Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church

by Michael K. Winder

Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church by Michael K. Winder, member of the Utah Board of State History. There are 43 chapters, one for each president from George Washington to George W. Bush. We see the Church rising from obscurity to political clout as America's-fastest growing religion.

You will learn of the wartime President who checked out the Book of Mormon from the Library of Congress; of the President who spoke at a funeral in the Washington, DC Stake Center; the President who attended school in the Kirtland Temple; and the President who had two high priests in his cabinet. Read about what FDR wrote to Churchill about the Mormons; the President who grew up in Ohio with Lorenzo Snow; the Apostle who spent his honeymoon in the White House; and the President who quoted Alma in a letter he wrote to a missionary.

One President asked that his sick wife be given a priesthood blessing. Another received a priesthood blessing himself shortly before his death. Two Presidents have attended Family Home Evenings with two different Apostles. One former President helped the Church missionary program in Africa. There was the President who telephoned Spencer W. Kimball during a stake conference to ask him a few questions, and the President who would spontaneously land Air Force One just to check on his friend David O. McKay.

Genres: Lds, History, Nonfiction, Religion, American History, Historical, Faith

429 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a nerd, but really enjoyed this book about the relationship our church has had over the years with every U.S. President. It reads just like a textbook and has lots of great pictures. Among the more interesting things I learned from the book:

1. Joseph Smith's Presidential run was cut short by his martyrdom.
2. Charles Guiteau (who assassinated Garfield) was rumored to be Mormon. It was not true, and in order to try to "clear their name" and show support for Garfield, the Mormons named Garfield County after the late President.
3. Warren G. Harding asked a close Mormon friend, Reed Smoot, to give his ailing wife a Priesthood blessing.
4. In Calvin Coolidge's final days before dying he also asked Brother Smoot for a blessing.
5. Reed Smoot and his new bride spent their 2-week honeymoon in the White House as personal guests of Herbert Hoover.
6. Dwight D. Eisenhower invited himself to Family Home Evening with Ezra Taft Benson and J. W. Marriott's families. They had a cozy night of "dinner, singing, religious readings and comic skits...followed by a hymn and family prayer."
7. Lyndon B. Johnson found great solace and comfort in talking with then church president David O. McKay. He called on him several times, once saying "I just need a little strength I think that would come from visiting with you and hour or so."
8. President Nixon was the featured speaker at and LDS Youth Conference in California early in his career.
9. D. Todd Christofferson (now one of the Quorum of the Twelve) was a key investigator in the Watergate scandal. He and Judge John Sirica were the first to hear the Nixon tapes.
10. Gerald Ford's wife, Betty, toured the Washington DC temple during the open house. While there, she was told how members have recommends according to their worthiness. Those giving the tour pulled out their recommends to show her. President Kimball was the last one to pull his out. She said, "I'm so glad you've got one, too. You had me worried."
11. Gerald Ford's son attended Utah State University (Go Aggies!!)
12. President Reagan had been given a Book of Mormon (as had a lot of presidents). He actually spent some time reading it as he quoted from Alma 60:11 in a letter he wrote to the son of the Utah Senator Jake Garn.
13. President Clinton personally invited the First Presidency to the White House in 1995 to discuss the importance of recently released "Proclamation to the World" on the family. Ironically, the day that President Hinckley had his first White House visit with President Clinton was Monica Lewinsky's first day of work.

Among these little tidbits of info there were also several Presidents of the U.S. who had the MoTab sing at their inauguration and lots and lots of Mormons who have been on cabinets of various Presidents.

If anyone wants to borrow this book from me, let me know. I think it's out of print now. My hubby found it for me online, but I'm willing to lend it out. :)

[Kimchpm]

This is an amazing book. I love history. I love America and it is wonderful that our Presidents have had the opportunity to meet with our Prophets. Some had better friendships than others but all have a great respect for them. The photos are fantastic. Only problem is President Monson is not in it! It is a pricey book and if anyone would like to borrow it, call or email me.

