Parley P. Pratt
| Parley P Pratt | |
|---|---|
Pratt, ca. 1845
|
|
|
|
|
| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| February 21, 1835 – May 13, 1857 | |
| LDS Church Apostle | |
| February 21, 1835 – May 13, 1857 | |
| Reason | Initial organization of Quorum of the Twelve |
| Reorganization at end of term |
George Q. Cannon ordained |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Parley Parker Pratt April 12, 1807 Burlington, New York, United States |
| Died | May 13, 1857 (aged 50) Alma, Arkansas, United States |
Parley Parker Pratt Sr. (April 12, 1807 – May 13, 1857) was an early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement whose writings became a significant early nineteenth-century exposition of the Latter Day Saint faith. Named in 1835 as one of the first members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Pratt was part of the Quorum's successful mission to Great Britain from 1839 to 1841. Pratt has been called "the Apostle Paul of Mormonism" for his promotion of distinctive Mormon doctrines.
Pratt explored and surveyed Parley's Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah (named in his honor), and subsequently built and maintained the first road for public transportation in the canyon.
Pratt practiced plural marriage. He was murdered in 1857 by the estranged husband of his twelfth wife. He had a total of 30 children, and his living descendants in 2011 were estimated to number 30,000 to 50,000. He was the great-great-grandfather of Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican candidate for President of the United States and the great-great-great-grandfather of Jon Huntsman Jr., a one-time governor of Utah and American diplomat.
Pratt was born in Burlington, New York, to Jared Pratt (1769–1839) and his wife Charity Dickinson (1776–1849), a descendant of Anne Hutchinson. He married Thankful Halsey in Canaan, New York, on September 9, 1827.
The young couple migrated west, where they settled near Cleveland, Ohio, where Pratt had constructed a crude home. In Ohio, Pratt became a member of the Reformed Baptist Society, also called "Disciples of Christ", influenced by the preaching of Sidney Rigdon. Pratt soon decided to take up the Disciples ministry as a profession, and sold his property.
While traveling to visit family in western New York, Pratt read a copy of the Book of Mormon owned by a Baptist deacon. Convinced of its authenticity, he traveled to Palmyra, and spoke to Hyrum Smith. Pratt was baptized in Seneca Lake by Oliver Cowdery on or about September 1, 1830, formally joining the Latter Day Saints church. He was ordained to the office of an elder in the church. Continuing on to his family's home, he introduced his younger brother, Orson Pratt, to Mormonism and baptized him on September 19, 1830.
...
Wikipedia