Rudger Clawson
Born: 27 March 1857
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 10 October 1898
Called as Counselor in the First Presidency: 6 October 1901 (Lorenzo Snow)
Returned to Quorum of the Twelve: 10 October 1901
Became President of the Quorum of the Twelve: 17 March 1921
Died: 21 June 1943
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 10 October 1898
Called as Counselor in the First Presidency: 6 October 1901 (Lorenzo Snow)
Returned to Quorum of the Twelve: 10 October 1901
Became President of the Quorum of the Twelve: 17 March 1921
Died: 21 June 1943
Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 1
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Juvenile Instructor, 1 December 1900, Lives of Our Leaders - The Apostles: Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, June 1910, Rudger Clawson
Relief Society Magazine, February 1919, President Heber J. Grant and His Counselors - Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, January 1932, Greatness in Men - Rudger Clawson
Instructor, August 1934, President Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, March 1937, The Youth and Early Manhood of Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, March 1937, Rudger Clawson's Service in the Council of the Twelve
Improvement Era, March 1937, Some Impressions of My Father
Improvement Era, March 1937, When Box Elder "Imported" Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, March 1937, A Matter of History
Improvement Era, March 1937, With President Clawson in Europe
Improvement Era, March 1940, President Clawson Active at Eighty-Three
Improvement Era, March 1942, President Rudger Clawson, Who has continued long in good works
Improvement Era, March 1942, Tributes to President Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, March 1942, President Rudger Clawson Speaks
Improvement Era, March 1942, President Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, August 1943, President Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, August 1943, President Rudger Clawson
Instructor, August 1943, Rudger Clawson
Relief Society Magazine, August 1943, President Rudger Clawson
Relief Society Magazine, August 1943, President Rudger Clawson
My own research and opinion
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Juvenile Instructor, 1 December 1900, Lives of Our Leaders - The Apostles: Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, June 1910, Rudger Clawson
Relief Society Magazine, February 1919, President Heber J. Grant and His Counselors - Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, January 1932, Greatness in Men - Rudger Clawson
Instructor, August 1934, President Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, March 1937, The Youth and Early Manhood of Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, March 1937, Rudger Clawson's Service in the Council of the Twelve
Improvement Era, March 1937, Some Impressions of My Father
Improvement Era, March 1937, When Box Elder "Imported" Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, March 1937, A Matter of History
Improvement Era, March 1937, With President Clawson in Europe
Improvement Era, March 1940, President Clawson Active at Eighty-Three
Improvement Era, March 1942, President Rudger Clawson, Who has continued long in good works
Improvement Era, March 1942, Tributes to President Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, March 1942, President Rudger Clawson Speaks
Improvement Era, March 1942, President Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, August 1943, President Rudger Clawson
Improvement Era, August 1943, President Rudger Clawson
Instructor, August 1943, Rudger Clawson
Relief Society Magazine, August 1943, President Rudger Clawson
Relief Society Magazine, August 1943, President Rudger Clawson
My own research and opinion
Jenson, Andrew. "Clawson, Rudger." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 1. pg. 174-178.
CLAWSON, Rudger, a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles since 1898, is the son of Hiram B. Clawson and Margaret Gay Judd, and was born March 1, 1857, in Salt Lake City. Utah. He was educated in the schools of his native city. The teachers who seem to have influenced him most were Dr. Karl G. Maeser, Miss Ida I. Cook and Dr. John R. Park. From his earliest boyhood, Elder Clawson was religiously inclined. One of the shaping forces of his character was his early reading of the Book of Mormon. His own words on this subject teach a lesson full of interest and deep meaning to the young Latter-day Saints. "Early in life I became deeply interested in the Book of Mormon," he says, 'which I read and re-read, and drew from its divine pages inspiration and hope. Faith sprang up in my heart. By a careful study of that glorious book, well defined ideas of right and wrong were firmly fixed in my youthful mind, and I was thus measurably able to withstand the temptations that assailed me and was able to escape many of the sins and follies to which some of the young are addicted. With advanced years,, the conviction has constantly grown upon me that the Book of Mormon is one of the grandest books of the age." Regarding the meeting-going of the small boy. Elder Clawson bears this testimony: "I remember the interest I fell, as a boy, in the Sunday meetings at the Old Tabernacle, and later in the large New Tabernacle. The sermons of Presidents Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith and the Apostles and Elders made a profound impression on my mind for good. From my own experience I am led to believe that the effects and influence of the teachings of our leaders upon the youth of Zion —I mean the very small boys and girls, who, in the midst of the congregations sit almost unnoticed—is greater than many suppose." An important adjunct to Elder Clawson's school life was the Wasatch Literary Society, whose membership was composed of his companions and associates, boys and girls of early days, many of whom have since become prominent in public life Shortly after leaving school the young man, then only eighteen years old, became private secretary to Hon. John W. Young, then president