Franklin D. Richards
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President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
September 13, 1898 (1898-09-13) – December 9, 1899 (1899-12-09)
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
February 12, 1849 (1849-02-12) – December 9, 1899 (1899-12-09)
Called by	Brigham Young
LDS Church Apostle
February 12, 1849 (1849-02-12) – December 9, 1899 (1899-12-09)
Called by	Brigham Young
Reason	Reorganization of First Presidency; excommunication of Lyman Wight[1]
Reorganization at end of term	Reed Smoot ordained
Personal details
Born	Franklin Dewey Richards (1821-04-02)April 2, 1821 Richmond, Massachusetts, United States
Died	December 9, 1899(1899-12-09) (aged 78) Ogden, Utah, United States

Franklin Dewey Richards (April 2, 1821 – December 9, 1899) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from February 12, 1849 until his death. He also served as president of the quorum from September 2, 1898 until his death. Both his son, George F. Richards, and grandson LeGrand Richards were members of the quorum, with his son also serving as president of the quorum from 1945 to 1950. Richards also served in the Utah Territorial Legislature in 1852 and 1856.

Franklin County in southeastern Idaho is named after Richards.^[2]

Biography[link]

Richards was born in Richmond, Massachusetts.

Richards married Jane Snyder in Nauvoo, Illinois. After helping her and their children start on the Latter-day Saint exodus to the west in 1846, Richards along with his brother Samuel W. Richards departed on a mission to Great Britain. He served as a missionary there from 1846-1848.

Calling[link]

Apostle Lyman Wight was excommunicated from the church in December 1848 because he refused to join the church in the Salt Lake Valley. This left an opening in the Quorum of the Twelve.

To fill the vacancy, and to bring the number of the quorum up to twelve, Richards was called and ordained as the fourth of four apostles on February 12, 1849. The other three apostles were Charles C. Rich, Lorenzo Snow, and Erastus Snow. A short time after his call as a member of the Twelve, Richards went to England where he served as president of the British Mission and then as president of the European Mission, still directly overseeing missionaries in Britain but also supervising the mission presidents in other parts of Europe. In these positions Richards also served as editor of the Millenial Star and as director of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund's operations in Europe.

From 1889 until his death, Richards was the church's twelfth official Church Historian.

President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles[link]

Lorenzo Snow succeeded Church President Wilford Woodruff when Woodruff died on September 2, 1898. Being the second-most senior apostle, Richards assumed the role of President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Richards' term was short-lived, as he died fifteen months later.

Death[link]

Richards suffered a stroke and paralysis in the autumn of 1899. He died peacefully in his home in Ogden, Utah on December 9, 1899.

The vacancy in the quorum created by his death was filled by Reed Smoot.

Family[link]

The Richards family is only the third Latter-day Saint family in history with three consecutive generations in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the others being the three-generation combination of George A. Smith, John Henry Smith, and George Albert Smith and the three generation combination of Amasa M. Lyman, Francis M. Lyman, and Richard R. Lyman).^[3]

Another of Richards's grandsons, Franklin D. Richards became a general authority of the church, serving as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve and later as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.

Richards's daughter Josephine Richards West was a counselor in the general presidency of the Primary Association.

See also[link]

• Richards-Young family

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Franklin D. Richards (Mormon apostle)

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Franklin D. Richards

• List of Richards' speeches (Wikisource)
• Franklin D. Richards at Find a Grave
• Biography by Grampa Bill
• Works by or about Franklin D. Richards (Mormon apostle) in libraries (WorldCat catalog)