J. Golden Kimball

J. Golden Kimball (1835-1938)

J. Golden Kimball was president of the First Council of Seventy and "the Mark Twain of Mormonism." Photograph courtesy Utah State Historical Society.

Family Background

1853. Born Jonathan Golden Kimball in Salt Lake City to Heber C. Kimball and Christeen Golden. His father died when J. Golden was fifteen.

"For twelve years of my life, after my father's death, I was free as the birds that fly in the air! There was no restraint further than the counsel from my mother. I took no active part in the Church. I was just as free as nonmembers of the Church feel that they are free. … I am sorry, oh how sorry! that there was no restraint or responsibility placed upon me, that I was not actively engaged in Church work during those twelve years."

Young Golden set out to be a teamster, becoming "one of the early M.D.'s of the West, for he was as good a mule driver as could be found in these parts." He also worked in logging camps and at other manual labor.

1875. Established a large ranch with eleven of his brothers in Meadowville, Rich County, Utah. He married Jeanette "Jane" Knowlton in 1887; they had six children.

Missionary

1881. After hearing Karl G. Maeser lecture in Meadowville, Kimball decided to attend the Brigham Young Academy in Provo. But his education was interrupted in 1883 when he was called on a mission to the Southern States under President B.H. Roberts. There he contracted malaria and returned home in 1885.

1891. Kimball invested everything he had in a Canadian land scheme promoted by John W. Taylor. When the project fell through, Kimball was called to be a mission president: "And thus, we were prevented from chasing the golden calf. Moral: Don't set your heart upon riches, don't speculate, and don't go in debt. After this, again the Lord came to my rescue and called me to succeed Elder William Spry as president of the Southern States Mission."

General Authority

1892. While serving as mission president, he was called to the First Council of Seventy. "The Lord knows I didn't want the position; the Lord knows I balked and bitched when they called me; and I guess he knows I got the job. And now that I got it, he knows I'll work like hell to do it the way he wants it done."

"Some people say a person receives a position in this church through revelation, and others say they get it through inspiration, but I say they get it through relation. If I hadn't been related to Heber C. Kimball, I wouldn't have been a damn thing in this church." In later years, he explained why he had not been advanced to the Quorum of the Twelve: "The main reason was that my father was dead and I was not popular with the brethren."

"The Mark Twain of Mormonism"

When asked about his frequent use of damn and hell, Kimball responded, "Oh, I never intend to use them when I get up to speak, but they just come to me as naturally as singing to a bird. I'm not thinking about words; I'm concerned about the ideas and how to put them over. But those words you speak of are what's left over from the cowboy days. They used to be my native language and I don't seem to be able to shake them. Really, they come from a much larger vocabulary, only I've gotten rid of the others."

On another occasion a good sister asked Kimball if he ever heard President Grant swear. "Just once," he replied. "He and I were in Saint George together during the depression. It was summer, the crops were dying for want of water, the people were starving. We prayed with them for rain, but our prayers were not answered. I said, 'It's a damned shame!' and President Grant said, 'Yes, it is.'"

When it was suggested that the brethren might consider cutting him off, Kimball responded, "Guess maybe some of them would like to. But they can't cut me off from the church, I repent too damn fast."

Like Mark Twain, J. Golden Kimball was occasionally morose and even bitter. Perhaps he inherited his father's extreme sensitivity to slights from his colleagues. It is a high tribute to J. Golden Kimball that he was able to transcend his own personal struggles, bringing mirth to hundreds of thousands during his lifetime and to millions since.

Appearance

1933. "Seventy-five inches in height; very slender, somewhat bent by the heavy physical work done in his teens and the burden of his fourscore years; a head unusually large and unlike any other, with a sizeable bump at the back; his complexion sandy; a few lonely hairs on top that have triumphantly weathered the storm; keen and penetrating eyes, black and beautiful, expressive of humor and sympathy; a very long perpendicular face, intensely interesting, with features regular; withal a serious countenance, expressive of sadness rather than of the humor for which he is noted. He seldom laughs, but is often seen to smile dryly as he speaks."

Death

1938. September 2: As the Kimballs returned from a vacation to California, their car went out of control and crashed into an embankment. Seventy-five-year-old Kimball, asleep in the back seat, was thrown from the car, suffering a fatal skull fracture. Buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Sources
Cheney, Thomas E. The Golden Legacy: A Folk History of J. Golden Kimball. Salt Lake City/Santa Barbara, California: Peregrine Smith Inc., 1974.
Deseret News, 3 September 1938.
Fife, Austin, and Fife, Alta. Saints of Sage & Saddle. Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press, 1956.
Richards, Claude J. J. Golden Kimball: The Story of a Unique Personality. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1934.
Salt Lake City, Utah. LDS Church Archives. J. Golden Kimball Journals.