of the Utah Western Railway company. In. this capacity he spent two years in the East, visiting most of the prominent cities, but spending the greater part of his time in New York City. This trip gave the young man much practical and valuable experience. In 1879, Elder Clawson was called on a mission to the Southern States; and it was while laboring in the State of Georgia, preaching the gospel of Christ, that his friend and companion missionary. Elder Joseph Standing, was shot down by a brutal mob. The news at the time sent a thrill of horror through the Church. Briefly told, the terrible experience and Elder Clawson's part in it is as follows: In the summer of 1879, Elder Clawson and Elder Standing, who were laboring in Georgia, started for a conference of the Elders to be held in the city of Rome. On the way, they were to call on some members of the Church living at Varnell's Station, Whitfield county. Elder Standing had previously labored in that section and had succeeded in raising up a branch of the Church. The missionaries reached the place on the evening of Saturday, July 9th. Calling at the house of a Church member, they found the family to be in a state of great excitement, owing to the threats made against the Elders in the neighborhood. Because of this bitter and murderous feeling the brethren were refused the privilege of stopping over night at the house. They were, however, directed to the house of a Mr. Henry Holston, who was not a member of the Church, but was friendly to the Elders. Mr. Holston received the missionaries kindly, and when the situation was explained to him, he said he would defend them as long as they were under his roof. 'Elder Standing appeared pale and anxious over the trouble which threatened them. A dream he had had a short time previous seemed to worry him, as it appeared to forebode evil. The next day was Sunday. The morning opened beautiful, and the two Elders set out to get their satchels and bring them back to Mr. Holston's place. They found the family still fearful of trouble, hence, they did not remain long. The road between the two houses was densely wooded on both sides. On the way back to Holston's, the two young: missionaries suddenly came upon twelve men, some on horseback and some on foot. They were all armed, and as they caught sight of the Elders, they set up great yells of exultation, and came rushing towards them like a pack of hungry wolves. Elder Standing asked the men by what authority they were thus molested on the public highway. "We'll show you by what authority we act!" they replied. One of them then jumped from his horse, an<l came up to Elder Clawson with a cocked revolver, pointing it into his face and at the same time uttering vile and most blasphemous language. The mob then ordered the brethren to follow them, which they did. To the expostulation of the Elders that they were peaceable, law-abiding citizens, the mob replied: "The government of the United States is against you, and there is no law in Georgia for Mormons." In this march to violence Elder Clawson walked rather slowly and thus lagged somewhat. At this, one of the ruffians came up behind and struck him a terrible blow on the back of the head, causing him to fall forward. He was, however, up again in an instant, but he knew he could do nothing to resent the attack. Shortly after the wretch attacked him again with a club, which only his comrades prevented him from using over Elder Clawson's head. After a time they left the road and went deeper into the woods. The party met an old man, well known in the neighborhood, and a girl by the name of Mary Hamblin, who had come to warn the Elders. Elder Clawson feared that the mob would injure the girl, but they let her go with a threat. Soon they came to a beautiful spot in the woods —a spring of clear water shaded by a large tree. Here a halt was made and the party seated themselves around the pool of water. Then the mobbers conversed for about an hour and a half, accusing the Mormons of all manner of vile acts. They seemed very eager to learn something of the whereabouts of Elder John Morgan, against whom they appeared to have a deep-seated hatred. They were much disappointed when they learned that he was in Utah. Presently three horsemen, who had left the party a short time previously, rode up again. One of them gave the command: "Follow us." At the same time. Elder Standing, who was sitting with his back to the rider, suddenly leaped to his feet, turned, clapped his hands together and shouted the word. "Surrender!" A man seated close to him pointed his pistol at him and fired, and the young missionary instantly fell. The mobbers at once arose, and one of them, pointing to Elder Clawson, said to his companions: "Shoot that man " Instantly every weapon was turned upon him, and it seemed to the young man that he was standing on the brink of eternity. He faced the mob, folded his arms and said, "Shoot!" But the order not to shoot was given, and the guns were lowered. Elder Clawson then went to his murdered companion and looked into his face. A ghastly wound was in his forehead where the bullet had entered. Elder Clawson got permission from the mob to go after some assistance for his friend. Running through the woods he hailed a woodchopper, and asked him to assist in removing the body. "No; I haven't time,' was the reply. Arriving at Mr. Holston's that gentleman gave Brother Clawson a horse to go after the coroner, while he left for the scene of the assassination. Elder Clawson again met the mob on the road fleeing from the State. He feared they would murder him also, but they let him pass unharmed, and with a thankful heart he traveled on. Arriving at Catoosa Springs, a fashionable -watering place, telegrams were sent to Salt Lake City, and also to the governor of the State. The coroner, his clerk, and Brother Clawson. then set out to get the body. They were joined by Mr. Holston on the way. The coroner held an inquest, and the body was laid upon a plank and carried to the house of Mr. Holston. Here, during that gloomy night, by the light of a candle, with the awe-stricken spectators standing near. Elder