Hugh B. Brown

Family Background

1883. October 24: Born in Granger, Utah, the fifth of fourteen children. He married Zina Young Card, a granddaughter of Brigham Young, in 1908. They were the parents of eight children, including a son, Hugh Card Brown, RAF pilot lost over the North Sea during World War II.

Nicknamed "Dutch"

As a young boy he acquired the nickname "Dutch" because of a speech impediment. He later became one of Mormonism's most respected orators.

Transplanted Canadian

1899. The family moved to Alberta, Canada, where, except for studies at the Brigham Young College in Logan, Utah, and a mission to Great Britain, he lived for twenty-eight years.

Military Career

1915. Served for three years as a Canadian Army major in World War I, with overseas duty in France.

At the outbreak of World War II he became an army coordinator for the Church, visiting military installations and conferring with Latter-day Saint leaders and servicemen. The LDS Servicemen's Committee was organized on his advice in 1943.

Lawyer

1920. Served as a barrister and solicitor in Lethbridge, Alberta. In 1927 he joined the Salt Lake City law firm which included J. Reuben Clark, Preston Richards, and Albert E. Bowen.

Stake President

1921. The first president of the Lethbridge Stake at the age of thirty-eight, Brown was at that time the youngest stake president in the Church. Two years after arriving in Salt Lake City, he was called to preside over Granite Stake.

Democrat

1927. When Brown moved to Utah, President Heber J. Grant, Anthony W. Ivins, and B.H. Roberts "told me at different times and separately that if I wanted to belong to a party that represented the common people, I would be a Democrat, but if I wanted to be popular and be in touch with the wealth of the nation, I would be a Republican."

1934. Left the Clark-Richards-Bowen firm because of political differences. Though he considered J. Reuben Clark his mentor in law and religion, Brown knew they were poles apart in politics.

Elected state chairman of the Democratic Party, Brown decided to run for the U.S. Senate. He placed third, behind incumbent Senator William H. King and Herbert Maw: "I entered, in fact, against the advice of my wife, which I have regretted ever since."

As a general authority, Hugh B. Brown advised Church members to "develop a maturity of mind and emotion and a depth of spirit which enables you to differ with others on matters of politics without calling into question the integrity of those with whom you differ. Allow within the bounds of your definition of religious orthodoxy variations of political beliefs. Do not have the temerity to dogmatize in issues where the Lord has seen fit to be silent."

State Liquor Chairman:

1935. Appointed chairman of Utah's first liquor commission: "We must find a condition that will not be ideal for the bootleggers. … I had a lot of experience with this in Alberta… and with that background and experience and observation, I am unalterably opposed to the licensing system and in favor of state control."

Mission President

1937. Called to preside over the British Mission. At the outbreak of World War II, Brown was appointed coordinator of LDS servicemen in the U.S. and Great Britain. When the war ended, he was again appointed president of the British Mission.

Educator

1946. Though he did not complete his college education, he taught political science and religion for a short time at Brigham Young University.

1962. Awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree from BYU, he advised students: "Be dauntless in your pursuit of truth and resist all demands for unthinking conformity. …Tolerance and truth demand that all be heard and that competing ideas be tested against each other." He stressed the study of literature: "While making a lifetime study of the standard works of the Church, one should also become familiar with the classics, with Shakespeare, Milton, Tennyson, and Wordsworth. … One should know something of the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, and the later philosophers, who while they err in many respects, will start a man thinking independently and courageously on the meaning of life and its purpose."

During a 1969 BYU commencement address he said, "You young people live in an age when freedom of the mind is suppressed over much of the world. We must preserve it in our Church and in America and resist all efforts of earnest men to suppress it. … Preserve, then, the freedom of your mind in education and in religion and be unafraid to express your thoughts, and insist upon your right to examine every proposition. We are not so much concerned whether your thoughts be orthodox or heterodox as we are that you shall have thoughts."

Author of many books, including Eternal Quest, You and Your Marriage, Abundant Life, Continuing the Quest, Vision and Valor.