801-369-0029
kimchpm@hotmail.com

[Chadh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned the history of the church's involvement in politics. This author doesn't pull any punches or try to glamorize the church's involvement. In its early days the church got involved in politics to protect its rights. The constitutional interpretation back then, was typically that the bill of rights wasn't something the Federal government imposed on the people, it was viewed as a document that protected the states from the Federal government. The only problem with that interpretation was that the Latterday Saints would claim their rights were being trampled on by the local and state's governments. When the LDS would petition the President's or the federal congress, the Democratic-Republicans like Andrew Jackson would simply say, "I am sorry I can't help. That is a state's rights issue." This lead the LDS to play whichever party would support their rights which created many problems because they are pandered to, and also look disloyal when they play both parties.
It is in this context that Joseph Smith runs for President to get the message out. When Joseph ran, he actually could have had some power, because Illinois was a major swing state and he could deliver it to either party.

Fun to learn about people like Senator/Apostle Smoot and Secretary/Apostle Benson who served in Washington while being officially ordained leaders of the church. They were very respected in their parties and circles. They weren't contemporaries, but they had a lot in common in terms of policy. An big exeption being that Smoot was anti-free trade, while Benson was pro free-trade.

Also, another suprise to me was how great of friends LBJ and David O Mckay were. The only things these men had in common was that they were leaders and loved their nation. Yet, it seems that their was genuine affection between them.

Of course, with any Mormon group Reagan steals the show. It is no wonder that the LDS in the Mountain West are so heavily Republican. The leader had LDS in his inner-circle and made visits to Salt Lake. He lavished praise on LDS values and institutions like the welfare system. He even invited the Mormon Tabernacle choir to sing as his inagural and shed a tear while they sang. The church membership was not always so politically conservative, but since the Reagan era has been the most consistent voting block for the Republican party in Presidential elections of any other group, voting 80-90% Republican.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to learn how the LDS church fared politically through the years and what type of relationship the leaders of the LDS church had with the Presidents of our country. Some interesting stories of how some presidents like Johnson, Nixon, Carter, and Ford, truely valued the advice of church presidents and general authorities and would seek their counsel on many world, social, and family issues. We also learn that during the 1800's the church did not have many political friends and as a result the church suffered many years of social and political persecution. As the church grew and became more involved in the three branches of the U.S. government, the LDS faith became more understood and accepted among the presidents and leaders of our country. Reed Smoot who was an apostle of the church and Utah senator in the the early 1900's, was the one who the first LDS leaders who significantly began improving relations between our goverment leaders, presidents, and the church. Since then relations have generally continued to improve. Interesting stories of various experiences church presidents have had with our nations presidents. A good one to read if you like church history.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me just say, for a fan of quirky history, this is a treasure trove. This book is full of historical anecdotes that you won't find anywhere else. For example, did you know that Abraham Lincoln checked out the Book of Mormon from the Library of Congress during his presidency and kept it, along with a variety of other books about Mormonism, for eight months? Who knew? I am utterly fascinated by this book. Did you also know that when Joseph Smith was murdered, he was a presidential candidate at the time, which means he was not only martyred for his beliefs, he was assassinated! No Secret Service for presidential candidates back then.

I especially like this book for presenting the American presidential time line as a concurrent parallel track to Mormon historical events. Some of our former presidents were downright scoundrels when it came to the treatment of the Latter-day Saints. Fortunately, modern-day presidents have treated Mormon leaders with a great deal of respect. In fact, I'm impressed at how closely many modern-day presidents interacted with LDS leaders. My opinion of some of the U.S. presidents has improved as a result.

[Reggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book. It's more of an encyclopedia approach than a story. Each President is presented in chronological order with an overview followed by details.