Clawson performed the last act of kindness to his friend in washing the awful stains from his body and preparing it for its final rest. After much difficulty and danger. Elder Clawson got the body safely on the train, and arrived with it in Salt Lake City August 3rd. In September of the next year Elder Clawson went back to Georgia to attend the trial of the murderers. Feeling was high against him in the State, but he had a duty to perform, and he did it, although at the risk of his life. Three of the murderers had been captured, and they had been indicted for murder in the first degree. The trial continued for three days. The jury's verdict was "not guilty!" The result was greeted with great demonstration by the spectators. A friend told Elder Clawson that he was in danger, and as soon as possible after the trial he got quietly away. Having obeyed the law of plural marriage, Elder Clawson was one of the first victims of that terrible persecution which began under the Edmunds law, and which made many thousand sufferers for conscience sake. After a trial which attracted wide attention, Elder Clawson was convicted. He was sentenced to be imprisoned in the Utah Penitentiary for a term of four years, and to pay a fine of $800. He entered the prison Nov. 3, 1884. Just prior to passing sentence. Judge Charles S. Zane asked him if he had anything to say why judgment should not be pronounced, and he promptly replied: "Tour honor: Since the jury in my case has seen proper to find a verdict of guilty, I have only this to say why judgment should not be passed upon me: I very much regret that the laws of my country should come in conflict with the laws of God; but whenever they do, I shall invariably choose to obey the latter. If I did not so express myself I should feel unworthy the cause I represent. The constitution of the United States expressly provides that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. It cannot be denied, I think, that marriage, when attended and sanctioned by religious rites and ceremonies, is an establishment of religion. The anti-polygamy law of 1862 and the Edmunds-Tucker law of 1882 were expressly designed to operate against marriage as believed in and practiced by the Latter-day Saints. They are therefore unconstitutional, and, of course, as such, cannot command the respect that constitutional laws would. That is all I have to say, your honor." Elder Clawson was but twenty-seven years of age when this terrible experience came to him— a young man, full of the energy of life, with bright prospects opening before him, condemned to a loathsome prison cell for four years! A man of refinement, accustomed to the society of the noble and the pure, forced now to associate Vol. 1. No. 12. with men, low and degraded with vice; to come in close contact with them, to eat and sleep with men repulsively vile and debased; to mingle with robbers and murderers; to be served with poor food, hardly fit to eat; to breathe the filthy tobacco-laden air of the cells. There was but one source from which to ask relief—God, the merciful; and from Him and His comforting Spirit the young man received the strength to carry him through the awful ordeal. For a long time the prison officials treated Elder Clawson with indignities. He had to bear the insults of his fellow- convicts, some of whom took a delight in persecuting the lone "Mormon." After a time other brethren were received at the "pen," and Elder Clawson's life now became more bearable. His father. Bishop Hiram B. Clawson, entered the prison in November, 1885, and remained nearly six months. Naturally the young man took great comfort in his father's society, though at the same time grieved to see him in prison. Slowly the months lengthened into years. His brethren came and went, but Rudger was still there. The great number of "Mormon" convicts had its modifying influence on the prison and its life was easier to bear. During Elder Clawson's incarceration President Lorenzo Snow served a term of eleven months in prison. The aged Apostle was a great comfort to the brethren in showing them how to bear their affliction with due fortitude. Elder Clawson was pardoned by Pres. Grover Cleveland, and he left the penitentiary Dec. 12, 1887. "During my imprisonment of three years, one month, and ten days," says Elder Clawson, "I never once felt to murmur or complain, and as I emerged from the prison walls my faith in the principle of plural marriage was just as firm and unshaken as when I entered. I felt to praise and glorify the Lord that He had deemed me worthy to suffer bonds and imprisonment in defense of the right." Elder Clawson received a letter from Pres. Wilford Woodruff, dated Dec. 23, 1887, calling him to preside over the Box Elder Stake of Zion. At the quarterly conference of Box Elder Stake, held in Brigham City, February 5th, his name was presented and sustained. Elder Clawson at once moved to Brigham City, and entered upon the discharge of his duties. Under his presidency the Box Elder Stake came well up to the front rank in the completeness of its Church organizations and the general progressiveness of the Saints. During his presidency new meeting houses were erected in eleven of the fourteen Wards of the Stake. At the destruction of the Brigham City Tabernacle by fire. President Clawson at once took steps for its rebuilding, and thirteen months afterward, the elegant new tabernacle was erected, paid for and dedicated. Pres. Clawson was called to the Apostleship at the general conference held in October, 1898. He was ordained on the 10th by Lorenzo Snow. Since that time he has been occupied in the duties of his calling in traveling, organizing, instructing, and in office work for the Church. "What, Brother Clawson," asked the writer of this sketch, "has been the most potent factor in aiding you to success in life?" and the answer unhesitatingly was: "My success in life, if I have attained to any, is due to a fixed and unyielding determination on my part to seek and abide by counsel. I know there is safety in counsel, and that he who turns therefrom and seeks to become a law unto himself must surely fall."—Nephi Anderson.
