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List of Mormon fundamentalist leaders

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Mormon fundamentalist leaders include anyone who leads or has led a Mormon fundamentalist group. With the dozens of Mormon fundamentalist groups, there have been perhaps as many as a hundred past Mormon fundamentalist leaders.

[edit] Early Mormon leaders

These leaders were presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which authorized plural marriage for many years. Mormon fundamentalists generally accept the first three LDS Church presidents as prophets of God:

• Joseph Smith Jr. (1829–1844)^[1]
• Brigham Young (1847–1877)^[2]
• John Taylor (1877–1887)^[3]

Some Mormon fundamentalists also regard the next three LDS Church presidents as leaders because of their post-1890 support for plural marriage. However, some reject the LDS Church presidents beginning at Wilford Woodruff due to Woodruff's decision to issue the 1890 Manifesto. Many others reject Joseph F. Smith due to his issuance of the Second Manifesto in 1904.

• Wilford Woodruff (1887–1898)^[4]
• Lorenzo Snow (1898–1901)^[5]
• Joseph F. Smith (1901–1918)^[6]

[edit] Major Mormon fundamentalist groups

When The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began excommunicating members who practiced polygamy after the Second Manifesto, Mormon fundamentalist groups began breaking away from the LDS Church. Early on, there were two main Mormon fundamentalist groups. One was the Short Creek Community in Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah. The other was the LeBaron family group in Mexico.

[edit] Short Creek community and groups which evolved from it

[edit] Pre-split Short Creek leaders

The following are the leaders of the Short Creek Community prior to its split.^[7][8][9]

• John W. Woolley (1918–1928)
• Lorin C. Woolley (1928–1934)
• J. Leslie Broadbent (1934–1935)
• John Y. Barlow (1935–1949)
• Joseph W. Musser (1949–1954)

[edit] Kingstons

Due to a succession conflict after J. Leslie Broadbent's death, Charles W. Kingston and Elden Kingston created the splinter group called the Latter Day Church of Christ, or "Kingston clan."^[9]

• Charles W. Kingston (supported leaders from 1935 until his death in 1975)
• Elden Kingston (1935–1947)
• John Ortell Kingston (1947–1987)
• Paul Elden Kingston (1987– )

[edit] Apostolic United Brethren

Joseph W. Musser ordained Rulon C. Allred to the Council of Friends. The Council refused to admit Allred, resulting in a split whereby those that followed Allred became known as the Apostolic United Brethren. Musser ordained a new council called the 1952 New Priesthood Council.^[10] The presidency line of the AUB is as follows.^[9]

• Joseph W. Musser (1949–1954)
• Rulon C. Allred (1954–1977)
• Owen A. Allred (1977–2005)
• J. LaMoine Jensen (2005– )

[edit] Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

After the Short Creek community split in two, it continued to thrive and became known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints under Leroy S. Johnson. Its leaders include the following.^[9]

• Charles Zitting (1954)
• LeRoy S. Johnson (1954–1986)
• Rulon Jeffs (1986–2002)
• Warren Jeffs (de facto leader) (2002–2007)
• Merril Jessop (de facto leader) (2007-)
• William E. Jessop (appointed successor)(2007– )
• Wendell L. Nielsen (legal president) (2010- )

[edit] Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

After the murder of Rulon C. Allred in 1977 Gerald Peterson, Sr proclaimed that Allred had passed on the priesthood to him. Peterson went on to found the Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the following year.

• Gerald Peterson, Sr (1978–1981)
• Gerald Peterson, Jr (1981– )

[edit] Centennial Park ("Second Ward")

Under Leroy Johnson's leadership, Marion Hammon and Alma Timpson were dismissed from the Short Creek community in 1983; they went on to create the "Second Ward" in Centennial Park, Arizona, so named to distinguish it from the FLDS Church, which they call the "First Ward".^[11] The leaders of the group are as follows.^[9]

• J. Marion Hammon (1983–1988)
• Alma A. Timpson (1988–1997)
• John W. Timpson (1997–present)