The Anti-Mormon Party was a short-lived political party in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

in the early 1840s that espoused

anti-Mormonism Anti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed against the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The term is often used to describe people or literat ...

. The party was formed in Hancock County to oppose the political power

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 ...

held in

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its ...

, as the mayor of the city, head of the

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized militia of the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States. With growing antagonism from surrounding settlements it came to have as its main function the defense of Nauvoo, and surrounding Latter Day Saint ...

, and

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

to the city's

Latter Day Saint 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 Jo ...

residents. The party was organized in July 1841 by Thomas C. Sharp, editor of the ''

Warsaw Signal The ''Warsaw Signal'' was a newspaper edited and published in Warsaw, Illinois during the 1840s and early 1850s. For most of its history, the ''Signals editorial stance was one of vigorous anti-Mormonism and the advancement of the policies of th ...

''. The June 23 edition of the ''Warsaw Signal'' printed a report that delegates had been elected to the "Anti-Mormon Convention" that was to be held on June 28. The meeting also resolved " at it is expedient to hold a county convention, for the purpose of nominating candidates for the offices of School and County Commissioners, in opposition to Mormon influence and dictation." In 1841, the party nominated

Richard Wilton Richard Wilton (died 21 December 1239) was an English scholastic philosopher. Works His works included: *a commentary on the ''Sentences'' of Peter Lombard; *a treatise in five books against the heresies of his own age; *commentaries on the ''Boo ...

for Hancock County School Commissioner and Robert Miller for County Commissioner. Neither candidate was elected in the August 1841 elections. By 1844, the party was being referred to as the "Central Anti-Mormon Committee" of Hancock County; the committee was led by Sharp, William N. Grover, and Henry Stephens."Anti-Mormon Meeting"
''

'', 1844-02-07. The party continued its existence until it gradually died out after June 1844, when Joseph Smith was killed by an armed mob and the majority of Latter Day Saints subsequently made it known that they intended on leaving Illinois. The five men who were tried and acquitted of murdering Smith—Sharp, Grover,

Mark Aldrich Mark Aldrich (January 22, 1802 – September 21, 1873) was a founder of Warsaw, Illinois, and a politician: Illinois Senate, Illinois state senator for the Whig Party (United States), Whig Party, the first American mayor of Tucson, Arizona, and ...

, Jacob C. Davis, and

Levi Williams Levi Williams (1794–1860) was a Baptist minister and a member of the Illinois militia. He was active in opposing the presence of the Latter Day Saints in Hancock County, Illinois, during the 1840s. He is one of five defendants who were tried and ...

—were all members of the Anti-Mormon Party.

Notes

{{IllinoisPoliticalParties Criticism of Mormonism Political parties established in 1841 Hancock County, Illinois 1844 disestablishments in Illinois Political parties in Illinois Regional and state political parties in the United States Defunct political parties in the United States 1841 in American politics 1841 establishments in Illinois Mormonism and politics

See also

Notes