Ronald Warren Walker (1939 – May 9, 2016) was an American historian of the Latter Day Saint movement and a professor 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) and 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 ...

. His work, acclaimed by the Mormon History Association, dealt with the

Godbeites The Godbeites were members of the ''Godbeite Church'', officially called the ''Church of Zion'', organized in 1870 by William S. Godbe. This dissident offshoot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was aimed toward embracing all be ...

, 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 ...

, and the

Mountain Meadows Massacre The Mountain Meadows Massacre (September 7–11, 1857) was a series of attacks during the Utah War that resulted in the mass murder of at least 120 members of the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train. The massacre occurred in the southern U ...

, among other topics.

Biography

Walker was born in

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

, and raised in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

and the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He graduated from high school in

Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

. Walker attended BYU, where he received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1961 and a

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 1965. He received a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1968, and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

in 1977, writing his dissertation on the Godbeites. Walker later developed the ideas in the thesis into ''Wayward Saints: The Godbeites and Brigham Young.'' During his graduate studies, Walker had worked in the

Institute of Religion An Institute of Religion is a local organization that provides religious education for young adults (ages 18–30) who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Local institutes may function in church meetinghous ...

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) in Salt Lake City. He joined the LDS Church Historical Department under

Leonard 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 ...

in 1976. In 1980, he was transferred to BYU to become a professor of history and inaugural member of the

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church 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 ...

. He later served as a senior research fellow at the Smith Institute and acting director of the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies. He was president of the

during 1991–92. During his career, Walker wrote or edited eight books and dozens of journal articles including ''Massacre at Mountain Meadows'', ''Wayward Saints: The Godbeites and Brigham Young''. At the time of his death on May 9, 2016, Walker was working on a biography on Brigham Young and a multi-volume work on Heber J. Grant. Of his death, LDS Church historian Richard E. Turley stated, " ormon and Utah historyhave lost one of their finest and most nuanced narrators." Benjamin E. Park stated that Walker's expertise was in analyzing social dynamics and taking into account multiple viewpoints, especially in ''Mountain Meadows Massacre,'' which Park described as a "watershed in the LDS Church’s historical conscience." Walkers's work on the Utah War showed the politics, social contexts, and human flaws behind the conflict. Walker and his wife, Nelani Midgley, had seven children.

Awards

Walker has received several awards from the Mormon History Association. He received the Leonard Arrington award for lifelong service as a historian in 1983. He received the best book award in 1999 for ''Wayward Saints: The Godbeites and Brigham Young'' and in 2009 with his co-authors for ''Mountain Meadows Massacre''. He received the award for best bibliography in 2010, the best article award in 1989, 2003, 2004, and 2005, and an award for best manuscript submitted to the ''Journal of Mormon History'' in 1993. He received a special citation in 2001. He received the Dale L. Morgan award for best article published in ''Utah Historical Quarterly''.

Writings

Walker was widely published in the field of Mormon history and historian

called him "one of the church's most sophisticated writers." The following is a partial list of Walker's writings and publications: *. *. ''(Republished by the University of Utah in 2009)'' *. *. *. *. *. *. *.

References

External links

Ronald W. Walker
at the MLCA Database * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Ronald W. 1939 births 2016 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Brigham Young University alumni Brigham Young University faculty Church Educational System instructors Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement Writers from Bakersfield, California Writers from Missoula, Montana Stanford University alumni University of Utah alumni Latter Day Saints from Montana Latter Day Saints from Iowa Latter Day Saints from California Latter Day Saints from Utah Harold B. Lee Library-related 20th century articles