Willard Richards
| Willard Richards | |
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| Second Counselor in the First Presidency | |
| December 27, 1847 – March 11, 1854 | |
| Predecessor | William Law |
| Successor | Jedediah M. Grant |
| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| April 14, 1840 – December 27, 1847 | |
| Predecessor | William Smith |
| Successor | Lyman Wight |
| End reason | Called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency |
| LDS Church Apostle | |
| April 14, 1840 – March 11, 1854 | |
| Reason | Replenishing Quorum of the Twelve |
| Reorganization at end of term |
Jedediah M. Grant ordained and added to First Presidency |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 24, 1804 Hopkinton, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | March 11, 1854 (aged 49) Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, United States |
| Resting place |
Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37″N 111°51′29″W / 40.777°N 111.858°W |
| Spouse(s) | 14 |
| Parents | Joseph and Rhoda Howe Richards |
| Signature | |
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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 Lanesborough, 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.
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. Richards was baptized there on December 31, 1836, by Brigham Young and ordained an elder in February 1837.
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.
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