Heber C. Kimball
Heber C. Kimball was a prominent figure in early Mormon history, known for his leadership roles within the Latter-day Saint movement. Born in 1801 in Vermont, Kimball became an early convert to Mormonism and played a significant role in its expansion and establishment. He was a close associate of Joseph Smith, and later served as a counselor in the First Presidency under Brigham Young for over 2 decades. He is among the original Twelve Apostles called in the LDS church.
Heber C. Kimball practiced polygamy, a controversial aspect of early Mormonism. He had at least 43 wives throughout his lifetime, which was not uncommon among prominent church leaders of the time.
Wives and Cows
I think no more of taking another wife than I do of buying a cow.
Heber C Kimball
Heber C. Kimball allegedly said this and is quoted in a book about Brigham Young’s 27th wife, Anne Eliza Young, by Irving Wallace. The statement, “I think no more of taking another wife than I do of buying a cow,” encapsulates a troubling perspective on marriage and women’s roles in early Mormonism. It dehumanizes women and likens the act of marrying (another) woman to simply that of acquiring livestock. Kimball reduces marriage to a transactional arrangement, devoid of emotional depth or mutual respect. This is not hard to attribute to the man who marries 43 women in his lifetime and has sixty-six children with seventeen of them.
In a study of 175 old polygamous families, one of Brigham’s grandsons Kimball Young, the noted sociologist, found that only 23 per cent of the marriages suffered “considerable” to “severe” conflict, whereas 77 per cent were “moderately” to “highly” happy. In troubled plural households most of the wives’ miseries came from insecurity. But often an insensitive husband could compound the conflict. Heber C. Kimball caused himself no end of trouble when he remarked to his friends, “I think no more of taking another wife than I do of buying a cow.”
The Twenty-Seventh Wife, by Irving Wallace, 1961. Page 203.
This disregard for women by Kimball perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes and reinforces patriarchal attitudes that prioritize male desires and autonomy over the well-being and agency of women. Such rhetoric contributes to a culture of sexism and misogyny within the Mormon community, where women are often treated as possessions to be acquired and controlled by men while being told that they are empowered above all other women. Brigham Young, whom Heber served closely with even stated that there wasn’t a place on earth where women were treated better.
Today, Kimball’s quote serves as a stark reminder of the damaging attitudes towards women and marriage that have persisted within certain segments of the Mormon tradition. It highlights the need for critical reflection on historical teachings and a commitment to fostering gender equality and respect for all individuals within religious communities. Some might argue that this quote has no real source, but we have plenty of other things attributed to Heber Kimball.
I would not be afraid to promise a man who is sixty years of age, if he will take the counsel of brother Brigham and his brethren, that he will renew his age. I have noticed that a man who has but one wife, and is inclined to that doctrine, soon begins to wither and dry up, while a man who goes into plurality looks fresh, young, and sprightly. Why is this? Because God loves that man, and because he honors His work and word. Some of you may not believe this; but I not only believe it—I also know it. For a man of God to be confined to one woman is small business; for it is as much as we can do now to keep up under the burdens we have to carry; and I do not know what we should do if we had only one wife apiece.
Temple and Endowments—Raising Grain and Building Storehouses—Dedication, Heber C. Kimball, LDS Apostle, Polygamist
https://journalofdiscourses.com/5/5
And another quote about the missionaries returning from their missions with their converts and allegedly picking the “prettiest” of them to keep for themselves as wives, while letting the other church leaders have the “ugly ones,” he complains that he would like to have a “fair shake” at the new women coming to town. This is an alleged message he shares with outgoing missionaries, in hopes that he can win some pretty brides from their converts who migrate to Utah. There is no church-approved source for this quote, but it was contemporary to Kimball and published in the newspaper in 1860.
Some time ago Heber Kimball was lecturing some missionaries who were preparing to start out on foreign missions, in the Tabernacle, and said to them: “Brethren, I want you to understand that it is not to be as it has been heretofore. The brother Missionaries have been in the habit of picking out the prettiest women for themselves before they get here, and bringing on the ugly ones for us; hereafter you have to bring them all here before taking any of them, and let us all have a fair shake.” The old reprobate then had at least a score of women whom he called wives.
History shows that polygamy has never existed in any community for fifty years without women becoming an article of merchandise. The traffic has already commenced in Utah…
Heber C. Kimball, as The New York Times, April 17, 1860
FROM UTAH.; Polygamy and its Fruits–The Missionaries–The Pony Express–More Pugnacious Preaching–Death of a Prominent Physician–The Season.
https://web.archive.org/web/20200115013707/https://www.nytimes.com/1860/04/17/archives/from-utah-polygamy-and-its-fruitsthe-missionariesthe-pony.html
What does the church teach about women? Are they treated a valued and equal to men? Share your experience in the comments or consider sharing your ‘I was a Mormon’ story.
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