to President Young, May 9, 1874. Carrington also served for a time as church historian. He was released as counselor to Brigham Young, Aug. 29, 1877, upon the death of President Young. He then became subject to attacks printed in the Salt Lake Tribune, some of which proved to be true. He was excommunicated from the LDS Church on November 7, 1885, for adultery and fornication, but was later rebaptized. Upon his rebaptism, he was not reinstated as an apostle or as a general authority. [2]

Carrington suffered two strokes which left him paralyzed the last four years of his life, and passed away on September 19, 1889.