Born: 21 March 1872, Salt Lake City, Utah

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: 24 October 1901 (age 29)

Died: 23 January 1918 (age 45), Salt Lake City, Utah

The day after his marriage to Ida Bowman in November of 1895, Hyrum M. Smith left Salt Lake City for a two-year mission to England. This kind of dedication to the Church was displayed over and over again throughout his life. Carefully reared in the loving environment of Edna Lambson and President Joseph F. Smith’s home, their first son, Hyrum, was taught to live worthy of all three of his names—he was named Hyrum for his grandfather, the martyred patriarch; Mack for his great-grandmother, Lucy Mack Smith; and Smith for all his noble forebears, including his own father, who had given so much to establish the Lord’s kingdom on the earth. Hyrum was very close to his parents, whom he recognized as his greatest earthly influence. He visited his mother almost every day of her life, and whether in public or private he would always greet his father with a kiss.

A graduate of the Latter-day Saint University, Hyrum held positions in ZCMI and a number of other businesses. At the age of only twenty-nine, Elder Smith was called to the Quorum of the Twelve. As an apostle, he returned in 1913 to Great Britain, where he presided over the European Mission. He was on mission business in Germany when World War I broke out. The elders were transferred and Church programs modified, but the work of spreading the gospel continued throughout the terrible conflict. At the time of his call, a fellow member of the Twelve, Matthias F. Cowley, gave this glowing assessment of his young colleague:

He is a young man who has striven to profit by the excellent teachings he has received from his parents. He gives his parents and the Lord the credit for enabling him to say that up to the present time he has never tasted tea, coffee, tobacco nor intoxicating drinks of any kind; that he has never taken the name of God in vain, norbefouled his mouth with profanity; that he has never in his life spoken disrespectfully of his parents, but that he honors and loves them with all his soul. . . . We think it not saying too much, that no man has been called to the Apostleship with a clearer, purer and better record, and before whom there is a brighter prospect of growth in wisdom, knowledge and power. He will have the love and approval of the Lord and the cheerful support of all the Saints. May his life be a long and useful one to the cause of Truth. [1]

Elder Cowley’s hope of a long life for Hyrum M. Smith was apparently not the Lord’s will. Shortly after his return from Europe, Elder Smith died suddenly at the age of only forty-five, preceding his father in death by ten months. Hyrum’s age at death was nearly the same as his grandfather Hyrum Smith’s age when he was martyred in Carthage Jail. The Improvement Era reported at the time of his passing, “On earth he was a teacher of righteousness, an advocate of justice, and an exemplar of purity. In the world to come, glory, immortality and eternal life are his.” [2]

Notes

[1] Matthias F. Cowley, Prophets and Patriarchs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Chattanooga, TN: Ben E. Rich, 1902), 318.

[2] “Hyrum Mack Smith,” Improvement Era, March 1918,377.