Question
Gramps,
I want to know if you can give a rundown of what happened between Joseph’s death in 1844 and 1847 with the “succession crisis,” as some call it. Some say Joseph Smith’s keys died with him. Others say the D&C lays out how the keys were to be administered and dispersed to the Church government. I’d like to know our take on all that history, as the Community of Christ and other churches tend to preach their own ideas about these things.
Rachel
Answer
Rachel,
In the wake of Joseph Smith’s assassination, the immediate response was one of grief and bewilderment. Joseph Smith had been the charismatic center and prophetic guide for the Saints; he had originated revelations, built up communities, and established new doctrines. Hyrum Smith, as both patriarch and Assistant President, had been his closest confidant and designated successor in multiple respects. In fact, Joseph had clarified that Hyrum would take his place if he died, stating, Did Joseph ordain any man to take his place? He did. Who was it? It was Hyrum, but Hyrum fell a martyr before Joseph did.
With both offices vacant, the church’s intricate organizational structure was put to the test. Joseph’s previous attempts to shore up succession had included ordaining others—such as Oliver Cowdery and Hyrum Smith—to priesthood offices that, in theory, placed them directly in line. However, Cowdery had been excommunicated years earlier, and now Hyrum was dead alongside his brother, raising immediate uncertainty over just who held the right to lead.
Further complicating matters, the position of church president (Joseph’s office) was unique: it had no precedent for posthumous transfers. Joseph Smith’s dual role as prophet and president made his shoes uniquely difficult to fill. Given these gaps, members and leaders looked to the remaining structure for guidance.
The aftermath of the martyrdom saw a crowded field of claimants to church leadership, each representing a different vision for the future:
Sidney Rigdon: The lone surviving counselor in the First Presidency, Rigdon returned to Nauvoo and claimed he should serve as the Church’s guardian until Joseph Smith’s young son came of age. He justified his claim with both revelation and his longstanding office. Still, many doubted his spiritual vitality and commitment, especially as his recent absences from Nauvoo had distanced him from the core leadership circle. Rigdon’s plan, however, implied stagnation rather than a continuation and progression of the restoration; he did not seek to move the Church forward as an active, prophetic institution.
The Smith Family: Rumors circulated—and certain testimonies were later produced—indicating that Joseph Smith’s eldest surviving son, Joseph Smith III, had received his father’s blessing and was destined to lead the Church if he came of age and prepared himself. Some, including William Smith (Joseph’s brother), promoted the idea that church leadership should remain in the Smith line, referencing both tradition and specific blessings. However, Joseph III was only twelve at the time—too young and insufficiently seasoned in church affairs.
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: During Joseph’s final months, he met frequently with the apostles, urgently conferring upon them all keys and priesthood ordinance authority. He charged the Twelve to “bear off this Church and kingdom of God before heaven and earth.” Brigham Young, President of the Quorum, later emphasized that Joseph had given every ordinance of the holy priesthood to the apostles, promising that if he died, “the hosts of Satan will not be able to tear down the kingdom as fast as you will be able to build it up.”
Other Figures: Additional contenders, like James J. Strang and Lyman Wight, each gathered smaller followings by asserting visionary credentials or geographical mandates but failed to command the main body of Saints..
The turning point arrived in August 1844, when a conference was called in Nauvoo to resolve the leadership crisis. Here, Sidney Rigdon presented his case to the assembled Saints, urging them to let him serve as guardian. Brigham Young, newly returned from preaching abroad, addressed the congregation with authority and clarity.
Brigham’s speech centered not on his own personality or prophetic credentials but on the principle of priesthood keys.”He argued that Joseph Smith had conferred upon the Twelve the authority to lead, stating, “The keys of the kingdom are right here with the Church.” According to numerous reports from those present, a remarkable spiritual manifestation occurred: as Brigham spoke, many felt, and even saw, that he took on the voice and appearance of Joseph Smith himself—a spiritual confirmation to the assembly that the mantle had indeed fallen upon the Quorum of the Twelve.
The congregation voted, by uplifted hand, to sustain the authority of the Twelve. While not absolutely unanimous—dissenters would soon break away or harbor private reservations—the vote set the course for the largest body of Saints. Brigham Young did not immediately become President in the same sense as Joseph Smith; instead, the Church was led by the Twelve as a collective body for several years, with Brigham as their president. Only in December 1847, in the Salt Lake Valley, was the First Presidency reorganized, and Brigham Young formally sustained as President of the Church.
The succession drama had far-reaching and long-lasting effects. Within months, cracks appeared in the Church’s unity, as several figures left to form their own sects or joined existing schismatic groups—a process that permanently splintered the movement. The most significant divide came with the later organization of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ) under Joseph Smith III, which developed in opposition to both Brigham Young’s leadership and doctrines like plural marriage.
Yet the process also set enduring doctrinal precedents for the Church’s subsequent leadership transitions. The events of 1844 taught the Saints that revelation would guide the choice, but that the institutional structure—specifically, the Quorum of the Twelve, holding all priesthood keys collectively—would ensure continuity. This principle remains in modern times: following the death of a President, the First Presidency dissolves, and the Twelve become the governing body, who then set apart and sustain the new President by revelation and unanimous action.
Brigham Young’s leadership, therefore, was not simply a matter of personality but a triumph of organizational order, prophetic instruction, and active confirmation by the Saints themselves. In Richard Lyman Bushman’s words, “Young’s case worked because Joseph had laid the foundation in the early years. He had organized the Church by councils and then invested this governance system with charisma.”
Gramps
