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September 2, 2017

wilford-woodruff

Mahonri M. Young (1877-1957),

TITP: Brigham Young's Councilor, Wilford Woodruff: Model, no date, plaster, 20 1/8 x 6 x 10 7/8 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchase/gift of the Mahonri M. Young Estate, 1959.

Wilford Woodruff, fourth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away on this day in 1898. Born in Connecticut in 1807, Wilford Woodruff first heard the teachings of the Church at the age of 26. He was baptized only two days after first hearing the message of the gospel of the Church. He served missions in the United States and the United Kingdom, and worked tirelessly to bring the early Saints together for the exodus to the West. He was ordained an apostle by Brigham Young in 1839, at the age of 32. He served as an apostle for fifty years. In 1887, following the passing of President John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff became the President of the Church. President Woodruff was an avid historian and journal-keeper, recording many important historical events, his own thoughts, and documenting the story of early Latter-day Saints. He also served as the first president of the St. George temple.