CLAWSON, Rudger, a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles since 1898, is the son of Hiram B. Clawson and Margaret Gay Judd, and was born March 1, 1857, in Salt Lake City. Utah. He was educated in the schools of his native city. The teachers who seem to have influenced him most were Dr. Karl G. Maeser, Miss Ida I. Cook and Dr. John R. Park. From his earliest boyhood, Elder Clawson was religiously inclined. One of the shaping forces of his character was his early reading of the Book of Mormon. His own words on this subject teach a lesson full of interest and deep meaning to the young Latter-day Saints. "Early in life I became deeply interested in the Book of Mormon," he says, 'which I read and re-read, and drew from its divine pages inspiration and hope. Faith sprang up in my heart. By a careful study of that glorious book, well defined ideas of right and wrong were firmly fixed in my youthful mind, and I was thus measurably able to withstand the temptations that assailed me and was able to escape many of the sins and follies to which some of the young are addicted. With advanced years,, the conviction has constantly grown upon me that the Book of Mormon is one of the grandest books of the age." Regarding the meeting-going of the small boy. Elder Clawson bears this testimony: "I remember the interest I fell, as a boy, in the Sunday meetings at the Old Tabernacle, and later in the large New Tabernacle. The sermons of Presidents Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith and the Apostles and Elders made a profound impression on my mind for good. From my own experience I am led to believe that the effects and influence of the teachings of our leaders upon the youth of Zion —I mean the very small boys and girls, who, in the midst of the congregations sit almost unnoticed—is greater than many suppose." An important adjunct to Elder Clawson's school life was the Wasatch Literary Society, whose membership was composed of his companions and associates, boys and girls of early days, many of whom have since become prominent in public life Shortly after leaving school the young man, then only eighteen years old, became private secretary to Hon. John W. Young, then president of the Utah Western Railway company. In. this capacity he spent two years in the East, visiting most of the prominent cities, but spending the greater part of his time in New York City. This trip gave the young man much practical and valuable experience. In 1879, Elder Clawson was called on a mission to the Southern States; and it was while laboring in the State of Georgia, preaching the gospel of Christ, that his friend and companion missionary. Elder Joseph Standing, was shot down by a brutal mob. The news at the time sent a thrill of horror through the Church. Briefly told, the terrible experience and Elder Clawson's part in it is as follows: In the summer of 1879, Elder Clawson and Elder Standing, who were laboring in Georgia, started for a conference of the Elders to be held in the city of Rome. On the way, they were to call on some members of the Church living at Varnell's Station, Whitfield county. Elder Standing had previously labored in that section and had succeeded in raising up a branch of the Church. The missionaries reached the place on the evening of Saturday, July 9th. Calling at the house of a Church member, they found the family to be in a state of great excitement, owing to the threats made against the Elders in the neighborhood. Because of this bitter and murderous feeling the brethren were refused the privilege of stopping over night at the house. They were, however, directed to the house of a Mr. Henry Holston, who was not a member of the Church, but was friendly to the Elders. Mr. Holston received the missionaries kindly, and when the situation was explained to him, he said he would defend them as long as they were under his roof. 'Elder Standing appeared pale and anxious over the trouble which threatened them. A dream he had had a short time previous seemed to worry him, as it appeared to forebode evil. The next day was Sunday. The morning opened beautiful, and the two Elders set out to get their satchels and bring them back to Mr. Holston's place. They found the family still fearful of trouble, hence, they did not remain long. The road between the two houses was densely wooded on both sides. On the way back to Holston's, the two young: missionaries suddenly came upon twelve men, some on horseback and some on foot. They were all armed, and as they caught sight of the Elders, they set up great yells of exultation, and came rushing towards them like a pack of hungry wolves. Elder Standing asked the men by what authority they were thus molested on the public highway. "We'll show you by what authority we act!" they replied. One of them then jumped from his horse, an<l came up to Elder Clawson with a cocked revolver, pointing it into his face and at the same time uttering vile and most blasphemous language. The mob then ordered the brethren to follow them, which they did. To the expostulation of the Elders that they were peaceable, law-abiding citizens, the mob replied: "The government of the United States is against you, and there is no law in Georgia for Mormons." In this march to violence Elder Clawson walked rather slowly and thus lagged somewhat. At this, one of the ruffians came up behind and struck him a terrible blow on the back of the head, causing him to fall forward. He