William Law

William Law was Second Counselor in the First Presidency from 1841 until his excommunication in 1844. His dramatic break with Joseph Smith and subsequent actions contributed directly to the prophet’s death.

Born in Ireland in 1809, Law immigrated to Canada and then to Nauvoo, Illinois, where he became a successful businessman and land speculator. He was called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency on January 24, 1841, serving alongside Sidney Rigdon.

Law’s relationship with Joseph Smith deteriorated over several issues, most notably polygamy. Law opposed the practice and claimed Joseph Smith had attempted to convince Law’s wife Jane to become a plural wife. Law refused to accept polygamy and began openly criticizing Smith.

On January 8, 1844, Law was excommunicated for apostasy. He then helped organize a reformed church and, most significantly, helped publish the Nauvoo Expositor newspaper in June 1844. The paper’s first (and only) issue exposed polygamy and criticized Joseph Smith’s leadership.

The destruction of the Expositor’s printing press by Nauvoo city authorities led to the arrest of Joseph Smith and his subsequent murder at Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844. Law later expressed regret about the events but maintained his opposition to polygamy was justified.

He lived until 1892, never returning to any Mormon denomination. His story illustrates the internal conflicts over polygamy that plagued early Mormonism and the dramatic consequences of dissent.