Library
A Look at the Church: 1898–1951
September 1999


“A Look at the Church: 1898–1951,” Ensign, Sept. 1999, 46

A Great and Marvelous Work—
Part Four: 1898–1951

A Look at the Church:

1898–1951

Begins with the administration of President Lorenzo Snow in 1898 and ends in 1951, the year of President George Albert Smith’s death. Figures are based on year-end calculations.

Church Membership

31 Dec. 1898

267,251

1910

398,478

1920

525,987

1930

670,017

1940

862,664

31 Dec. 1951

1,147,157

Number of Stakes

31 Dec. 1898

40

1910

62

1920

83

1930

104

1940

134

31 Dec. 1951

191

Missionaries Set Apart

31 Dec. 1898

12,553

1910

21,927

1920

29,291

1930

39,449

1940

48,260

31 Dec. 1951

65,003

Missions on 31 December 1951:

42

Languages of the Book of Mormon:

21

Temples Dedicated in Era:

2 Continental USA

1 Hawaii

1 Canada

Presidents of the Church in This Era

Death Date

Lorenzo Snow (fifth President)

10 Oct. 1901

Joseph F. Smith (sixth President)

19 Nov. 1918

Heber J. Grant (seventh President)

14 May 1945

George Albert Smith (eighth President)

4 Apr. 1951

Historical photos courtesy of LDS Church Archives, except as noted; Above, left: Courtesy of Museum of Church History and Art and Library of Congress; Below, right: Hawaii Temple photo by Welden C. Andersen