A Symbol of New Directions : George Franklin Richards and the Mormon Church, 1861-1950
Brigham Young University
1982
Ph.D. diss.
"George Franklin Richards (1861-1950) served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from April 1906 until his death in August 1950. He became a member of the Mormon hierarchy during the period when the Church was moving away from its early concern with plural marriage, economic exclusiveness, and the political kingdom of God. To prevent the Church from being absorbed into cultural and sectarian anonymity, these new directions required theological and organizational adjustment to twentieth century social and political realities. George F. Richards is a symbol of these changes because his life covered a time during which the goal of empire building was replaced by efforts toward doctrinal clarity and ecclesiastical reinvigoration. His presidency of the European Mission and the Salt Lake Temple as well as his service as acting patriarch to the Church and supervisor of all Church temples were significant contributions in achieving these new objectives. Because he had no personal ties to the issues that had caused the Church so many problems in the nineteenth century, it was easier for him to adjust to these new directions and thus become a symbol of Mormonism during the first half of the twentieth century." [Author's abstract]