Official Website Presidents and PROPHETS The Story of America’s Presidents and the LDS Church By Michael K. Winder
 
Excerpt from Presidents and Prophets (Chapter 16): As a young legislator in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln knew the Mormons, likely met Joseph Smith, and helped approve the Nauvoo Charter. His path crossed with the Mormons later during his presidency when he signed the first antipolygamy legislation into law, but he also gained popularity with the Saints through a “let them be” philosophy. In many ways, Lincoln’s laissezfaire attitude toward the Mormons was an oasis from the harshness of Presidents from Pierce through Arthur, a thirty-two-year period. LINCOLN’S ASSISTANCE WITH THE NAUVOO CHARTER: Abraham Lincoln was a pivotal figure in helping the Mormons secure the Nauvoo charter, which granted the city unprecedented autonomy. Future counselor to Joseph Smith and mayor of Nauvoo, John C. Bennett, wrote the following in the Times and Seasons in December 1840, upon the approval of the charter: Many members of the House were warmly in our favor, and with only one or two dissenting voices, every representative appeared inclined to extend to us all such powers as they considered us justly entitled to, and voted for the law; and here I should not forget to mention that Lincoln . . . had the magnanimity to vote for our act, and came forward after the final vote to the bar of the House and congratulated me on its passage. The young legislator was not showing favoritism to Nauvoo, however, for it was said “Lincoln helped cities such as Nauvoo as a matter of course.” Yet such assistance was greatly appreciated by the Saints. PRESIDENT LINCOLN VISITED BY LDS LEADERS: George Q. Cannon and territorial delegate William H. Hooper, who had been elected senators from the proposed state of Deseret, called upon Lincoln on 9 June 1862. Amazingly the chief executive found time to receive them. “The President has a plain, but shrewd and rather pleasant face,” wrote Cannon. “He is very tall, probably 6 feet 4 inches high, and is rather awkwardly built, heightened by his want of flesh. He looks much better than I expected he would do from my knowledge of the cares and labors of his position, and is quite humorous, scarcely permitting a visit to pass without uttering some joke. He received us very kindly and without formality. Conversed some little upon Utah affairs and other matters.” Lincoln asked about the population of Utah Territory and “appeared to be satisfied” upon learning that the population had surged from 11,000 in 1850 to over 40,000 in 1862. However, he would not commit himself on the subject of Utah statehood. A year later, Thomas B. H. Stenhouse, an LDS representative in Washington, met with Lincoln. In a letter to Brigham Young dated 7 June 1863 he reported the Great Emancipator as saying: Stenhouse, when I was a boy on the farm in Illinois there was a great deal of timber on the farm which we had to clear away. Occasionally we would come to a log which had fallen down. It was too hard to split, too wet to burn, and too heavy to move, so we plowed around it. You go back and tell Brigham Young that if he will let me alone I will let him alone. “Lincoln’s policies demonstrated remarkable political practicality,” notes historian Larry Schweikart. “Lincoln apparently made two assumptions when dealing with the Mormons: the leader could maintain order without the help of the federal government, and Lincoln could deal directly with the leader, circumventing the traditional territorial systems.” Another historian, George U. Hubbard, asserts that Lincoln’s pronouncement of his “let them alone” policy was the real turning point in the Latter-day Saint view toward Lincoln. It was “the kind of governmental policy which the Mormons had sought in vain for the past thirty-three years”—no special privileges, but freedom to worship God without unjust interference. LINCOLN’S LEGACY WITH THE SAINTS: “I always had a liking for Abe Lincoln,” related Brigham Young in his later years, “and if he had come out here and known us, he would have understood us and liked us, and I’d have told him ‘another’ [story] to match his every time, and then we wouldn’t have heard so much rot about our ways.” The admiration and respect for the Great Emancipator continued to grow after his death. It seemed, both among the Latter-day Saints and America in general, that the longer Lincoln was dead, the larger he loomed as a heroic figure. LDS officials have publicly praised Lincoln or quoted reverently from his words over two hundred times in general conference. For example, Elder Hyrum M. Smith, an Apostle, taught in a 1905 general conference, “I believe Abraham Lincoln was raised up to do God’s will.” President Heber J. Grant referred to the sixteenth President as “that great and wonderful man, Abraham Lincoln, who all Latter-day Saints believe firmly was raised up and inspired of God Almighty.” He added, “Perhaps no other people in all the world look upon Abraham Lincoln as an inspired servant of God, a man raised up by God to occupy the presidential chair, as much as do the Latter-day Saints.” On Lincoln’s one hundredth birthday, 12 February 1909, former Apostle Matthias F. Cowley participated in the proxy sealings for the President and Mary Todd Lincoln in the Salt Lake Temple. He also had Lincoln sealed to his former sweetheart that day, Ann Mayes Rutledge, whose early death had broken young Lincoln’s heart. In the nation’s bicentennial year, the LDS First Presidency reminded the Saints that “Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth president, taught that God rules in the affairs of men and nations.” They provided a copy of and asked members to read Lincoln’s 30 March 1863 proclamation entitled “God Rules in the Affairs of Men.” Today Lincoln continues to emerge in LDS conference talks, lesson manuals, and anecdotes. President James E. Faust once told about a meeting of the Brigham Young University board of trustees where he was trying to make the point that academic grades shouldn’t be the sole criteria for entrance into the university. “Even Abraham Lincoln couldn’t qualify for admission to the J. Reuben Clark Law School,” President Faust exclaimed. Then-BYU president Rex Lee quipped, “He showed up one day, but he had a beard.” About Mike Contact Mike Winder Appearances Mike’s Books Reviews of Presidents and Prophets Check out Mike Winder’s latest book: Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church Published by Covenant Communications Purchase these other Mike Winder titles online !!! John R. Winder: Pioneer, Temple Builder, Dairyman Counselors to the Prophets The Christmas Animals: A Children's Book Presiding Bishops Utah in 2050: Glimpses of Our Future Ned Winder: The Antics and Adventures of a Utah Legend Site design by: Contact Webmaster About Mike Presidents and Prophets Reviews Book Excerpts Appearances Mike’s Books Contact Site map Home
Clips from the DVD: Clip 1 Clip 2http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vScmOEEAW_8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7ofqH3KSswshapeimage_35_link_0shapeimage_35_link_1
Available at Deseret Book and Seagull Book and Tape