was, however, up again in an instant, but he knew he could do nothing to resent the attack. Shortly after the wretch attacked him again with a club, which only his comrades prevented him from using over Elder Clawson's head. After a time they left the road and went deeper into the woods. The party met an old man, well known in the neighborhood, and a girl by the name of Mary Hamblin, who had come to warn the Elders. Elder Clawson feared that the mob would injure the girl, but they let her go with a threat. Soon they came to a beautiful spot in the woods —a spring of clear water shaded by a large tree. Here a halt was made and the party seated themselves around the pool of water. Then the mobbers conversed for about an hour and a half, accusing the Mormons of all manner of vile acts. They seemed very eager to learn something of the whereabouts of Elder John Morgan, against whom they appeared to have a deep-seated hatred. They were much disappointed when they learned that he was in Utah. Presently three horsemen, who had left the party a short time previously, rode up again. One of them gave the command: "Follow us." At the same time. Elder Standing, who was sitting with his back to the rider, suddenly leaped to his feet, turned, clapped his hands together and shouted the word. "Surrender!" A man seated close to him pointed his pistol at him and fired, and the young missionary instantly fell. The mobbers at once arose, and one of them, pointing to Elder Clawson, said to his companions: "Shoot that man " Instantly every weapon was turned upon him, and it seemed to the young man that he was standing on the brink of eternity. He faced the mob, folded his arms and said, "Shoot!" But the order not to shoot was given, and the guns were lowered. Elder Clawson then went to his murdered companion and looked into his face. A ghastly wound was in his forehead where the bullet had entered. Elder Clawson got permission from the mob to go after some assistance for his friend. Running through the woods he hailed a woodchopper, and asked him to assist in removing the body. "No; I haven't time,' was the reply. Arriving at Mr. Holston's that gentleman gave Brother Clawson a horse to go after the coroner, while he left for the scene of the assassination. Elder Clawson again met the mob on the road fleeing from the State. He feared they would murder him also, but they let him pass unharmed, and with a thankful heart he traveled on. Arriving at Catoosa Springs, a fashionable -watering place, telegrams were sent to Salt Lake City, and also to the governor of the State. The coroner, his clerk, and Brother Clawson. then set out to get the body. They were joined by Mr. Holston on the way. The coroner held an inquest, and the body was laid upon a plank and carried to the house of Mr. Holston. Here, during that gloomy night, by the light of a candle, with the awe-stricken spectators standing near. Elder Clawson performed the last act of kindness to his friend in washing the awful stains from his body and preparing it for its final rest. After much difficulty and danger. Elder Clawson got the body safely on the train, and arrived with it in Salt Lake City August 3rd. In September of the next year Elder Clawson went back to Georgia to attend the trial of the murderers. Feeling was high against him in the State, but he had a duty to perform, and he did it, although at the risk of his life. Three of the murderers had been captured, and they had been indicted for murder in the first degree. The trial continued for three days. The jury's verdict was "not guilty!" The result was greeted with great demonstration by the spectators. A friend told Elder Clawson that he was in danger, and as soon as possible after the trial he got quietly away. Having obeyed the law of plural marriage, Elder Clawson was one of the first victims of that terrible persecution which began under the Edmunds law, and which made many thousand sufferers for conscience sake. After a trial which attracted wide attention, Elder Clawson was convicted. He was sentenced to be imprisoned in the Utah Penitentiary for a term of four years, and to pay a fine of $800. He entered the prison Nov. 3, 1884. Just prior to passing sentence. Judge Charles S. Zane asked him if he had anything to say why judgment should not be pronounced, and he promptly replied: "Tour honor: Since the jury in my case has seen proper to find a verdict of guilty, I have only this to say why judgment should not be passed upon me: I very much regret that the laws of my country should come in conflict with the laws of God; but whenever they do, I shall invariably choose to obey the latter. If I did not so express myself I should feel unworthy the cause I represent. The constitution of the United States expressly provides that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. It cannot be denied, I think, that marriage, when attended and sanctioned by religious rites and ceremonies, is an establishment of religion. The anti-polygamy law of 1862 and the Edmunds-Tucker law of 1882 were expressly designed to operate against marriage as believed in and practiced by the Latter-day Saints. They are therefore unconstitutional, and, of course, as such, cannot command the respect that constitutional laws would. That is all I have to say, your honor." Elder Clawson was but twenty-seven years of age when this terrible experience came to him— a young man, full of the energy of life, with bright