In the turbulent aftermath of Joseph Smith’s death, the Saints were forced to choose sides, and history has largely been written by those who followed Brigham Young. But what about the men who didn’t? William Marks is perhaps the most significant “forgotten” figure in this drama. As President of the Nauvoo Stake, he held a position of immense ecclesiastical authority—arguably outranking the Quorum of the Twelve in local matters—and stood as Emma Smith’s staunchest ally. Yet, because he eventually helped found the Reorganized Church (now Community of Christ), he is often reduced to a footnote in Latter-day Saint history. A new interview over at From the Desk with Cheryl L. Bruno (one of the coauthors of a recent biography on Marks) seeks to restore him to his proper place as a man of deep integrity who stood his ground against polygamy when few others dared.
The “Check” on the Twelve
The interview highlights Marks’s unique structural role in Nauvoo. As Stake President in the flagship settlement of the Church, he wasn’t just a local authority; he was a high-ranking general authority who viewed his High Council as equal in authority to the traveling High Council (the Twelve Apostles):
Emma Smith and others saw William Marks as Joseph Smith’s rightful successor because he held a key leadership role as President of the Nauvoo Stake and High Council.
The church’s published revelations identified these bodies as having authority equal to that of the First Presidency and greater than that of the Twelve Apostles within organized stakes.
Joseph had also personally elevated Marks’s status through sacred temple rites, including ordaining him a Prophet, Priest, and King before any of the Twelve received such an ordination.
Marks outranked other claimants in both the Quorum of the Anointed and the Council of Fifty.
Emma argued that succession should follow established order: with the First President gone, the President of the High Council should step in, form a new First Presidency, and govern the church at its center, leaving the Twelve to their appointed role in the mission field.
If Marks had chosen to push for his position rather than throwing his support behind Sidney Rigdon, the succession crisis may have turned out differently. For better or worse, however, he did not seem to want the position and made little effort to ascend to the presidency.
The Anti-Polygamy Anchor
Marks is perhaps best known for being the highest-ranking insider to steadfastly oppose plural marriage. While others vacillated or accepted the practice in secret, Marks refused. The interview suggests this wasn’t just stubbornness. Marks saw himself as the guardian of the Church’s public doctrine and moral standing. His opposition cost him his standing in the “Brighamite” branch, but it cemented his bond with Emma Smith, with whom he shared a vision of the Church that rejected the “spiritual wifery” developing in Nauvoo.
One interesting insight is that Marks claimed that Joseph Smith repented of polygamy shortly before his death. Bruno indicated that Smith may have indeed said something along those lines to Marks, though it remains unclear whether he fully meant it:
By the 1850s and 1860s, Marks consistently claimed that Joseph Smith had privately admitted being deceived about polygamy, had repented, and had asked Marks to help end the practice shortly before his death. …
No other contemporary witness supports this version. Marks’s account, which reflects his own strong anti-polygamy stance, appears carefully framed for a sympathetic audience.
Still, if Marks’s story contains a kernel of truth, it may reflect a strategic move by Smith, who was concerned about the growing backlash against polygamy and wanted to protect the church from external threats.
It’s an interesting proposition, and though Smith seems unlikely to have ended the practice outright, it would have been interesting to see how he would have managed it if he had lived longer.
A Wanderer in the Wilderness
After 1844, Marks didn’t immediately find a home. The interview traces his fascinating, winding path through the various schisms. He briefly supported Sidney Rigdon, then the Quorum of the Twelve under Brigham Young (until they drove him out of Nauvoo by intimidation tactics), then joined James Strang (even serving in his hierarchy), before finally helping to organize the Reorganized Church and ordaining Joseph Smith III. This wandering wasn’t a lack of conviction. Rather, it shows a man desperately trying to find a version of Mormonism that stayed true to Joseph’s original vision (Zion, gathering, revelation) without the baggage of polygamy. He was, in a sense, a consistent thread connecting the original church to the RLDS movement.
For more on William Marks’s complex relationship with Joseph Smith, his “tests” of loyalty in the Doctrine and Covenants, and why he ultimately felt he had to leave the main body of the Saints, head on over to the Latter-day Saint history blog, From the Desk, to read the full interview with Bruno.
Personally, I loved the book and the interview, though I admit that I’m biased because of family connections. William Marks had a sister, Prudence Marks Miles, whose family went west with Brigham Young. My mother’s maiden name is Miles, directly from Prudence’s son, Samuel.
While you’re at From the Desk, though, check out the new Gérald Caussé quotes page!
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