Jacob Gates (Mar 9, 1811 – April 14, 1892) was an early

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

leader and member of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventy 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 ...

. Gates was born in

St. Johnsbury, Vermont St. Johnsbury (known locally as "St. J") is the shire town (county seat) of Caledonia County, Vermont, Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 7,364. St. Johnsbury is situated ...

and married Mary Snow in 1833. That same year,

Orson Pratt Orson Pratt Sr. (September 19, 1811 – October 3, 1881) was an American mathematician and religious leader who was an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints). He became a member of the ...

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

him. In 1834, the couple moved near

Liberty, Missouri Liberty is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Missouri, United States and is a suburb of Kansas City, located in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 30,167. Liberty is home to Willi ...

. In late 1836, they moved to

Caldwell County, Missouri Caldwell County is a County (United States), county located in Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the county's population was 9,424. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Its county seat is King ...

. He served six separate missions over the course of his life:Gates, Jacob
The Journals of Jacob Gates
edited by KC Kern # First Midwestern mission (January 1836 – June 1836) # Mission to Canada (May 1839 – Oct 1839) # Second Midwestern mission (July 1841 – October 1841) # Mission to New England (June 1843 – May 1844) # First mission to England (February 1850 – March 1853) # Second mission to England (September 1859 – August 1861) In October 1844, he was made president of the fourth

quorum 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 Seventy. In 1849, Gates met with

Oliver Cowdery Oliver H. P. Cowdery (October 3, 1806 – March 3, 1850) was an American Mormon leader who, with Joseph Smith, was an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836. He was the first baptized ...

shortly before Cowdery died. During their conversation, Cowdery said,

Jacob, I want you to remember what I say to you. I am a dying man, and what would it profit me to tell you a lie? I know,' said he, 'that this Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God. My eyes saw, my ears heard, and my understanding was touched, and I know that whereof I testified is true. It was no dream, no vain imagination of the mind-it was real.

While in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England, on a mission in 1859,

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

wrote Gates to inform him he'd been called as one of the seven presidents of the Seventy. He was ordained in 1862, though he was sustained by the church on April 6, 1860. Following the death of Henry Harriman, Gates was the senior president of the Seventy from May 1891 until his own death in April 1892. Gates 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 ...

, representing

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

and Kane counties, from 1864 to 1867. Gates practiced

plural marriage Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more tha ...

and fathered 11 children. He died in Provo, Utah Territory.

References

1811 births 1892 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries American Mormon missionaries in England Converts to Mormonism Members of the Utah Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Latter Day Saints from Vermont Mormon pioneers People from St. Johnsbury, Vermont Presidents of the Seventy (LDS Church) American general authorities (LDS Church) Religious leaders from Vermont Latter Day Saints from Missouri {{LDS-stub