Charles William Penrose (4 February 1832 – 16 May 1925) was a member of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...
of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church) from 1904 to 1911. Penrose was also a member of the
First Presidency
Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
, serving as a counselor to
church presidents Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith Sr. (November 13, 1838 – November 19, 1918) was an American religious leader who served as the sixth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was the nephew of Joseph Smith, the founde ...
and
Heber J. Grant
Heber Jeddy Grant (November 22, 1856 – May 14, 1945) was an American religious leader who served as the seventh president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Grant worked as a bookkeeper and a cashier, then wa ...
from 1911 until his death.
Life
Penrose was born in
Camberwell
Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross.
Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...
London, England
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
. It is said that he learned to read the Bible by the age of four. Penrose was introduced to the LDS Church and baptized at the age of eighteen on 14 May 1850, in London. He also met and married his wife, Lucetta Stratford, in London. The couple had 18 children.
Mission
After joining the LDS Church, Penrose was called on a
mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
, preaching throughout England. It was while on this mission he wrote the hymn ''O, Ye Mountains High''. For the next seven years he primarily served as a missionary in agricultural areas. During this first mission he wrote "Up, Awake, Ye Defenders of Zion" as a result of the
Utah War
The Utah War (1857–1858), also known as the Utah Expedition, Utah Campaign, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between Mormon settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the US go ...
. In 1868, Penrose became the president of the church's London Conference (equivalent of a modern LDS district). He was then made president of the Cheltenham Pastorate, consisting of multiple conferences. He was then placed in charge of the Birmingham Pastorate, presiding over four conferences in the West Midlands of England.
Penrose wrote a set of mission tracts entitled "Rays of Living Light" which were widely used until about the middle of the 20th-century.
Utah Territory
In 1861, Penrose emigrated to
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state. ...
. After arriving in Utah he settled in
Farmington
Farmington may refer to:
Places Canada
*Farmington, British Columbia
* Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation)
United States
*Farmington, Arkansas
*Farmington, California
*Farmington, Connecticut
*Farmington, Delaware
* Farmington, Georgia
* ...
. The cabin the Penrose family lived at in Farmington is now a museum of the
Daughters of the Utah Pioneers
The International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers (ISDUP, DUP) is a women's organization dedicated to preserving the history of the original settlers of the geographic area covered by the State of Deseret and Utah Territory, including Mormon pio ...
. Besides working as a farmer and hauling logs, was also a school teacher.
In 1864,
Ezra T. Benson
Ezra Taft Benson (February 22, 1811 – September 3, 1869) (commonly referred to as Ezra T. Benson to distinguish him from his great-grandson of the same name) was an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of ...
convinced Pernrose to move to
Logan, Utah
Logan is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The 2020 census recorded the population was 52,778. Logan is the county seat of Cache County and the principal city of the Logan metropolitan area, which includes Cache County and Franklin ...
, where he continued to work as a farmer and school teacher. Penrose was asked to return to England as a missionary in 1865. While on this mission he published several songs and hymns, including "Beautiful Zion for Me", which was written on the occasion of
Brigham Young, Jr.
Brigham Young Jr. (December 18, 1836 – April 11, 1903) served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) fr ...
leaving for Utah. For about the first year of his mission he preached to coal workers in Lancashire. For the next two years he was in the office of the
Millennial Star
''The Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star'' (usually shortened to ''Millennial Star'') was the longest continuously published periodical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and was printed in England from 1840 unti ...
and was an assistant to the
mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president presides over a geographic area known as a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission. Depending on ...
Franklin D. Richards.
Farming and retailing
Upon Penrose's return to Utah in 1868, he returned to Logan, where he was involved in farming and retailing. He formed a partnership, and then the Logan Cooperative Mercantile Institution, of which he was secretary-treasurer and bookkeeper. That failed and he ended up leaving Logan. While in Logan, Penrose also served as a member of the LDS stake
high council.
Publishing
He next settled in
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...
, on the advice of Franklin D. Richards. Here he became involved in newspaper publishing, publishing the ''Ogden Junction''. He also was a prominent public speaker in the community. Penrose also served as a member of the city council in Ogden. When the Weber Stake was organized Penrose was called as a member of the high council.
