Understanding Succession in Early Latter-day Saint History

How the LDS Church determined leadership after Joseph Smith's death and why it mattered.

By Garret Merkley · Explainer · Jun 3, 2026

Branched from Lucy Mack Smith's Deathbed Covenant Explained

Quick take

After Joseph Smith died in 1844, the church faced a crisis: no clear written instruction on who should lead next.
Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles claimed authority; other groups rallied behind Smith's family or rival leaders.
The succession dispute split the early church into multiple branches, some of which survive today.
Understanding succession reveals how religious authority is constructed, claimed, and contested in new movements.

Succession in early Latter-day Saint history refers to the process—and the fierce disputes—over who held legitimate authority to lead the Church after Joseph Smith's death in June 1844. Smith had founded the movement in 1830 but left no explicit, universally accepted document naming his successor. This ambiguity triggered a leadership crisis that fractured the church into competing factions, each claiming to represent Smith's true legacy and divine mandate.

The Crisis: Why Succession Mattered Urgently

Joseph Smith was not just a figurehead; he was the church's prophet, the person Latter-day Saints believed received direct revelation from God. When he was killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, the church lost its anchor. The movement had grown to roughly 15,000 members, owned land, had internal hierarchies, and faced external hostility from neighbors in Illinois. Without a recognized successor, the organization risked collapse. Competing leaders and factions immediately stepped forward, each arguing they—not the others—held the mantle of prophetic authority.

The Main Contenders for Authority

Several groups claimed legitimacy. Brigham Young, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, argued that the Twelve held collective authority and that he, as their leader, should direct the church. He moved quickly to consolidate support and led the majority westward to Utah. Sidney Rigdon, a longtime counselor to Smith, claimed he should serve as 'guardian' of the church. James Jesse Strang, a recent convert, produced a letter he said Smith had written naming him successor and established his own church in Wisconsin. Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph's mother, and other family members believed the leadership should remain within the Smith family line. Each faction cited different sources of authority—revelations, letters, family ties, or organizational position—to justify their claims.

How the Succession Was Decided (and Not Decided)

There was no formal vote or unanimous decision. Instead, Brigham Young's faction—the Quorum of the Twelve—proved most effective at organizing members and moving them west. Young's group became what is now The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the largest successor organization. However, the other claimants did not simply vanish. Sidney Rigdon's followers and James Jesse Strang's church persisted for decades. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now the Community of Christ) eventually coalesced around the idea that prophetic authority should pass to Joseph Smith's son, Joseph Smith III. These competing churches all trace their roots to Smith's original movement but diverged over the succession question.

The succession dispute was not resolved by doctrinal argument alone. It was decided partly by organizational skill, partly by who could retain members' loyalty, partly by geography (Young's group moved west and built a new community; others remained in the Midwest), and partly by sheer persistence. The absence of a clear mechanism for succession meant that the strongest leader and the most cohesive faction won—not necessarily the one with the strongest claim to divine mandate.

Why This Matters and When It Still Resonates

The succession crisis reveals how new religious movements handle power transitions and legitimacy. It shows that even in movements claiming direct divine guidance, human ambition, organizational politics, and competing interpretations of authority shape outcomes. For historians, the succession dispute is a window into how authority is constructed and contested. For Latter-day Saints and members of successor churches, it remains a defining moment: which church is the 'true' continuation of Smith's work depends partly on which succession narrative you accept. The question also illustrates a broader pattern: many new religions face a crisis when the founder dies, and how that crisis is resolved often determines the religion's future shape and survival.

The Succession Factions at a Glance

Brigham Young & the Quorum of the Twelve: Moved west to Utah; became the modern LDS Church (largest successor).
Sidney Rigdon: Claimed guardianship; established a separate church that faded within a few years.
James Jesse Strang: Produced a letter naming himself; founded a church in Wisconsin with several thousand followers.
The Smith Family: Believed leadership should pass to Joseph's son; eventually led to the Reorganized Church (now Community of Christ).
Other smaller groups: Various offshoots and independent congregations, some lasting into the 20th century.

Did Joseph Smith ever write down who should succeed him?

Not in a way that all parties accepted. Smith produced various revelations and statements about church governance, but nothing unambiguous naming a single successor. This ambiguity is precisely why the dispute arose. Some claimants (like Strang) produced documents they said Smith had written, but their authenticity was contested then and remains disputed by scholars today.

Why did Brigham Young win out over the others?

Young was an effective organizer and orator who moved quickly to claim authority through the Quorum of the Twelve. He retained the loyalty of the majority of members, many of whom were inspired by his vision of moving west and building a new Zion in Utah. His faction was also geographically concentrated and unified, while rival groups were more scattered. Success bred legitimacy: as Young's group grew and prospered in Utah, members saw it as evidence of divine favor.

Do the other successor churches still exist?

Yes, though in much smaller numbers. The Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church) is the second-largest successor, with roots in the Smith family line and based mainly in the Midwest and elsewhere. A few other small churches claim descent from Strang or other early leaders. Most members of the broader Latter-day Saint movement, however, belong to Brigham Young's line of succession, the modern LDS Church.

What role did Lucy Mack Smith play in the succession?

Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph's mother, was a respected figure and believed the prophetic mantle should remain in the Smith family. She did not claim leadership herself but supported her son William Smith and later her grandson Joseph Smith III as legitimate heirs. Her views represented a family-based model of succession, which contrasted with Young's organizational model. The deathbed covenant mentioned in related sources may reflect her efforts to preserve family authority.

How do modern Latter-day Saints view the succession?

The LDS Church teaches that Brigham Young was divinely chosen to lead and that the succession through Young's line is legitimate. Other successor churches have their own narratives. Historians generally treat the succession as a historical event shaped by human choices, competing claims, and organizational dynamics, rather than as a settled theological matter. Academic study of the succession is distinct from faith-based claims about divine guidance.

Sources

The succession crisis of 1844 is well documented in LDS and broader religious history scholarship. Key sources include Richard Bushman's 'Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling,' David John Buerger's work on early LDS theology, and studies by the Community of Christ and independent historians examining competing claims to authority.
Brigham Young's consolidation of power is detailed in biographies and institutional histories of the LDS Church, including works by Leonard Arrington and others at the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for LDS History.
Information on rival claimants (Rigdon, Strang, and the Smith family) comes from historical societies, church archives, and academic monographs on Latter-day Saint schisms and successor movements.