Willard Richards

Willard Richards
Second Counselor in the First Presidency
December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27) – March 11, 1854 (1854-03-11)
Called by	Brigham Young
Predecessor	William Law
Successor	Jedediah M. Grant
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 14, 1840 (1840-04-14) – December 27, 1847 (1847-12-27)
Called by	Joseph Smith
Predecessor	William Smith
Successor	Lyman Wight
End reason	Called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency
LDS Church Apostle
April 14, 1840 (1840-04-14) – March 11, 1854 (1854-03-11)
Called by	Joseph Smith
Reason	Replenishing Quorum of the Twelve
Reorganization at end of term	Jedediah M. Grant ordained and added to First Presidency
Personal details
Born	(1804-06-24)June 24, 1804 Hopkinton, Massachusetts, United States
Died	Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, United States
Resting place	Salt Lake City Cemetery
Spouse(s)	14
Parents	Joseph and Rhoda Howe Richards
Signature

Willard Richards (June 24, 1804 – March 11, 1854) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served as Second Counselor in the First Presidency to church president Brigham Young in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until his death.

Willard Richards was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe on June 24, 1804. At the age of four, he injured his head in a fall and was left with some residual muscle tremor and paralysis. As the injury limited his physical activity, he focused his attention on education and obtained a teacher's certificate at age sixteen. He taught school in Chatham, New York, and in Lanesborn, Massachusetts. Richards pursued additional studies in physical mechanics, science, and studied the clarinet. At the age of thirty, after the death of his sister Susan, Richards decided to become a physician. He studied at the Thomson Infirmary in Boston focusing on medication and herbal preparations. He then settled in Holliston, Massachusetts, where he practiced medicine. From a 21st-century perspective, Richards would probably be considered a pharmacist.

In 1836, Richards was introduced to the newly published Book of Mormon by his cousins, Joseph and Brigham Young. Richards read the book twice within ten days and, after making the necessary preparations, left for Kirtland, Ohio, to join the Church of the Latter Day Saints and be with its members. Richards was baptized there on December 31, 1836, by Brigham Young and ordained an elder in February 1837.

Church service

Shortly following his ordination, Richards was called on a brief three-month mission to the Eastern United States. Immediately upon his return, he was called on a more extended mission to Great Britain. Richards met his wife, Jennetta Richards, while on this mission. They had two surviving children, a son, Heber John, born in Manchester, England, in 1840, and a daughter, Rhoda Ann Jennetta, born in 1843 in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Richards was ordained an apostle on April 14, 1840, by Brigham Young. In 1841, he moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, to be with the body of the church and became the private secretary to Joseph Smith. In December 1842, Richards was called to be the Church Historian and Recorder, a position he held until his death. In these two capacities, Richards maintained the Mormon prophet's schedule and recorded most of his activities. As church historian, he subsequently wrote a total of 1,884 pages on the history of Joseph Smith. This work was later incorporated into The History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, edited by B. H. Roberts.

Richards was incarcerated in Carthage Jail with Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith and John Taylor on June 27, 1844, when the jail was attacked by a mob and the Smiths were murdered. Taylor was shot four times and severely injured, but survived the attack. Richards was unhurt and so supervised the removal of Taylor and the Smiths' bodies. His first-hand account of the event was published in the Times and Seasons.

Richards, his cousin Brigham Young and other church elders left Nauvoo in February 1846, spending the remainder of the year at Winter Quarters, Nebraska. This first group entered into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. They then went back to Winter Quarters, arriving on August 21, 1847, to gather the families for the Mormon Exodus of 1848. Richards was called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency under Brigham Young on December 27, 1847 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. After moving to Utah, Richards was involved in establishing the Deseret News, serving as its first Editor-in-Chief.

Death

Richards died in Salt Lake City on March 11, 1854, and was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Willard Richards' grave marker

Back of Willard Richards' grave marker

See also

• Richards–Young family

External links

• Willard Richards at Find a Grave
• Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: Willard Richards
• Two Minutes in Jail
• Works by or about Willard Richards in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles
Preceded by William Law	Second Counselor in the First Presidency December 27, 1847 – March 11, 1854	Succeeded by Jedediah M. Grant
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints titles Later renamed: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1844)
Preceded by William Smith	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles April 14, 1840 – December 27, 1847	Succeeded by Lyman Wight