General Authority

1953. Called to be an assistant to the Twelve. Five years later he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve by President David O. McKay, and in 1961 he was called to be counselor to the First Presidency due to the ill health of J. Reuben Clark. Following President Clark's death in October, he became second counselor. Two years later he was named first counselor to President McKay.

As a member of the First Presidency, he often voiced sentiments on controversial matters, as in his 1963 conference address on civil rights: "We believe that all men are the children of the same God, and that it is a moral evil for any person or group of persons to deny any human being the right to gainful employment, to full educational opportunity, and to every privilege of citizenship, just as it is a moral evil to deny him the right to worship according to the dictates of his own conscience."

Businessman

Brown served as president of the Richland Oil Development Company in Edmonton, Alberta, in the early 1950s. His skills proved useful in his Church assignments, which included service on the boards of directors of Beehive State Bank and Deseret Federal Savings and Loan Association, plus vice-presidencies of Beneficial Life Insurance Company, Hotel Utah Corporation, ZCMI, Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, and KSL Radio.

Endurance

Though suffering from trigeminal neuralgia, which caused extreme facial pain for nearly fifty years, President Brown never lost his sense of humor:

My bi-focals are wonderful,
My hearing aid's a find,
My dentures come in handy,
But how I miss my mind!

"There are, of course, physical limitations imposed by increasing years," he said, "but we should not yield or surrender to them, or give up in despair with the first twinge of stiffening joints in mind or body. Life will continue to have an alluring and increasing wealth of interest all the way down its western slopes for him who keeps a cutting edge on his awareness."

Death

1975. December 2: Died at the age of ninety-two in Salt Lake City of causes incident to age. Epitaph in Salt Lake City Cemetery: "From Man to God."

Sources
Brown, Hugh B. "Be Aware—Beware," baccalaureate address, Brigham Young University, 24 May 1962.
_____. Continuing the Quest. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1961.
_____. The Abundant Life. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965·
Campbell, Eugene E., and Poll, Richard D. Hugh B. Brown: His Life and Thought. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1975.
Deseret News, 3 December 1975.
Improvement Era, 56:914.

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


	Hugh B. Brown (1883-1975)

		Hugh B. Brown was a member of the First Presidency and Utah State Democratic Party chairman. Photograph courtesy LDS Church Archives.