prospects opening before him, condemned to a loathsome prison cell for four years! A man of refinement, accustomed to the society of the noble and the pure, forced now to associate Vol. 1. No. 12. with men, low and degraded with vice; to come in close contact with them, to eat and sleep with men repulsively vile and debased; to mingle with robbers and murderers; to be served with poor food, hardly fit to eat; to breathe the filthy tobacco-laden air of the cells. There was but one source from which to ask relief—God, the merciful; and from Him and His comforting Spirit the young man received the strength to carry him through the awful ordeal. For a long time the prison officials treated Elder Clawson with indignities. He had to bear the insults of his fellow- convicts, some of whom took a delight in persecuting the lone "Mormon." After a time other brethren were received at the "pen," and Elder Clawson's life now became more bearable. His father. Bishop Hiram B. Clawson, entered the prison in November, 1885, and remained nearly six months. Naturally the young man took great comfort in his father's society, though at the same time grieved to see him in prison. Slowly the months lengthened into years. His brethren came and went, but Rudger was still there. The great number of "Mormon" convicts had its modifying influence on the prison and its life was easier to bear. During Elder Clawson's incarceration President Lorenzo Snow served a term of eleven months in prison. The aged Apostle was a great comfort to the brethren in showing them how to bear their affliction with due fortitude. Elder Clawson was pardoned by Pres. Grover Cleveland, and he left the penitentiary Dec. 12, 1887. "During my imprisonment of three years, one month, and ten days," says Elder Clawson, "I never once felt to murmur or complain, and as I emerged from the prison walls my faith in the principle of plural marriage was just as firm and unshaken as when I entered. I felt to praise and glorify the Lord that He had deemed me worthy to suffer bonds and imprisonment in defense of the right." Elder Clawson received a letter from Pres. Wilford Woodruff, dated Dec. 23, 1887, calling him to preside over the Box Elder Stake of Zion. At the quarterly conference of Box Elder Stake, held in Brigham City, February 5th, his name was presented and sustained. Elder Clawson at once moved to Brigham City, and entered upon the discharge of his duties. Under his presidency the Box Elder Stake came well up to the front rank in the completeness of its Church organizations and the general progressiveness of the Saints. During his presidency new meeting houses were erected in eleven of the fourteen Wards of the Stake. At the destruction of the Brigham City Tabernacle by fire. President Clawson at once took steps for its rebuilding, and thirteen months afterward, the elegant new tabernacle was erected, paid for and dedicated. Pres. Clawson was called to the Apostleship at the general conference held in October, 1898. He was ordained on the 10th by Lorenzo Snow. Since that time he has been occupied in the duties of his calling in traveling, organizing, instructing, and in office work for the Church. "What, Brother Clawson," asked the writer of this sketch, "has been the most potent factor in aiding you to success in life?" and the answer unhesitatingly was: "My success in life, if I have attained to any, is due to a fixed and unyielding determination on my part to seek and abide by counsel. I know there is safety in counsel, and that he who turns therefrom and seeks to become a law unto himself must surely fall."—Nephi Anderson.
Jenson, Andrew. "Clawson, Rudger." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 4. pg. 234, 313.
CLAWSON, Rudger, a member of the General Board of Y. M. M. I. A. from 1899 to 1919. (See Bio. Ency. Vol. 1, p. 174.)
CLAWSON, Rudger, president of the British Mission from 1910 to 1913. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 174.)
CLAWSON, Rudger, a member of the General Board of Y. M. M. I. A. from 1899 to 1919. (See Bio. Ency. Vol. 1, p. 174.)
CLAWSON, Rudger, president of the British Mission from 1910 to 1913. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 174.)
Anderson, Nephi. "Lives of Our Leaders - The Apostles: Rudger Clawson." Juvenile Instructor. 1 December 1900. pg. 772-776.
LIVES OF OUR LEADERS—THE APOSTLES.
RUDGER CLAWSON.
APOSTLE RUDGER CLAWSON is yet young in the high calling of Apostleship, as he is also not old in years; but he is a striking example of that diversity of experiences which is characteristic of the lives of the Latter-day Saints. In this great latter-day struggle of the principles of truth and right against the powers of the evil one, not many who have enlisted in the cause of God may lead a quiet uneventful career. No; to such, life is full of stir, of struggles, of trials, of experiences many and varied, all of which give to life its greatest educational value. At the present writing, a small part only of the life of Apostle Clawson can be given; yet within that brief period have occurred events that have brought him into prominence before the Latter-day Saints.
Apostle Rudger Clawson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 12, 1857, being the son of Bishop H. B. Clawson and Margaret Gay Judd Clawson. He was educated in the schools of his native city. The teachers who seem to have influenced him most were Dr. Karl G. Maeser, Miss Cook and Dr. John R. Park.
