Dean Cornell Jessee
(born 1929) is a
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
of the early
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by J ...
and leading expert on the writings of
Joseph Smith Jr.
Biography
Jessee was one of the sons of Phillip Cornell Jessee and Minerva Boss. He was raised in
Springville, Utah
Springville is a city in Utah County, Utah that is part of the Provo–Orem metropolitan area. The population was 35,268 in 2020, according to the United States Census. Springville is a bedroom community for commuters who work in the Provo- ...
as a member 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 nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
(LDS Church). He served an
LDS mission to
Germany.
In 1959, Jessee received his
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in
LDS church history from the College of Religion at
Brigham Young University
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 ...
(BYU), writing his thesis on the controversial topic of
Mormon fundamentalism
Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of Joseph Smith, Bri ...
(
D. Michael Quinn
Dennis Michael Quinn (March 26, 1944 – April 21, 2021) was an American historian who focused on the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was a professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1976 until ...
claims BYU restricted access to this paper for several years). He then taught
LDS Seminary
The Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, sec ...
for four years at
West High School in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...
.
[
In his career, Jesse was a respected ]archivist
An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consis ...
, editor and historian, as well as an authority on early Mormon handwriting. Davis Bitton
Ronald Davis Bitton (February 22, 1930 – April 13, 2007) was a charter member and president of the Mormon History Association, professor of history at the University of Utah, and official Assistant Church Historian in the Church of Jesus Chris ...
called him one of the " ormonhistorians who are deeply familiar with the sources on Mormon origins etstill find it possible to remain in the fold." In addition to his mission, Jessee has served in his local Salt Lake City congregation as a home teacher and counselor of the high priest
The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste.
Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods reve ...
group, as well as a stake
Stake may refer to:
Entertainment
* '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game
* '' The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film
* "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from ''Book of Dreams''
* ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...
family history
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...
coordinator.
Jessee married Margaret June Wood[ and they had eight children and reside in Salt Lake City. Jessee's younger brother Donald served in the LDS Church as ]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 Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. ...
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
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 ...
and as a Regional Representative.
Church Historian's Office
In 1964, Jessee was hired by the Church Historian's Office
Church Historian and Recorder (usually shortened to Church Historian) is a Priesthood (LDS Church), priesthood Calling (LDS Church), calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to ke ...
under Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. (July 19, 1876 – July 2, 1972) was an American religious leader and writer who served as the tenth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1970 until his death in 1972. He was t ...
as an archivist
An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consis ...
in the church historical archives.[
While ]Leonard J. Arrington
Leonard James Arrington (July 2, 1917 – February 11, 1999) was an American author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association. He is known as the "Dean of Mormon History" and "the Father of Mormon History" because of his man ...
was researching a book on the Mormon development of western America, he met Jessee in the church archives during 1967. As a cataloguer of manuscripts, Jessee informed Arrington of many useful documents in the archive that historians had not yet studied. Arrington later recalled that at the time Jessee was "Intelligent, well-informed, hardworking, and modest," and that "he knew more about the documents of LDS history than any other person."
In the late 1960s, Jessee was invited by Truman G. Madsen, at BYU's Institute of Mormon Studies, to publish articles on Joseph Smith and early Mormon history in ''BYU Studies
''BYU Studies Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering a broad array of topics related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon studies). It is published by the church-owned Brigham Young University. The journal is abstracted a ...
''. This began Jessee's research and publication in early Mormon manuscripts and historical documents.
In 1972, Leonard J. Arrington became the official Church Historian
Church Historian and Recorder (usually shortened to Church Historian) is a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of th ...
. He requested the transfer of Jessee from the archives to the new History Division, a newly created, impressive team of historians for researching and writing of new Mormon histories.[ One such work, Jessee's 1974 ''Letters of Brigham Young to his Sons'', caused ]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 ...
Boyd K. Packer to bring concerns to 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 ...
about the Historical Department's "orientation toward scholarly work," an early sign of the tension that would eventually lead to the History Division's disbandment. Jessee was also assigned by Arrington to locate, collect and transcribe all of Joseph Smith Jr.'s writings, a work inspired by the ''Thomas Jefferson Papers'' of the 1950s and those of other Founding Fathers
The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...
.[
In the 1980s, Jessee was a major player in the Historical Department's examinations of important historical documents produced by ]Mark Hofmann
Mark William Hofmann (born December 7, 1954) is an American counterfeiter, forger, and convicted murderer. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished forgers in history, Hofmann is especially noted for his creation of documents related ...
, which were later found to be forgeries
Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbid ...
. Jessee was considered the preeminent expert on early Mormon handwriting, especially 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 ...
's, and he authenticated and defended a number of Hofmann's forgeries, including the famous " Salamander Letter". Hofmann's extensive deception of document and forgery experts led him to be called "unquestionably the most skilled forger this country has ever seen".
Jessee served as a research historian in the church's Historical Department until 1981, when he was transferred to the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History
The Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History (later renamed to Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History) was an academic research organization at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1980 to 2005 that sought to promo ...
at Brigham Young University
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 ...
(BYU). At BYU, he was also an associate professor of history and LDS Church history.
Joseph Smith Papers
As a Senior Historical Associate then Senior Research Fellow, Jessee served for nineteen years in the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute.[ During this time he continued his earlier work to produce the papers of Joseph Smith. In 1984, he published most of Smith's own writings and many of his dictations in ''The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith''. This research continued to expand into two volumes of ''The Papers of Joseph Smith'', one in 1989 on Smith's autobiographical and historical writings, and the other in 1992 on Smith's journals.][
Jessee's efforts were eventually made an official joint effort of BYU and the LDS Church in 2001, called the ]Joseph Smith Papers Project
''The Joseph Smith Papers'' (or Joseph Smith Papers Project) is a project researching, collecting, and publishing all manuscripts and documents created by, or under the direction of, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the founder of the Latter Day Saint ...
