Did You Know?

Baptisms of Latter-day Prophets

Did you know that President Gordon B. Hinckley was the first latter-day Church President to be baptized in a baptismal font in a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse? It’s true. He was baptized on 28 April 1919 in the First Ward, Salt Lake Liberty Stake. Here are some interesting facts about the baptisms of the other 14 Church Presidents.

Church President	Baptism Date	Baptism Location
Joseph Smith	15 May 1829	Susquehanna River near Harmony, Pennsylvania
Brigham Young	14 April 1832	A millpond near Mendon, New York
John Taylor	9 May 1836	A stream near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Wilford Woodruff	31 December 1833	An icy stream near Richland, New York
Lorenzo Snow	19 June 1836	Chagrin River, Kirtland, Ohio
Joseph F. Smith	21 May 1852	City Creek, Salt Lake City, Utah
Heber J. Grant	2 June 1864	A wagon box in Salt Lake City, Utah
George Albert Smith	6 June 1878	City Creek, Salt Lake City, Utah
David O. McKay	8 September 1881	Spring Creek near Huntsville, Utah
Joseph Fielding Smith	19 July 1884	Probably in City Creek, Salt Lake City, Utah
Harold B. Lee	9 June 1907	Bybee Pond near Clifton, Idaho
Spencer W. Kimball	28 March 1903	Hog-scalding tub in Thatcher, Arizona; he was later baptized in Union Canal, Thatcher, Arizona, because of concerns about the propriety of the tub baptism
Ezra Taft Benson	4 August 1907	Logan River Canal, Whitney, Idaho
Howard W. Hunter	4 April 1920	Natatorium swimming pool, Boise, Idaho

It Happened in March

Following are a few significant events that happened in Church history during the month of March.

26 March 1830: The Book of Mormon became available to the public when printing of the first copies was completed by E. B. Grandin in Palmyra, New York.

17 March 1842: The Prophet Joseph Smith organized the Relief Society in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Leadership Tip

President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: “You can be a leader. You must be a leader, as a member of this Church, in those causes for which this Church stands. Do not let fear overcome your efforts. … Fear comes not from God but from the evil one. The adversary of all truth would put into your heart a reluctance to make an effort. Cast that fear aside and be valiant in the cause of truth and righteousness and faith” (“Words of the Living Prophet,” Liahona, June 1998, 26).

Photography of Howard W. Hunter, Spencer W. Kimball, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Ezra Taft Benson as young boys courtesy of LDS Church Archives; photograph of replica of Grandin Building Printing Press; Organization of the Relief Society, By Dale Kilbourn