Laura Elizabeth Harris Hales (August 12, 1967 – April 13, 2022) was an American writer, historian, and podcaster who focused on matters of history, theology, and culture 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) of which she was a life-long member.

Early life

Hales was born in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, and grew up in Michigan and Minnesota. Alfred, her father, was an agricultural engineer and her mother Margaret Harris (née Lewis) worked as a teacher. She obtained a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in international relations from

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-d ...

in 1988 and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in professional writing from

New England College New England College (NEC) is a private liberal arts college in Henniker, New Hampshire. As of Fall 2020 New England College's enrollment was 4,327 students (1,776 undergraduate and 2,551 graduate). The college is regionally accredited by the N ...

in 2013. In 2020, she obtained a master's degree in history with a focus on North American history from the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at Arizona State University.

Writings and podcasts

Hales and her second husband, Brian C. Hales, published extensively on

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, ...

and his

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is ...

and maintain the website JosephSmithsPolygamy.org. Hales edited a series of essays, ''A Reason for Faith: Navigating LDS Doctrine and Church History'', that provide complex context and answers for troubling aspects of the LDS Church's past. “There is a need for a broader discussion of 19th-century Latter-day Saint women who cry out for identities beyond a wife number or an age,” she said in an interview with the church's website From the Desk discussing the era of polygamy in the Latter-Day Saints. “Filtering their lives only through their relationships to their husbands does little to resolve the silences of women’s history.” In 2016, Hales created the Latter-day Saint Perspectives podcast that explores 'Latter-day Saint history, doctrine, and culture' through interviews with authors, scholars, and historians. Episodes include interviews with Fiona Givens, Kate Holbrook, Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye, and Patrick Q. Mason. As of 2021 she served as the executive director and frequent host of the podcast. In May 2021, Hales announced that the podcast would not be adding any new shows and Hales would be pursuing other projects.

Personal life

Hales was a member of the LDS Church. She was married to Brian Dursteler from 1988 until their divorce in 2005; the couple had five children. She married Brian C. Hales in 2013; combined from their respective families, they had nine children."Laura Harris Hales"
''Ensign Peak Foundation'', Retrieved on March 9, 2021. Hales died from pancreatic cancer at her home in

Kaysville, Utah Kaysville is a city in Davis County, Utah. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield metropolitan area. The population was 27,300 at the time of the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 32,390 in 2019. History Shortly after Latter Day Sain ...

, on April 13, 2022, aged 54.

Bibliography

* ''A Reason for Faith: Navigating LDS Doctrine and Church History'' (Editor)

Deseret Book Company Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

, 2016. * ''Joseph Smith's Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding'' (with Brian C. Hales) Greg Kofford Books, Incorporated, 2015. * ''Viewing the Temple Through

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 ...

’s Eyes (Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture Book 18)'' The Interpreter Foundation, 2015.

References

External links

Latter-day Saint Perspectives Website

''Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding'', Fair Mormon Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hales, Laura Harris 1967 births 2022 deaths 21st-century American historians 21st-century American women writers American Latter Day Saint writers American podcasters American religious writers American women historians American women podcasters Arizona State University alumni Brigham Young University alumni Deaths from cancer in Utah Deaths from pancreatic cancer Historians from Michigan Historians from Minnesota Historians from Wisconsin Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement Mormon studies scholars New England College alumni Women religious writers Writers from Madison, Wisconsin