Frederick Madison Smith

His paternal grandfather was Joseph Smith, Jr, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his father was Joseph Smith III, the first its "Reorganization."

Frederick Madison Smith was one of nine children of Joseph Smith III and his second wife, Bertha Madison. He was born on Jan 21, 1874, at Plano, Illinois and baptized on July 20, 1883.

Summary of education:

• 1895 educated at Iowa City Academy
• 1896 University of Iowa
• 1898 B.A. from Graceland College — the first graduate of this college
• 1911 M.A. from the University of Kansas
• 1916 Ph.D. from Clark University

His father, Joseph Smith III, died on December 10, 1914, leaving the Reorganized Church without a leader. However, the leadership of Frederick Madison Smith was accepted shortly afterwards, and so he became the second president of the church in 1915.

He died in 1946, and was succeeded by his brother, Israel Alexander Smith.

The Frederick Madison Smith Library is one of two libraries belonging to Graceland University, and is located on their Lamoni campus. It opened in 1966.

External links

• http://www.geocities.com/scott_norwood/SmithFM.html (Biographical information)
• http://www.lamonistake.org/libertyhallhistory.html ("An Introduction to Liberty Hall, Home of Joseph Smith III - Lamoni, Iowa")
• http://www.lib.utc.edu/vtlsusers/directory/Graceland_College.html (Holdings of the Frederick Madison Smith Library, Graceland University)
• http://www.graceland.edu/ (Graceland University)
• http://www.collegexpress.com/collegesearch/collegeDetail.asp?scid=1100775 (Information on Graceland University)
  

  References

• Paul M. Edwards, The Chief: An Administrative Biography of Fred M. Smith, Herald House: 1988.
• Richard P. Howard, The Church Through the Years, Herald House: 1992.