	Family Background 1883. October 24: Born in Granger, Utah, the fifth of fourteen children. He married Zina Young Card, a granddaughter of Brigham Young, in 1908. They were the parents of eight children, including a son, Hugh Card Brown, RAF pilot lost over the North Sea during World War II. Nicknamed "Dutch" As a young boy he acquired the nickname "Dutch" because of a speech impediment. He later became one of Mormonism's most respected orators. Transplanted Canadian 1899. The family moved to Alberta, Canada, where, except for studies at the Brigham Young College in Logan, Utah, and a mission to Great Britain, he lived for twenty-eight years. Military Career 1915. Served for three years as a Canadian Army major in World War I, with overseas duty in France. At the outbreak of World War II he became an army coordinator for the Church, visiting military installations and conferring with Latter-day Saint leaders and servicemen. The LDS Servicemen's Committee was organized on his advice in 1943. Lawyer 1920. Served as a barrister and solicitor in Lethbridge, Alberta. In 1927 he joined the Salt Lake City law firm which included J. Reuben Clark, Preston Richards, and Albert E. Bowen. Stake President 1921. The first president of the Lethbridge Stake at the age of thirty-eight, Brown was at that time the youngest stake president in the Church. Two years after arriving in Salt Lake City, he was called to preside over Granite Stake. Democrat 1927. When Brown moved to Utah, President Heber J. Grant, Anthony W. Ivins, and B.H. Roberts "told me at different times and separately that if I wanted to belong to a party that represented the common people, I would be a Democrat, but if I wanted to be popular and be in touch with the wealth of the nation, I would be a Republican." 1934. Left the Clark-Richards-Bowen firm because of political differences. Though he considered J. Reuben Clark his mentor in law and religion, Brown knew they were poles apart in politics. Elected state chairman of the Democratic Party, Brown decided to run for the U.S. Senate. He placed third, behind incumbent Senator William H. King and Herbert Maw: "I entered, in fact, against the advice of my wife, which I have regretted ever since." As a general authority, Hugh B. Brown advised Church members to "develop a maturity of mind and emotion and a depth of spirit which enables you to differ with others on matters of politics without calling into question the integrity of those with whom you differ. Allow within the bounds of your definition of religious orthodoxy variations of political beliefs. Do not have the temerity to dogmatize in issues where the Lord has seen fit to be silent." State Liquor Chairman: 1935. Appointed chairman of Utah's first liquor commission: "We must find a condition that will not be ideal for the bootleggers. … I had a lot of experience with this in Alberta… and with that background and experience and observation, I am unalterably opposed to the licensing system and in favor of state control." Mission President 1937. Called to preside over the British Mission. At the outbreak of World War II, Brown was appointed coordinator of LDS servicemen in the U.S. and Great Britain. When the war ended, he was again appointed president of the British Mission. Educator 1946. Though he did not complete his college education, he taught political science and religion for a short time at Brigham Young University. 1962. Awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree from BYU, he advised students: "Be dauntless in your pursuit of truth and resist all demands for unthinking conformity. …Tolerance and truth demand that all be heard and that competing ideas be tested against each other." He stressed the study of literature: "While making a lifetime study of the standard works of the Church, one should also become familiar with the classics, with Shakespeare, Milton, Tennyson, and Wordsworth. … One should know something of the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, and the later philosophers, who while they err in many respects, will start a man thinking independently and courageously on the meaning of life and its purpose." During a 1969 BYU commencement address he said, "You young people live in an age when freedom of the mind is suppressed over much of the world. We must preserve it in our Church and in America and resist all efforts of earnest men to suppress it. … Preserve, then, the freedom of your mind in education and in religion and be unafraid to express your thoughts, and insist upon your right to examine every proposition. We are not so much concerned whether your thoughts be orthodox or heterodox as we are that you shall have thoughts." Author of many books, including Eternal Quest, You and Your Marriage, Abundant Life, Continuing the Quest, Vision and Valor. General Authority 1953. Called to be an assistant to the Twelve. Five years later he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve by President David O. McKay, and in 1961 he was called to be counselor to the First Presidency due to the ill health of J. Reuben Clark. Following President Clark's death in October, he became second counselor. Two years later he was named first counselor to President McKay. As a member of the First Presidency, he often voiced sentiments on controversial matters, as in his 1963 conference address on civil rights: "We believe that all men are the children of the same God, and that it is a moral evil for any person or group of persons to deny any human being the right to gainful employment, to full educational opportunity, and to every privilege of citizenship, just as it is a moral evil to deny him the right to worship according to the dictates of his own conscience." Businessman Brown served as president of the Richland Oil Development Company in Edmonton, Alberta, in the early 1950s. His skills proved useful in his Church assignments, which included service on the boards of directors of Beehive State Bank and Deseret Federal Savings and Loan Association, plus vice-presidencies of Beneficial Life Insurance Company, Hotel Utah Corporation, ZCMI, Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, and KSL Radio. Endurance Though suffering from trigeminal neuralgia, which caused extreme facial pain for nearly fifty years, President Brown never lost his sense of humor: My bi-focals are wonderful, My hearing aid's a find, My dentures come in handy, But how I miss my mind! "There are, of course, physical limitations imposed by increasing years," he said, "but we should not yield or surrender to them, or give up in despair with the first twinge of stiffening joints in mind or body. Life will continue to have an alluring and increasing wealth of interest all the way down its western slopes for him who keeps a cutting edge on his awareness." Death 1975. December 2: Died at the age of ninety-two in Salt Lake City of causes incident to age. Epitaph in Salt Lake City Cemetery: "From Man to God." Sources Brown, Hugh B. "Be Aware—Beware," baccalaureate address, Brigham Young University, 24 May 1962. _____. Continuing the Quest. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1961. _____. The Abundant Life. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965· Campbell, Eugene E., and Poll, Richard D. Hugh B. Brown: His Life and Thought. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1975. Deseret News, 3 December 1975. Improvement Era, 56:914.