In 1877, Penrose became the assistant editor of the LDS Church-owned ''
Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
'' in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, working under
George Q. Cannon
George Quayle Cannon (January 11, 1827 – April 12, 1901) was an early member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and served in the First Presidency under four successive pr ...
. Penrose was known for his writing, including missionary tracts and lyrics of Latter-day Saint hymns, including "God of Our Fathers", "O Ye Mountains High", and "Up, Awake, Ye Defenders of Zion". In 1880, Penrose became the editor-in-chief of the Deseret News.
Delegate
In 1872 Penrose was a delegate for Weber County, Utah in the state constitutional convention of that year. While the convention wrote a state constitution, this one was rejected by the U.S. congress and Utah did not at that time become a state.
Penrose served in the
Utah Territorial Legislature
The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term ...
, first being elected from Ogden in 1874. After moving to Salt Lake City, he was again elected to the state legislature in 1879, elected to fill a vacancy caused by the death of
Albert P. Rockwood. In 1880, Penrose introduced a bill in the state legislature, largely at the urging of
Emmeline B. Wells
Emmeline Blanche Woodward Harris Whitney Wells (February 29, 1828 – April 25, 1921) was an American journalist, editor, poet, women's rights advocate, and diarist. She served as the fifth Relief Society General President of the Church of Jesus ...
, that would have allowed women to serve in all public offices in the territory. This bill passed the legislature but was vetoed by the governor of Utah Territory. Penrose served as a member of the Utah State Constitutional Convention of 1882 as well.
In 1884 Penrose was
called a counselor to
Angus M. Cannon
Angus Munn Cannon (May 17, 1834 – June 7, 1915) was an early Latter Day Saint leader and Mormon pioneer.
Early life
Cannon was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. His Manx parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint ...
in the
presidency
A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...
of the Salt Lake Stake.
Penrose, along with
George Reynolds and
John R. Winder
John Rex Winder (; December 11, 1821 – March 27, 1910) was a leader and general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric from 1887 to 1901, and First Coun ...
, edited the
1890 Manifesto
The 1890 Manifesto (also known as the Woodruff Manifesto, the Anti-polygamy Manifesto, or simply "the Manifesto") is a statement which officially advised against any future plural marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...
and prepared it for publication after being given the initial text by
Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff Sr. (March 1, 1807September 2, 1898) was an American religious leader who served as the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1889 until his death. He ended the public practice of ...
.
Professor
Penrose was a professor of theology at
Brigham Young Academy
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
from 1897 to 1899 and again in 1901 and 1902.
Penrose was made a member of the LDS Council of 50 in 1882. An arrest warrant was issued for him on polygamy charges in December 1884. In January 1885 he traveled to
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
where he met with
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
, among others. Some of these meetings were done jointly with Brigham Young Jr. Penrose then served a mission in England for about six months. He presided over the London Conference, and also worked closely with the mission president,
Daniel H. Wells
Daniel Hanmer Wells (October 27, 1814 – March 24, 1891) was an American apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and the 3rd mayor of Salt Lake City.
Biography
Early life
Wells was born in Trenton, New Yor ...
. Penrose preached in all the lands of the United Kingdom, as well as in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark while on this mission. In late 1889 Penrose was pardoned by Cleveland for polygamy, and shortly after went to prison for contempt of court for refusing to testify against other polygamists.
Salt Lake
In 1892, Penrose left the Deseret News and joined the staff of the ''Salt Lake Herald''. He also became an
assistant historian of the LDS Church. That same year he was a delegate to the Democratic Party national convention in Chicago. In 1894, Penrose was one of the initial directors of the
Genealogical Society of Utah
FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and is closely connected with the church's Family Histo ...
. He became vice president of the society in 1909 and president in 1921, serving in that position until his death. In 1898 Penrose returned to the Deseret News as editor.
Apostle
Penrose was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and ordained 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 ...
on 7 July 1904. He was called to fill a vacancy in the quorum caused by the death of
Abraham O. Woodruff
Abraham Owen Woodruff (November 23, 1872 – June 20, 1904) was an American missionary who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS C ...
. From 1906 until 1910 Penrose served as president of the LDS Church's European Mission. On 7 December 1911, Penrose became Second Counselor to Joseph F. Smith in the church's First Presidency; he replaced
John Henry Smith
John Henry Smith (September 18, 1848 – October 13, 1911) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency (LDS Church), First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of ...
