“When I first entered upon Mormonism, I did it with my eyes open, I counted the cost. I looked upon it as a life-long job and I considered it that I was not only enlisted for time, but for eternity.” — John Taylor¹

John Taylor was born on November 1, 1808, in Milnthorpe, England. Raised in the Church of England, he joined the Methodists at age fifteen and became a local preacher. In 1832, he migrated to Upper Canada, where he married Leonora Cannon. Introduced to the Church by Parley P. Pratt, he was baptized in 1836 and soon after ordained an elder. For a time he presided over the Church in Upper Canada. Taylor moved to Kirtland, Ohio in 1837 and later to Far West, Missouri in 1838. Along the way, he conducted missionary work in Indianapolis, organizing a branch of the Church. Known as the “Champion of Right,” Taylor boldly defended Joseph Smith and the Saints during intense persecution. He joined the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in December 1838. Taylor was with Joseph and Hyrum Smith when they were murdered by a mob in Carthage jail; he survived after having been shot several times. Decades after the Saints moved to Utah, John Taylor became the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after the passing of Brigham Young.²

1. John Taylor, autobiography, 1858, Church History Library

2. "Taylor, John," josephsmithpapers.org; Andrew Jenson, "Taylor, John," Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia vol. 1, 14-15, archive.org