Council of Fifty

Council of Fifty

Title page from the 1844 Council of Fifty meetings minutes book
Formation	1844
Founder	Joseph Smith
Founded at	Nauvoo, Illinois
Dissolved	1884
Purpose	To symbolize and represent a future Latter-day Saint theocratic or theodemocratic "Kingdom of God" on the earth, as a legislative body, and to assist in Joseph Smith's 1844 campaign for President of the United States
Headquarters	Nauvoo, Illinois Salt Lake City, Utah
1st President of the Church Council	Joseph Smith (1844)
2nd President of the Church Council	Brigham Young (1847-1877)
3rd President of the Church Council	John Taylor (1880-1884)
Key people	Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor
Parent organization	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

"The Council of Fifty" (also known as "the Living Constitution", "the Kingdom of God", or its name by revelation, "The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ")^[1] was a Latter Day Saint organization established by Joseph Smith in 1844 to symbolize and represent a future theocratic or theodemocratic "Kingdom of God" on the earth.^[2] Smith prophetically claimed that this Kingdom would be established in preparation for the Millennium and the Second Coming of Jesus.

The political Kingdom of God, organized around the Council of Fifty, was meant to be a force of peace and order in the midst of this chaos. According to Latter-day Saint teachings, while Jesus himself would be king of this new world government, its structure was in fact to be quasi-republican and multi-denominational; therefore, the early Council of Fifty included both members and non-members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.^[3] Although the Council played a significant role during the last few months of Joseph Smith's life, particularly in his campaign for President of the United States, the Council's role was mostly symbolic throughout the 19th century within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This was largely because the Council was primarily meant for a time when secular governments had ceased to function. Regular meetings of the Council ended in 1884 after the church publicly abandoned its theocratic aspirations. Some contend that the organization was technically extinguished when member Heber J. Grant died in 1945.^[4]