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  2. General Church Officers, September 1842–February 1843

General Church Officers, September 1842–February 1843

The following charts identify the general leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; local church leadership in , Illinois, and Europe; city officials in Nauvoo; and the officers of other relevant organizations between 1 September 1842 and 28 February 1843.
 
First Presidency
Throughout the period between 1 September 1842 and 28 February 1843, JS served as of the church, with and as counselors and as associate president. Hyrum had been a counselor in the presidency, but shortly after he succeeded his father as patriarch in 1840, a January 1841 revelation indicated that Law should take his place in the presidency and that Hyrum should have the “blessing and glory, and honor and priesthood and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon . . . .” Cowdery had received the keys of the priesthood in connection with JS, had been sustained as “Second Elder of the Church” on 6 April 1830, and had served in the church’s presidency from December 1834 to April 1838 under the titles “assistant president” and “assistant Councillor.” The January 1841 revelation that called Hyrum Smith as church patriarch also identified him as “a prophet and a seer and a revelator,” and Hyrum continued to serve in the presidency. Later church historians applied the term “associate president” to Hyrum Smith’s unusual position. Although this title was not used during his lifetime, it seems to accurately describe his role in relation to JS.
In early February 1843, JS proposed to make a “councillr to the fir[s]t Presidency,” possibly to replace , who was estranged from JS at the time. Although JS and Rigdon met and reconciled several days later, with Rigdon expressing that “he & his family were willing to be saved,” Lyman apparently retained his appointment as a counselor in the First Presidency, and at the end of February, JS appointed him to take charge of the new Latter-day Saint settlement at , Illinois. There is no record of Lyman being ordained or sustained to a position in the First Presidency, but evidence suggests he was subsequently considered a member of the presidency. In April 1843, he addressed a special conference of the church—with his remarks subsequently published in full by the Times and Seasons—and at a July 1843 conference, listed Lyman’s name alongside JS’s other counselors, Rigdon and .
1 September 1842–ca. 4 February 1843 ca. 4–28 February 1843
Joseph Smith, president Joseph Smith, president
, associate president , associate president
, counselor , counselor
, counselor , counselor
, counselor
 
Patriarch
was appointed of the church in 1834 and served in that position until his death in September 1840. Prior to his death, Smith ordained his son as his successor. In January 1841, JS dictated a revelation that appointed to the First Presidency so that Hyrum Smith could “take the office of priesthood and patriarch, which was appointed unto him by his father by blessing and also by right.” That same revelation appointed him, as patriarch, to hold the sealing power and to be “a prophet and a seer and a revelator unto my church as well as my servant Joseph.” Hyrum Smith functioned in this office for the remainder of his life.
1 September 1842–28 February 1843
 
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
When the was originally organized in 1835, the group included the first six men on the right-hand column below. By December 1841, the other six members of the original quorum had died or become disaffected. The final six men on the second list joined the quorum between December 1838 and April 1841 to replace those members. In summer 1842, difficulties arose between and JS as rumors spread that JS had proposed marriage to Pratt’s wife, , while he was serving a mission in . These difficulties led to a four-day meeting between Pratt and a council consisting of the three other apostles then living in . On 20 August, after Pratt refused to “recall his sayings against Joseph,” the council concluded that he should be “cut off” from the church, and they ordained in his stead. On 20 January 1843, JS and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reviewed Orson Pratt’s case and restored him to his position within that quorum. While Lyman was not formally removed from the body, he was added as a counselor to the instead of actively functioning in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
1 September 1842–20 January 1843 20 January–28 February 1843
 
Presidents of the Seventy
Three of the were organized in 1835 and 1836, but by 1837 all seventies were included in one quorum. Unlike most quorums in the church, which were presided over by a presidency consisting of one president and two counselors, the Quorums of the Seventy were presided over by seven presidents. Throughout the period between 1 September 1842 and 28 February 1843, the same seven men served as presidents of the Seventy. The order in which they are listed reflects the order in which they were named in an 1841 revelation regarding the church in .
1 September 1842–28 February 1843
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