. This is intended to be a large multi-volume series, including virtually everything written by Joseph Smith, by his office, or under his direction.[ That year, Larry H. Miller, a Salt Lake City businessman and ]philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
, began funding the venture. In 2005, Miller announced the goal of completing the project by 2015, "while Dean Jessee is still around", since Jessee was then in his 70s. Jessee is general manager of the project along with Richard Bushman
Richard Lyman Bushman (June 20, 1931) is an American historian and Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, having previously taught at Brigham Young University, Harvard University, Boston University, and the Univ ...
and Ron Esplin
Ronald Kent Esplin (born 1944) is the managing editor of The Joseph Smith Papers project and the former director of the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History at Brigham Young University (BYU).
Biography
Esplin was born in ...
.[
]
Honors
* Best Article Award for "The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History" (Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
: 1971)
* Best Book Award for ''Letters of Brigham Young to his Sons'' (Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
: 1975)
* Vice-president of the Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
(1978–79)
* President of the Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
(1980–81)
* First winner of the Grace Arrington Award for Historical Excellence (Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
: 1982)
* The T. Edgar Lyon Award for Best Article for "Return to Carthage: Writing the History of Joseph Smith’s Martyrdom" (Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
: 1983)
* Best Book Award in documentary history for ''The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith'' (Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
: 1984)
* Steven F. Christensen Best Documentary Award for ''The Papers of Joseph Smith: Autobiographical and Historical Writings'', vol. 1 (Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
: 1989)
* Steven F. Christensen Best Documentary Award for ''Steven F. Christensen Best Documentary Award'' (Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
: 1992)
* Steven F. Christensen Best Documentary Award for ''The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals, vol. 1, 1832-1839'' (Mormon History Association
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
: 2009)
* Special Award in Textual Criticism and Bibliography for ''The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals, vol. 1, 1832-1839'' (Association for Mormon Letters
The Association for Mormon Letters (AML) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 to "foster scholarly and creative work in Mormon letters and to promote fellowship among scholars and writers of Mormon literature." Other stated purposes have inc ...
: 2009)
Writings
In the 1980s, Jessee worked on editing some of Wilford Woodruff's journals[ though he never published them.
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Reviews
The following are published reviews of Jessee's writings:
Letters of Brigham Young to His Sons
* William Mulder (Winter 1974), '' Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought''
pp. 77–80
* S. George Ellsworth (Winter 1975), ''Utah Historical Quarterly'': pp
190–91
* Jan Shipps
Jo Ann Barnett Shipps (born 1929), known as Jan Shipps, is an American historian specializing in Mormon history, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century to the present. Shipps is generally regarded as the foremost non-Mormon schola ...
(March 1975), ''Journal of American History
''The Journal of American History'' is the official academic journal of the Organization of American Historians. It covers the field of American history and was established in 1914 as the ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'', the official jo ...
'': pp. 1007–08
* Stanford J. Layton (Spring 1975), ''BYU Studies
''BYU Studies Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering a broad array of topics related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon studies). It is published by the church-owned Brigham Young University. The journal is abstracted a ...
''
pp.378–80
The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith
* Richard Lloyd Anderson
Richard Lloyd Anderson (9 May 1926 – 12 August 2018) was an American lawyer and theologist of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was a professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University (BYU). His book ''Inve ...
(1984), ''Journal of Mormon History
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
''
pp.113–18
* Golden A. Buchmiller (September 2, 1984), ''Church News
The ''Church News'' (or ''LDS Church News'') is a weekly tabloid-sized supplement to the ''Deseret News'' and the '' MormonTimes'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is ...
'': p. 14
* (Winter 1985), ''Utah Historical Quarterly'': p. 107–08
* Marvin S. Hill (Summer 1985), ''BYU Studies
''BYU Studies Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering a broad array of topics related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon studies). It is published by the church-owned Brigham Young University. The journal is abstracted a ...
''
pp. 117–25
* Roger D. Launius (Summer 1989), '' Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought''
pp.142–43
* Ronald E. Romig (Spring 2004), ''Journal of Mormon History
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
''
pp. 221–24
The Papers of Joseph Smith
* Roger D. Launius (Fall 1990), '' Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought''
pp. 203–04
* Roger D. Launius (Winter 1990), ''Illinois Historical Journal'': p. 284
* James C. Bedford (Fall 1991), ''Journal of the Early Republic'': pp. 451–52
* Richard Dilworth Rust (1993), ''BYU Studies
''BYU Studies Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering a broad array of topics related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon studies). It is published by the church-owned Brigham Young University. The journal is abstracted a ...
''
pp. 339–44
* Richard L. Bushman (Spring 1993), ''Journal of Mormon History
The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...
''
pp.183–87
* David J. Whittaker (June 1993), ''Church History
__NOTOC__
Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception.
Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual ...
'': pp. 283–84
Notes
References
* .
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jessee, Dean C.
1929 births
20th-century Mormon missionaries
American Latter Day Saint writers
American Mormon missionaries in Germany
Brigham Young University alumni
Brigham Young University faculty
Brigham Young University staff
Church Educational System instructors
Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Living people
People from Springville, Utah
Writers from Salt Lake City