From his earliest boyhood, Elder Clawson was religiously inclined. One of the shaping forces of his character was his early reading of the Book of Mormon. His own words on this subject teach a lesson full of interest and deep meaning to the young Latter-day Saints.
"Early in life I became deeply interested in the Book of Mormon,” he says, “which I read and re-read, and drew from its divine pages inspiration and hope. Faith sprang up in my heart. By a careful study of that glorious book, well defined ideas of right and wrong were firmly fixed in my youthful mind, and I was thus measurably able to withstand the temptations that assailed me and was able to escape many of the sins and follies to which some of the young are addicted. With advanced years, the conviction has constantly grown upon me that the Book of Mormon is one of the grandest books of the age.”
Regarding the meeting-going of the small boy. Elder Clawson bears this testimony:
I remember the interest I felt, as a boy, in the Sunday meetings at the Old Tabernacle, and later in the large New Tabernacle. The sermons of Presidents Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith and the Apostles and Elders made a profound impression on my mind for good. From my own experience I am led to believe that the effects and influence of the teachings of our leaders upon the youth of Zion—I mean the very small boys and girls, who, in the midst of the congregations sit almost unnoticed—is greater than many suppose.
An important adjunct to Elder Clawson's school life was the Wasatch Literary Society, whose membership was composed of his companions and associates, boys and girls of early days, many of whom have since become prominent in public life.
Shortly after leaving school the young man, then only eighteen years old, became private secretary to Hon. John W. Young, then president of the Utah Western Railway company. In this capacity he spent two years in the East, visiting most of the prominent places, but spending the greater part of his time in New York city. This trip gave the young man much practical and valuable experience.
In 1879, Elder Clawson was called on a mission to the Southern States; and it was while laboring in the State of Georgia, preaching the Gospel of Christ, that his friend and companion missionary. Elder Joseph Standing, was shot down by a brutal mob. The news at the time sent a thrill of horror through the Church. Briefly told, the terrible experience and Elder Clawson's part in it, is as follows:
In the summer of 1879, Elder Clawson and Elder Standing who were laboring in Georgia, started for a conference of the Elders to be held in the city of Rome, that State. On the way, they were to call on some members of the Church living at Varnell's Station, Whitfield County. Elder Standing had previously labored in that section and had succeeded in raising up a branch of the Church.
The missionaries reached the place on the evening of Saturday, July 9th. Calling at the house of a Church member, they found .the family to be in a state of great excitement, owing to the threats made against the Elders in the neighborhood. Because of this bitter and murderous feeling the brethren were refused the privilege of stopping over night at the house. They were, however, directed to the house of a Mr. Henry Holston, who was not a member of the Church but was friendly to the Elders.
Mr. Holston received the missionaries kindly, and when the situation was explained to him, he said he would defend them as long as they were under his roof. Elder Standing appeared pale and anxious over the trouble which threatened them. A dream he had had a short time previous seemed to worry him, as it appeared to forebode evil.
The next day was Sunday. The morning opened beautiful, and the two Elders set out to get their satchels and bring them back to Mr. Holston's place. They found the family still fearful of trouble, so did not remain long.
The road between the two houses was densely wooded on both sides. On the way back to Holston's, the two young missionaries suddenly came upon twelve men, some on horseback and some on foot. They were all armed, and as they caught sight of the Elders, they set up great yells of exultation and came rushing towards them like a pack of hungry wolves. Elder Standing asked the men by what authority they were thus molested on the public highway.
“We'll show you by what authority we act!” they replied.
One of them then jumped from his horse, and came up to Elder Clawson with a cocked revolver, pointing it into his face and at the same time uttering vile and most blasphemous language. The mob then ordered the brethren to follow them which they did. To the expostulation of the Polders that they were peaceable, law-abiding citizens, the mob replied:
“The government of the United States is against you, and there is no law in Georgia for Mormons."
In this march to violence Elder Clawson walked rather slowly and thus lagged somewhat. At this, one of the ruffians came up behind and struck him a terrible blow on the back of the head, causing him to fall forward. He was, however, up again in an instant, but he knew he could do nothing to resent the attack. Shortly after the wretch attacked him again with a club, which only his comrades prevented him from using over Elder Clawson's head.
After a time they left the road and went deeper into the woods. The party met an old man, well known in the neighborhood, and a girl by the name of Mary Hamblin who had come to warn the Elders.
Elder Clawson feared that the mob would injure the girl, but they let her go with a threat. Soon they came to a beautiful spot in the woods—a spring of clear water shaded by a large tree. Here a halt was made and the party seated themselves around the pool of water.
Here the mobbers conversed for about an hour and a half, accusing the Mormons of all manner of vile acts. They seemed very eager to learn something of the whereabouts of Elder John Morgan, against whom they seemed to have a deep-seated hatred. They were much disappointed when they learned that he was in Utah.
