Polygamy in LDS Leadership
Statistics and data about plural marriage among leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1830 to present.
Polygamy is the practice of marrying multiple spouses (opposed to monogamy where a person is married to only one spouse). When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is technically called polygyny, though the church calls it plural marriage or polygamy. When a woman is married to more than one husband at the same time, it is called polyandry. When there a man has multiple wives who in turn have multiple husbands at the same time, it is called polyamory.
Overview Statistics
(on the site so far)
Polygamist Leaders
Click any card for full biographical details. Ordered by number of wives.
Detailed Data Table
Showing 80 leaders and some plural marriage data.
| Name | Wives | Teen Brides | Children | Avg Age Diff | Max Age Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigham Young | 54 | 5 | 59 | 16.9 yrs | 43 yrs |
| Heber C. Kimball | 44 | 6 | 70 | 15 yrs | 36 yrs |
| Joseph Smith | 32 | 3 | 11 | 10 yrs | 21 yrs |
| Willard Richards | 19 | 2 | 27 | 14.9 yrs | 25 yrs |
| John Taylor | 19 | 0 | 39 | 12.3 yrs | 51 yrs |
| Amasa Lyman | 17 | 6 | 71 | 10.5 yrs | 20 yrs |
| Marriner W. Merrill | 16 | 5 | 93 | 18.3 yrs | 37 yrs |
| Brigham Young Jr. | 14 | 3 | 59 | 17.4 yrs | 38 yrs |
| Franklin D. Richards | 14 | 1 | 28 | 8.9 yrs | 30 yrs |
| John W. Taylor | 13 | 1 | 61 | 11.6 yrs | 22 yrs |
| Parley P. Pratt | 12 | 1 | 31 | 11.3 yrs | 22 yrs |
| Jedediah M. Grant | 11 | 3 | 13 | 10.2 yrs | 23 yrs |
| Daniel H. Wells | 11 | 2 | 27 | 15.6 yrs | 30 yrs |
| George A. Smith | 10 | 1 | 23 | 4.5 yrs | 16 yrs |
| Wilford Woodruff | 10 | 3 | 34 | 21.6 yrs | 45 yrs |
| George Teasdale | 10 | 1 | 29 | 18.3 yrs | 44 yrs |
| Orson Pratt | 10 | 2 | 45 | 16.7 yrs | 40 yrs |
| Lorenzo Snow | 9 | 4 | 42 | 16.9 yrs | 41 yrs |
| Orson Hyde | 9 | 2 | 31 | 25.3 yrs | 42 yrs |
| Ezra T. Benson | 8 | 0 | 32 | 13.1 yrs | 32 yrs |
| Abraham H. Cannon | 8 | 1 | 25 | 5.1 yrs | 11 yrs |
| William Smith | 8 | 1 | 9 | 13.3 yrs | 19 yrs |
| Joseph Angell Young | 7 | 2 | 24 | 5.7 yrs | 16 yrs |
| George Q. Cannon | 7 | 0 | 39 | 15.1 yrs | 24 yrs |
| John Willard Young | 7 | 2 | 22 | 7.4 yrs | 17 yrs |
| Albert Carrington | 7 | 1 | 37 | 17.9 yrs | 30 yrs |
| Joseph F. Smith | 7 | 4 | 48 | 12 yrs | 26 yrs |
| Charles C. Rich | 6 | 4 | 35 | 15.5 yrs | 23 yrs |
| Lyman Wight | 6 | 0 | 23 | 19.3 yrs | 32 yrs |
| Matthias F. Cowley | 6 | 0 | 26 | 10.3 yrs | 26 yrs |
| Charles W. Penrose | 6 | 0 | 43 | 4.8 yrs | 11 yrs |
| John E. Page | 6 | 1 | 20 | 11.7 yrs | 24 yrs |
| John R. Winder | 5 | 2 | 24 | 15 yrs | 25 yrs |
| Erastus Snow | 5 | 1 | 36 | 7.8 yrs | 18 yrs |
| Hyrum Smith | 5 | 0 | 8 | 7.4 yrs | 19 yrs |
| Moses Thatcher | 5 | 1 | 23 | 9.2 yrs | 20 yrs |
| John F. Boynton | 5 | 0 | 9 | 15 yrs | 31 yrs |
| Howard W. Hunter | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5.8 yrs | 11 yrs |
| Joseph Fielding Smith | 4 | 0 | 18 | 10.5 yrs | 26 yrs |
| John Henry Smith | 4 | 2 | 36 | 5.5 yrs | 10 yrs |
| Lyman E. Johnson | 4 | 0 | 5 | 7.7 yrs | 19 yrs |