, who died.
James E. Talmage
James Edward Talmage (21 September 1862 – 27 July 1933) was an English chemist, geologist, and religious leader who served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) fro ...
filled the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve caused by Penrose's being called into the First Presidency. After Joseph F. Smith's death in 1918, Penrose was retained as Second Counselor by new church president Heber J. Grant. On 10 March 1921, Penrose became First Counselor in the First Presidency, following the death of
Anthon H. Lund
Anthon Henrik Lund (15 May 1844 – 2 March 1921) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency (LDS Church), First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...
, who had died eight days earlier.
Family
Penrose first married during his first mission to Lucetta Stratford in 1855. They had originally requested permission to marry in 1854 but it was not granted at that time by mission leaders. LDS missionaries marrying was allowed in the 19th-century and in the cases of single missionaries about to leave the mission for a long trek to Utah at times even encouraged. Charles and Lucetta had 18 children, although only 7 survived infancy.
In 1863, Penrose married Louise Elizabeth Lusty. They eventually had 11 children, eight of whom lived to adulthood.
Penrose was married to
Romania B. Pratt Penrose in 1886.
Death
Penrose served in the First Presidency until his death in Salt Lake City from
chronic prostatitis. In the ''Improvement Era'' on the occasion of his death
George H. Brimhall published a poem praising Penrose for his works of hymns. He was buried at
Salt Lake City Cemetery
The Salt Lake City Cemetery is a cemetery in northeastern Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, that is one of the largest city-operated cemeteries in the United States.
Description
The cemetery is located above 4th Avenue and east of N Street in ...
.
Image:CharlesWPenroseGrave.jpg,
Image:CharlesWPenroseHeadstone.jpg,
Hymns
Some of Penrose's poems were put to music and became
LDS Church hymns. Penrose's "Up, Awake, Ye Defenders of Zion"—originally a militant hymn containing references to trials of Latter-day Saints in the central United States and the threatening United States government (ironically set to the melody for "
Columbia, Gem of the Ocean
"Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" is an American patriotic song which was popular in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Composed 1843, it was long used as an unofficial national anthem of the United States, in competition ...
")—became an anthem for Latter-day Saints during the difficulties preceding and during the
Utah War
The Utah War (1857–1858), also known as the Utah Expedition, Utah Campaign, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between Mormon settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the US go ...
of 1857–58.
[Cracroft, in Walker and Dant, pp. 149–50.]
Some of Penrose's lyrics appear in the LDS Church's
1985 hymnal, including:
*"God of Our Fathers, We Come Unto Thee"
*"O Ye Mountains High"
*"School Thy Feelings"
*"Up, Awake, Ye Defenders of Zion" (with modified lyrics, 1985)
Notes
References
*.
*
Cracroft, Richard H., "'Oh, What Songs of the Heart': Zion's Hymns as Sung by the Pioneers", in
Ronald W. Walker
Ronald Warren Walker (1939 – May 9, 2016) was an American historian of the Latter Day Saint movement and a professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) and president of the Mormon History Association. His work, acclaimed by the Mormon History As ...
and Doris R. Dant, ''Nearly Everything Imaginable: The Everyday life of Utah's Mormon Pioneers'' (Provo, Utah:
Brigham Young University Press
Brigham Young University Press (BYU Press) is the university press of Brigham Young University (BYU).
History
Brigham Young University Press was formed in 1967 through the consolidation of BYU's various publishing activities into one central or ...
, 1999 .)
External links
*
Grampa Bill's General Authority Pages a pamphlet published by Penrose
*
Charles W. Penrose papers, MSS SC 680a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections Brigham Young University
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penrose, Charles W.
1832 births
1925 deaths
19th-century Mormon missionaries
Apostles (LDS Church)
Brigham Young Academy faculty
Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery
Converts to Mormonism
Counselors in the First Presidency (LDS Church)
Deseret News people
English emigrants to the United States
English hymnwriters
English Mormon missionaries
Infectious disease deaths in Utah
English Latter Day Saint hymnwriters
English Latter Day Saint writers
Members of the Utah Territorial Legislature
19th-century American politicians
Mormon missionaries in the United Kingdom
Official historians of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Utah Democrats
English general authorities (LDS Church)