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Brigham Young
1801–1877
A central figure in early Latter-day Saint history, he led the Mormon migration west and helped shape settlement across what became Utah. His life mixed religious leadership, politics, and frontier empire-building on a remarkable scale.
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Discourses of Brigham Young
by Brigham Young
About the author
Born in Vermont in 1801, Brigham Young trained as a carpenter, painter, and glazier before joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 1830s. After the death of church founder Joseph Smith in 1844, Young emerged as the movement’s leading figure and became its second president in 1847.
He is best known for leading thousands of Latter-day Saint settlers to the Salt Lake Valley, where he directed a vast colonizing effort across the American West. Young also served as the first governor of Utah Territory and played a major role in building the institutions, economy, and communities of the region.
His legacy remains powerful and debated. Admirers remember his organizational drive and role in western settlement, while historians also examine the conflicts and controversies tied to his leadership, including polygamy, relations with the U.S. government, and violence during the territorial era. He died in 1877.