The second president of the Mormon church, Brigham Young, died on this day 134 years ago. Young was attracted by the Book of Mormon which was published in 1830, and he became a member of the new church in 1832, becoming a member of the original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1835. After Joseph Smith was assassinated in 1844 a leadership struggle followed, with Young eventually prevailing and being ordained president of the church in 1847, a position he retained until his death 30 years later.
Conflicts between Mormons and non-Mormons made life increasingly difficult for the members of the new church, and Brigham Young led them out of the United States to explore new territory, finally deciding in 1847 to build a settlement at a place which became known as Salt Lake City. In 1850 the United States established the Utah Territory, and as the leader of the first settlement in the area, Young became the first governor in 1851.
Young was a polygamist, marrying 55 wives, and this caused continuing conflict with non-Mormons who considered polygamy morally repulsive, leading to the Utah War of 1857-1858. He is said to have been implicated in the Mountain Meadows massacre of 1857 in which 120 people in a wagon train were murdered by Mormons and native Americans. Young also banned blacks from the priesthood.