I'm very interested in the lives of Church and National leaders so the whole premise was right up my ally. For example I've always wondered if US Presidents who meet with lots of spiritual leaders ever meet the prophet and come away thinking wow, there's something different about him. Now I know that Lyndon Johnson always felt uplifted after talking with David O McKay; and did so every chance he got. Gerald Ford called Spencer Kimball one of the greatest spiritual leaders in the world. Ronald Reagan always believed that the US had been raised up by the hand of God to be a moral leader for the world and often discussed this issue with Church leaders due to that idea being found consistently throughout the Book of Mormon.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over all, I really enjoyed this book. There were a couple glaring issues in it, which interest me enough to consider asking the author for his explanation of why he made the choices he did in covering/not covering certain issues. But it kept me engaged, it was a pleasant read, it was well done, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about American history where it intersects with LDS (Mormon) history. Not only is this a keeper for me, but my 13 yr old was able to read it as well and then we had such great discussions about history, Mormonism, and historical research and the men who edit it. This book was written in a good spirit and with a sensible lay out to its pages. The author brought history full circle! Some passages just begged to be read out loud. Grateful I finally got my hands on this book.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very eye-opening. I bought this book so I could use it for a family home evening lesson. It's written like a reference guide, so you can skip around to particular presidents. I was impressed with everything I learned. Abraham Lincoln, before making a decision about how to treat the Mormons after taking office, checked out a copy of the Book of Mormon from the Library of Congress. There's even a photocopy of the receipt in the book. Thomas Jefferson "prophesied" that by establishing a new world, the Founding Fathers were preparing the way for the true gospel, and that it would happen very soon. The Church was restored just a few years after Jefferson passed away. I was very impressed and would recommend this to anyone.

[Christopher Seifert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the best borrowed birthday present I ever received. (The book actually belongs to my father-in-law, but my wife borrowed it for me for my birthday back in January.) Winder is no David McCullough, but the topic is interesting and fun. I was most surprised by the close relationship between LBJ and David O. McKay. I also enjoyed some of the scathing journal entries by past LDS presidents about certain commanders-in-chief. The last sixty years or so were kind of disappointing though, considering the church has become far less politically partisan (officially, at least) as was once the case.

[Kaylynn Johnsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is one of those weird things. Sometimes you don't want to know what you have learned. I can't recommend the book because of the writer's bias, but I love history. Unfortunatley I may know more than the writer expects of his audience because I kept asking myself "Why did he include that quote or piece of history and not this one, which is so much better?" There were a few things I didn't know which made it worth it to me, but to anyone else I who reads it I would recommend that where ever the writer uses quote from biographers or historians go to the orignal writings of the person in question, you will get a much truer sense of that person and their thoughts.

[Nancee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a fantastic book. I love history and it was a great way to learn about the interactions between the LDS church and the US government. It was interesting to see the transformation from the church's status as a weird, rebellious group to a well-respected, international organization. I would highly recommend this. There were a lot of little tibdbits of history that made it really enjoyable (i.e., how places got their names, funny stories about conversations between the prophet and president, how much the presidents have sought out guidance from the church, etc.).

[Jared · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book looks at the relationship between the US presidents and the Mormon church. Some chapters are pretty thin as there was really not much interaction, but some talk of relationships that never really get talked about in Sunday school. Several US presidents have called for priesthood blessings for members of their families and some of the Prophets were pretty close friends to the presidents. I really enjoyed the stories and the intro and conclusion of the book were an excellent part of the overall work. If anyone wants to borrow this one let me know!

[Sandra Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this - there were a lot of interesting anecdotes that I had not known of before, or hadn't known about in much detail. I liked the reader-friendly way the information was presented and the open and friendly writing tone of the author. The many good-quality photographs and other pictures included were a great aid to the text. An Index, list of Sources Cited and Photo Credits are included at the back of the book. I certainly recommend it to anyone interested in Mormon history.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book to dip into to see how LDS prophets have interacted with various U.S. presidents over the decades. I would love to see this updated to the current president. My only gripe was the author referred to Jefferson and Washington as "deists." Which makes me think the author should have referenced history books pre-dating the 1900's to discover the veracity of that assessment. Overall, an excellent find that I think many LDS members would enjoy reading. It is a coffee table book with a highly readable style.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for those interested in the American presidency and the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is an account of how the Church and the nation's highest office have interacted in the past couple of centuries. I found out some very interesting things, like the very close relationship LBJ had with Church President David O. McKay. I read the whole book in less than a week--a fascinating read.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts out with a great story about how the author decided to write this book. I got chills reading about his experience in the intro. It is very interesting to see each Pres of the U.S. and their animosity in the early stages of the church change to respect. LBJ struck up a unique friendship with the Prophet David O. McKay and called asking advice at all times of the day. There are many other stories too and great photos. A must read for the Mormon/History buff.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting facts of the relationships between U.S. Presidents and the LDS Church and specific members of the church. Each chapter is devoted to one U.S. President. Also, included are LDS church members that have had relationships or events with the U.S. Presidents. (Can check out my dad listed as a Secret Service agent on a few different pages in the Reagan chapter, particularly page 358, sixth line down!)

