Matthias F. Cowley
| Matthias F. Cowley | |
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| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| October 7, 1897 – October 28, 1905 | |
| End reason | Removed from Quorum because of Cowley's opposition to church's stance on plural marriage |
| LDS Church Apostle | |
| October 7, 1897 – May 11, 1911 | |
| Reason | Removal of Moses Thatcher from Quorum of the Twelve; death of Abraham H. Cannon |
| End reason | Priesthood suspended because of Cowley's opposition to church's stance on plural marriage |
| Reorganization at end of term |
No apostles ordained |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Matthias Foss Cowley August 25, 1858 Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, United States |
| Died | June 16, 1940 (aged 81) Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
Matthias Foss Cowley (August 25, 1858 – June 16, 1940) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1897 until 1905. He resigned from the Quorum of the Twelve due to his unwillingness to support the church's abolition of plural marriage. He and John W. Taylor are the most recent apostles of the LDS Church to have resigned from their positions.
Cowley was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory. He was ordained an apostle on October 7, 1897, by church president Wilford Woodruff. He replaced Moses Thatcher, who was removed from the Quorum at the April 1896 General Conference. Cowley was widely noted in the church for his sermons on doctrine.
Cowley submitted his resignation from the Quorum of the Twelve, at the request of church president Joseph F. Smith, on October 28, 1905, because his presence in the hierarchy undermined the church's position in the Reed Smoot hearings. Cowley was notorious for having performed marriages that contravened the church's 1890 Manifesto, which prohibited the contracting of new plural marriages. Apostle John W. Taylor resigned for the same reason at the same time. With the death of apostle Marriner W. Merrill in early February of the next year, there were three vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve. At the April 1906 General Conference, the resignations of Cowley and Taylor were presented to and accepted by the general church membership. As a result, three new apostles were called to replace them and Merrill: George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, and David O. McKay.
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