Brigham Young
2nd President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Years: 1801 - 1877
Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) is an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States.
He is the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founds Salt Lake City, and he serves as the first governor of the Utah Territory, United States.
Young also leads the foundings of the precursors to the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.
Young has a variety of nicknames, among the most popular being "American Moses," (alternatively the "Modern Moses" or the "Mormon Moses") because, like the biblical figure, Young had led his followers, the Mormon pioneers, in an exodus through a desert, to what they see as a promised land.
Young is dubbed by his followers the "Lion of the Lord" for his bold personality, and is also commonly called "Brother Brigham" by Latter-day Saints.
Young is a polygamist and is involved in controversies regarding black people and the Priesthood, the Utah War, and the Mountain Meadows massacre.