| Charles W. Nibley | 3 | 1 | 8 | 7.7 yrs | 11 yrs |
| L. Tom Perry | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2.3 yrs | 4 yrs |
| Abraham O. Woodruff | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4.3 yrs | 9 yrs |
| Joseph F. Merrill | 3 | 0 | 10 | 4.7 yrs | 10 yrs |
| Rudger Clawson | 3 | 1 | 5 | 11 yrs | 20 yrs |
| Heber J. Grant | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0.3 yrs | 1 yrs |
| Luke S. Johnson | 3 | 1 | 22 | 9.7 yrs | 16 yrs |
| Reed Smoot | 2 | 0 | 7 | 7.5 yrs | 14 yrs |
| Bruce R. McConkie | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0.5 yrs | 1 yrs |
| Richard R. Lyman | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1.5 yrs | 2 yrs |
| Martin Harris | 2 | 1 | 11 | 22 yrs | 35 yrs |
| Henry D. Moyle | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3.5 yrs | 4 yrs |
| Neal A. Maxwell | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1.5 yrs | 2 yrs |
| Russell M. Nelson | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13 yrs | 25 yrs |
| Joseph B. Wirthlin | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 yrs | 4 yrs |
| Anthony W. Ivins | 2 | 0 | 18 | 1.5 yrs | 2 yrs |
| Thomas B. Marsh | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5.5 yrs | 11 yrs |
| Matthew Cowley | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1.5 yrs | 2 yrs |
| Albert E. Bowen | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2.5 yrs | 5 yrs |
| Mark E. Petersen | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4.5 yrs | 6 yrs |
| George Q. Morris | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3.5 yrs | 4 yrs |
| Delbert L. Stapley | 2 | 1 | 5 | 11.5 yrs | 17 yrs |
| Harold B. Lee | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 yrs | 3 yrs |
| Charles A. Callis | 2 | 0 | 8 | 7.5 yrs | 8 yrs |
| Hyrum M. Smith | 2 | 0 | 10 | — | — |
| LeGrand Richards | 2 | 0 | 17 | 2.5 yrs | 5 yrs |
| Stephen L. Richards | 2 | 1 | 18 | 3.5 yrs | 4 yrs |
| Dallin H. Oaks ● | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 yrs | 8 yrs |
| Melvin J. Ballard | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 yrs | 2 yrs |
| Jesse Gause | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8.5 yrs | 15 yrs |
| Robert D. Hales | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 yrs | 3 yrs |
| Adam S. Bennion | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2.5 yrs | 4 yrs |
| Marvin J. Ashton | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2.5 yrs | 3 yrs |
| Sidney Rigdon | 2 | 0 | 22 | 6.5 yrs | 7 yrs |
| James E. Faust | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 yrs | 2 yrs |
| Anthon H. Lund | 2 | 0 | 9 | 8.5 yrs | 14 yrs |
| Sylvester Q. Cannon | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 yrs | 3 yrs |
| Hugh B. Brown | 2 | 0 | 16 | 4 yrs | 4 yrs |
| Orson F. Whitney | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1.5 yrs | 3 yrs |
Young Brides
Women who married church leaders before age 20. This includes 80 teenage brides (under 18) plus 83 brides aged 18-19. Listed by age at marriage, youngest first.














































































