Presidents and Prophets

Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church by Michael K. Winder. Salt Lake City: Covenant Communications, 2007. 428 pp., $28.00.

With two Mormons vying for the Republican nomination, it seemed fitting to me to sit down and investigate historical relations between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Presidents of the United States. I was aware of the main arcs in relations--from Martin Van Buren's response to Joseph Smith,"Your cause is just but I can do nothing  for you," to Ronald Reagan calling the Mormon Tabernacle Choir "America's Choir"--but in this illustrative book, Michael Winder has compiled a more comprehensive and often surprising outline of relations between the spiritual and secular worlds. The encyclopedic scope of the book is impressive and the author's significant research on the subject is apparent, although the book lacks the polish of a comprehensive biography or history. In honestly examining the undulating and frequently rocky relationship between the LDS church and the government of the United States, Winder has created a helpful starting point for further studies into the early secular history of the church and a better perspective on current political dynamics within the LDS community.

Winder starts from the very first U.S. President, despite the church only coming into existence in 1830. For the early presidents, the exercise is more theoretical--what would the early founding fathers have thought of the church? While the author is able to provide some helpful insights into their religious views, this section is weak and a more proper history of such issues should probably be left to the likes of David McCullough and company.

From Andrew Jackson to Benjamin Harrison, the relationship between the Latter-day Saints and the U.S. presidency was fraught with marginalization and near unanimous antipathy. As early Saints moved west under persecution, presidents were unwilling to act in their official capacity to lend a helping hand. It should be noted, however, that there was little they could do as the presidents had little power prior to the Civil War. But the strong presidency that emerged after Abraham Lincoln were very inopportune for the Utah-based church as it struggled to gain statehood while remaining essentially a theocracy adhering closely to polygamy. I was particularly surprised by the level of rhetoric that polygamy elicited from presidents during this era. James Garfield even cited the "Mormon Church" in his inaugural address and spoke at length regarding the need to stamp out polygamy.

With the presidency of William McKinley, relations began to take a more nuanced and positive tone. Presidents had differing relations with the church and its leaders, much of it dependent on Senator Reed Smoot and his role in Washington. I was struck by how bipartisan and pragmatic the church was during this era. Although the Church was certainly not shy about recommending one candidate over another, the church as a whole evaluated candidates more on positions rather than party. And significant political divisions were often publicly aired, with apostles and prophets giving conflicting support for one candidate or another. It was perhaps this experience that led the church to adopt its current official stance on non-alignment.

And for the first half of the 20th century, the LDS church truly adopted this pragmatic principle, establishing relations with whatever political party happened to be in power. I was particularly interested in the close relationship between President Lyndon Johnson and David McKay and between Reed Smoot and Calvin Coolidge (who even went so far as to provide President Coolidge with a priesthood blessing). These touching relations with presidents from two very different political philosophies underscore that the underlying doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ are compatible with various political philosophies.

And then there is the modern area, beginning during the Jimmy Carter presidency. Somehow, the political party has come to dominate church/presidency relations, with Democratic presidencies having limited engagement and hiring few LDS officials and Republicans speaking high praise for the church. After having read of so much diversity in the 150 years prior, I remain intrigued by the political homogeneity within the church in the past 30 years. Perhaps social issues such as abortion dominate the political psyche of church members to such an extent that all other policy issues fade in significance. Or perhaps this is only one phase in a much longer history. I sincerely hope the latter is the case.

I applaud Michael Winder for compiling this concise and fascinating history. The design, typesetting, and layout leave much to be desired and at times the book reads too much like a mere encyclopedia listing every interaction between LDS individuals and U.S. Presidents. Despite these faults, the underlying subject matter is interesting and captivating. I hope to study these subjects in more detail in the near future. And I also look forward to pulling out some of the author's random tidbits of presidential trivia at the next (non-alcoholic) Mormon cocktail party I attend.