Moses Thatcher (February 2, 1842 – August 21, 1909) was 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 ...

and 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 ...

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 was one of only a few members of the Quorum of the Twelve to be dropped from the Quorum but to remain in good standing in the church and retain the priesthood office of

Early life

Thatcher was born in

Sangamon County, Illinois Sangamon County is located in the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 197,465. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital. Sangamon County is included in the Sp ...

, to Hezekiah Thatcher and Alena Kitchen. The Thatcher family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1843, and moved to Macedonia, Illinois, and later to Nauvoo. Together, with the main body of the church, they began their trek westward in 1846 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in September 1847. Hezekiah and Alena, with seven of their eight living children (including Thatcher), departed for

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in 1849, seeking to acquire wealth through the

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

. They returned 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 ...

in 1857. Thatcher was called to serve a mission for the church at age 15, from which he returned in 1858. In 1859, the family settled in Cache Valley, where Thatcher helped Hezekiah locate canal and mill sites. From 1860 to 1861, Thatcher studied at the

University of Deseret 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 D ...

. From 1866 to 1868, he served a second mission, this one to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. He later served as the church's first

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 o ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Apostolic service

Thatcher was called to be an

and a member of the

in April 1879. He was called to replace

Orson Hyde Orson Hyde (January 8, 1805 – November 28, 1878) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a member of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus ...

, who died on November 28, 1878. From 1880 to 1898, Thatcher was the second assistant to

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 ...

in the superintendency of the

Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association The Young Men (often referred to as Young Men's) is a youth organization and official program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Its purpose is to assist the church's Aaronic priesthood-aged young men in their growt ...

(YMMIA). At the April 1896 General Conference of the church, Thatcher was dropped from the Quorum of the Twelve in consequence of his not being "in harmony" with the other leaders of the church about a proposed policy called " The Political Rule of the Church," commonly referred to as "the political Manifesto." This policy would have required that the general authorities of the church to obtain the approval of the First Presidency before seeking public office. This statement was signed by all the apostles at the time except Thatcher, who refused on grounds of conscience, citing the church's long-standing position on political neutrality. (Apostle Anthon Lund also did not sign the document due to his absence while presiding over the church's European

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 ...

.) However, Thatcher was not excommunicated from the church and retained his position in the leadership of the YMMIA. Thatcher remained supportive of the church after being removed from the Quorum, testifying on many occasions of the divinity of the work and the divinity of the calling of its leaders. Matthias F. Cowley was called to replace Thatcher in the Quorum of the Twelve. Thatcher held the priesthood office of apostle until his death.

Post-Quorum of the Twelve service

After being removed from the quorum, Thatcher testified in the

Reed Smoot hearings The Reed Smoot hearings, also called Smoot hearings or the Smoot Case, were a series of Congressional hearings on whether the United States Senate should seat U.S. Senator Reed Smoot, who was elected by the Utah legislature in 1903. Smoot was a ...

held before the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. He was supportive of the church and its positions. Thatcher died at his home on August 21, 1909 in Logan, Utah. He is buried in the Logan Cemetery.

Notes

External links

Moses Thatcher's Missionary Diaries
Digital Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thatcher, Moses 1842 births 1909 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries American Mormon missionaries in France American Mormon missionaries in Mexico American Mormon missionaries in the United Kingdom American Mormon missionaries in the United States American general authorities (LDS Church) Apostles (LDS Church) Counselors in the General Presidency of the Young Men (organization) Latter Day Saints from California Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Utah Mission presidents (LDS Church) Mormon pioneers People from Logan, Utah People from Sangamon County, Illinois University of Utah alumni Utah Democrats