Alexander Hale Smith (June 2, 1838 – August 12, 1909) was the third surviving son of

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

and

Emma Hale Smith Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (July 10, 1804 – April 30, 1879) was an American homesteader, the official wife of Joseph Smith, and a prominent leader in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement, both during Smith's lifetime and afterward as a ...

. Smith was born in

Far West, Missouri Far West was a settlement of the Latter Day Saint movement in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States, during the late 1830s. It is recognized as a historic site by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, added to the register in 1970. It ...

, and was named after

Alexander Doniphan Alexander William Doniphan (July 9, 1808 – August 8, 1887) was a 19th-century American attorney, soldier and politician from Missouri who is best known today as the man who prevented the summary execution of Joseph Smith, founder of the Churc ...

, who had refused an order to execute Joseph Smith, and then was Joseph's defense attorney during Joseph's incarceration at Liberty Jail. Alexander Smith became a senior leader of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church, now

Community of Christ The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...

). Smith served as an

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

and as

Presiding Patriarch In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Presiding Patriarch (also called Presiding Evangelist, Patriarch over the Church, Patriarch of the Church, or Patriarch to the Church) is a church-wide leadership office within the priesthood. Among the duties ...

of the church. He became religiously inclined after the April 1862 death of his older brother Frederick G. W. Smith (b. 1836), who had not been baptized,''Early members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,'' 1993, By Susan Easton Black, Brigham Young University. Dept. of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University. Religious Studies Center, p. 436 and was baptized on May 25, 1862, in

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its ...

, by another older brother,

Joseph Smith III Joseph Smith III (November 6, 1832 – December 10, 1914) was the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith (founder of the Latter Day Saint movement) and Emma Hale Smith. Joseph Smith III was the Prophet-President of what became the Reorganized Chu ...

. Alexander was ordained an apostle on April 10, 1873, and "served a mission to the Pacific Slope" with

David Hyrum Smith David Hyrum Smith (November 17, 1844 – August 29, 1904) was an American religious leader, poet, painter, singer, philosopher, and naturalist. The youngest son of Joseph Smith and Emma Hale Smith, he was an influential missionary and leader in ...

in 1875. He was ordained

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the Council of Twelve on April 15, 1890, at

Lamoni, Iowa Lamoni is a city in Decatur County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,969 at the time of the 2020 Census. Lamoni is the home of Graceland University, affiliated with the Community of Christ, and the city was the church's headquarters from ...

. He was called to be a counselor to his brother, Joseph Smith III, and also a patriarch and evangelical minister on April 12, 1897. He went on a mission to Australia, Hawaii, and the

Society Islands The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the F ...

in 1901. Smith was a partner in a photograph gallery before becoming a carpenter. Smith married Elizabeth Agnes Kendall in Nauvoo, on May 23, 1861. A ''History of

Decatur County, Iowa Decatur County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,645. The county seat is Leon. This county is named for Stephen Decatur Jr., a hero in the War of 1812. History Decatur County was orga ...

,''J. M. Howell and H. C. Smith, supervising ed
History of Decatur County, Iowa
2 vols. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1915. published in 1915, provides many details about his life and his personality:

He loved the wide outdoors, land and water and sky, and delighted in athletic sports, holding a record in his younger days as one of the best skaters and one of the two surest shots in the community. Of the nine children born to him, one daughter, Mrs. Grace Madison, died and is buried in San Bernardino, California, and one son, Don A., is buried at Lamoni. The second daughter, Mrs. Ina I. Wright, lived at Avalon, New South Wales, Australia, and Mrs. Coral Horner lived near Davis City, Iowa, she spent the later years of her life with her husband in Ronan, Montana. Mrs. Emma Kennedy and the youngest sons, Joseph G. and Arthur M., resided at Independence, Missouri, while the oldest children, Fred A. and Mrs.
Heman C. Smith Heman Conomon Smith (September 27, 1850 – April 17, 1919) was a leader in and official historian of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church, now the Community of Christ). Early life Smith was born in the Mormon ...
, were residents of Lamoni, where the widow still lived in their home on the south side.

Notes

External links

photograph
of Alexander Hale Smith a

Rare photograph
of Frederick Granger Williams Smith, Alexander Hale Smith and other surviving sons of Joseph Smith * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Alexander Hale 1838 births 1909 deaths 19th-century American people 20th-century American people American leaders of the Community of Christ Apostles of the Community of Christ Smith family (Latter Day Saints) Doctrine and Covenants people People from Far West, Missouri People from Nauvoo, Illinois People from Lamoni, Iowa Presidents of the Council of Twelve Apostles (Community of Christ) Children of Joseph Smith