[Dick Bollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the historical approach to the interactions between the presidents. The chapter end notes gave authenticity to the book. The lesser-seen pictures were very interesting. The author's attempt to tell the story of the interactions of the presidents in an unbiased, non-religious tone was fairly successful. Though I am fairly well-read regarding US and Church history, I found many of the historical backdrops surrounding the president's interactions very enlightening.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! I'm amazed by the many connections with leaders of the Church and our Presidents. I had no idea that Dolly Madison held a fundraiser in 1847 to help raise money for our Pioneers. I didn't know she was still alive in 1847! I also didn't know that LBJ regularly called upon President David O. McKay for advice and wisdom. In several speeches, President Reagan direcly quoted Alma. Many interesting stories. Great read!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am just beginning to like to read history books, (I hated it in school). The format of this book was good. It lists each president of the United States by chapter. Then with each president, information regarding his interactions with the Mormon people are listed in the chapter. I found the early president's information fascinating. There were a lot of facts that I did not know. I did read it cover to cover, but it would also be a good reference book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book to read through and learn a little more about LDS interactions with the White House. It was great that the author kept the history very basic and to the point. My only complaint was that the captions for the pictures were direct quotes from the text. It would have been nice to have different information about the pictures. It kinda made it seem like the pictures were afterthoughts. Will def keep it on my shelf.

[Melissa]

Mike Winder was our Student-Body President in High School so I was pleased to find that this book was written by him. He was always extremely excited about history and politics. I am thrilled that he has taken that passion and melded it in with his religious excitement.

This one is one President here and another there - kind of read. Good so far.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I cheated and watched the DVD instead. I went to high school with the author and unfortunately he also was the narrator for this and was pretty cheesy, but it was a fascinating look at the relationships between presidents of the church and presidents of our country. Overall I really enjoyed it.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really was fascinating! I thought it might be the type to just skim through now and then, and that would be good, but I just got hooked on it! It was very interesting to see the issues that have come up, and the miraculous change in relations between the Church and America from the days of Joseph Smith to today.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book over a year ago and finally got back to it. I found the last half of the book to be way more interesting than the first half. I learned a lot of new things about the church's involvement with the presidents of the US. One thing I didn't like was how each chapter was written independent of the others. It made for a lot of duplicate information.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very unique look at a singular aspect of American history--the relationship of the American Presidents to the LDS church. I learned a lot about the Presidents of the United States, and was very interested in the evolving relationship of the way the LDS church interacted with the United States government.

[Becky S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. I loved learning about the us presidents and when they met a prophet of the LDS church. Also all the people that were LDS that were in the cabinet or a senator or intern or personal friend, there were a lot! I think this book was worth reading for a light overview of the church and the us presidents from the beginning to the present, well 2009.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So enjoyed the historical aspect of how the Presidents of the United States and the living Prophets interacted with each other...which includes how the U.S. government felt and dealt with the Church during each time period. When studying American History, one should, also, see what the Prophets were saying during that same time period of History...Fascinating...

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! As a history and politics junkie, this was perfect for me. It is a pretty quick read. I found out so much information that I never knew. Would really recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn more about the LDS Church or about the Presidents of the US.

[Shellie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. I learned alot of Church History from this book. I also learned some U.S. History as well. The most interesting thing I learned from this book is found in the Bill Clinton Chapter. I won't give it away, but it's about Monica Lewinsky.