	A Book of Mormons Richard S. Van Wagoner and Steven C. Walker Copyright 1982, Signature Books Salt Lake City, Utah Contents


	Family Background 1853. Born Jonathan Golden Kimball in Salt Lake City to Heber C. Kimball and Christeen Golden. His father died when J. Golden was fifteen. "For twelve years of my life, after my father's death, I was free as the birds that fly in the air! There was no restraint further than the counsel from my mother. I took no active part in the Church. I was just as free as nonmembers of the Church feel that they are free. … I am sorry, oh how sorry! that there was no restraint or responsibility placed upon me, that I was not actively engaged in Church work during those twelve years." Young Golden set out to be a teamster, becoming "one of the early M.D.'s of the West, for he was as good a mule driver as could be found in these parts." He also worked in logging camps and at other manual labor. 1875. Established a large ranch with eleven of his brothers in Meadowville, Rich County, Utah. He married Jeanette "Jane" Knowlton in 1887; they had six children. Missionary 1881. After hearing Karl G. Maeser lecture in Meadowville, Kimball decided to attend the Brigham Young Academy in Provo. But his education was interrupted in 1883 when he was called on a mission to the Southern States under President B.H. Roberts. There he contracted malaria and returned home in 1885. 1891. Kimball invested everything he had in a Canadian land scheme promoted by John W. Taylor. When the project fell through, Kimball was called to be a mission president: "And thus, we were prevented from chasing the golden calf. Moral: Don't set your heart upon riches, don't speculate, and don't go in debt. After this, again the Lord came to my rescue and called me to succeed Elder William Spry as president of the Southern States Mission." General Authority 1892. While serving as mission president, he was called to the First Council of Seventy. "The Lord knows I didn't want the position; the Lord knows I balked and bitched when they called me; and I guess he knows I got the job. And now that I got it, he knows I'll work like hell to do it the way he wants it done." "Some people say a person receives a position in this church through revelation, and others say they get it through inspiration, but I say they get it through relation. If I hadn't been related to Heber C. Kimball, I wouldn't have been a damn thing in this church." In later years, he explained why he had not been advanced to the Quorum of the Twelve: "The main reason was that my father was dead and I was not popular with the brethren." "The Mark Twain of Mormonism" When asked about his frequent use of damn and hell, Kimball responded, "Oh, I never intend to use them when I get up to speak, but they just come to me as naturally as singing to a bird. I'm not thinking about words; I'm concerned about the ideas and how to put them over. But those words you speak of are what's left over from the cowboy days. They used to be my native language and I don't seem to be able to shake them. Really, they come from a much larger vocabulary, only I've gotten rid of the others." On another occasion a good sister asked Kimball if he ever heard President Grant swear. "Just once," he replied. "He and I were in Saint George together during the depression. It was summer, the crops were dying for want of water, the people were starving. We prayed with them for rain, but our prayers were not answered. I said, 'It's a damned shame!' and President Grant said, 'Yes, it is.'" When it was suggested that the brethren might consider cutting him off, Kimball responded, "Guess maybe some of them would like to. But they can't cut me off from the church, I repent too damn fast." Like Mark Twain, J. Golden Kimball was occasionally morose and even bitter. Perhaps he inherited his father's extreme sensitivity to slights from his colleagues. It is a high tribute to J. Golden Kimball that he was able to transcend his own personal struggles, bringing mirth to hundreds of thousands during his lifetime and to millions since. Appearance 1933. "Seventy-five inches in height; very slender, somewhat bent by the heavy physical work done in his teens and the burden of his fourscore years; a head unusually large and unlike any other, with a sizeable bump at the back; his complexion sandy; a few lonely hairs on top that have triumphantly weathered the storm; keen and penetrating eyes, black and beautiful, expressive of humor and sympathy; a very long perpendicular face, intensely interesting, with features regular; withal a serious countenance, expressive of sadness rather than of the humor for which he is noted. He seldom laughs, but is often seen to smile dryly as he speaks." Death 1938. September 2: As the Kimballs returned from a vacation to California, their car went out of control and crashed into an embankment. Seventy-five-year-old Kimball, asleep in the back seat, was thrown from the car, suffering a fatal skull fracture. Buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. Sources Cheney, Thomas E. The Golden Legacy: A Folk History of J. Golden Kimball. Salt Lake City/Santa Barbara, California: Peregrine Smith Inc., 1974. Deseret News, 3 September 1938. Fife, Austin, and Fife, Alta. Saints of Sage & Saddle. Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press, 1956. Richards, Claude J. J. Golden Kimball: The Story of a Unique Personality. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1934. Salt Lake City, Utah. LDS Church Archives. J. Golden Kimball Journals.