Presently three horsemen, who had left the party a short time previously, rode up again. One of them gave a command to “follow us.” At the same time. Elder Standing, who was sitting with his back to the rider, suddenly leaped to his feet, turned, clapped his hands together and shouted the word, "Surrender!" A man seated close to him pointed his pistol at him and fired, and the young missionary instantly fell. The mobbers at once arose, and one of them, pointing to Elder Clawson, said to his companions: “Shoot that man.”
Instantly every weapon was turned upon him, and it seemed to the young man that he was standing on the brink of eternity. He faced the mob, folded his arms and said, “Shoot!”
But the order not to shoot was given and the guns were lowered. Elder Clawson then went to his murdered companion and looked into his face. A ghastly wound was in his forehead where the bullet had entered.
Elder Clawson got permission from the mob to go after some assistance for his friend. Running through the woods he hailed a wood-chopper, and asked him to assist in removing the body. “No; I haven't time,” was the reply.
Arriving at Mr. Holston's that gentleman gave Brother Clawson a horse to go after the coroner, while he left for the scene of the assassination. Elder Clawson again met the mob on the road fleeing from the State. He feared they would murder him also, but they let him pass unharmed, and with a thankful heart he traveled on. Arriving at Catoosa Springs, a fashionable watering place, telegrams were sent to Salt Lake City, and also to the governor of the State. The coroner, his clerk, and Brother Clawson, then set out to get the body. They were joined by Mr. Holston on the way. The coroner held an inquest, and the body was laid upon a plank and carried to the house of Mr. Holston. Here, during that gloomy night, by the light of a candle, with the awestricken spectator standing near. Elder Clawson performed the last act of kindness to his friend in washing the awful stains from his body and preparing it for its final rest.
After much difficulty and danger. Elder Clawson got the body safely on the train, and arrived with it in Salt Lake City August 3rd.
In September of the next year Elder Clawson went back to Georgia to attend the trial of the murderers. Feeling was high against him in the State, but he had a duty to perform, and he did it, although at the risk of his life. Three of the murderers had been captured, and they had been indicted for murder in the first degree. The trial continued for three days. The jury's verdict was “not guilty!" The result was greeted with great demonstration by the spectators. A friend told Elder Clawson that he was in danger, and as soon as possible after the trial he got quietly away.
From the free wandering life of a missionary to the pent-up quarters of a prison cell —such was the next change in the experience of Elder Clawson. Having obeyed the law of plural marriage, Elder Clawson was one of the first victims of that terrible persecution which began under the Edmunds law and which made many thousand sufferers for conscience sake.
After a trial which attracted wide attention Elder Clawson was convicted. He was sentenced to be imprisoned in the Utah Penitentiary for a term of four years, and to pay a fine of $800.00. He entered the prison November 3rd, 1884.
Just prior to passing sentence, Judge Charles S. Zane asked him if he had anything to say why judgment should not be pronounced, and he promptly replied:
Your honor: Since the jury in my case have seen proper to find a verdict of guilty, I have only this to say why judgment should not be passed upon me:
I very much regret that the laws of my country should come in conflict with the laws of God; but whenever they do. I shall invariably choose to obey the latter. If I did not so express myself I should feel unworthy the cause I represent. The Constitution of the United States expressly provides that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. It cannot be denied, I think, that marriage, when attended and sanctioned by religious rites and ceremonies, is an establishment of religion. The anti-polygamy law of 1862 and the Edmunds-Tucker law of 1882 were expressly designed to operate against marriage as believed in and practiced by the Latter-day Saints. They are therefore unconstitutional, and, of course, as such, cannot command the respect that constitutional laws would. That is all I have to say, your honor.
Elder Clawson was but twenty-seven years of age when this terrible experience came to him. Think of it—a young man, full of the energy of life, with bright prospects opening before him, condemned to a loathsome prison cell for four years! What an eternity that four long years must have appeared to the young man! What heart-crushing, hopeless misery! A man of refinement, accustomed to the society of the noble and the pure, forced now to associate with men, low and degraded with vice; to come in close contact with them, yes, to eat and to sleep with men repulsively vile and debased; to mingle with robbers and murderers; to be served with poor food, hardly fit to eat; to breathe the filthy tobacco-laden air of the cells—surely, the very gates of hell or the grave could not have been more to be dreaded!
There was but one source from which to ask relief—God, the merciful; and from Him and His comforting Spirit the young man received the strength to carry him through the awful ordeal.
This short sketch cannot give a detailed account of Elder Clawson's experience in the Utah Penitentiary. For a long time the prison officials treated him with indignities. He had to bear the insults of his fellow convicts, some of whom took a delight in persecuting the lone Mormon.
After a time other brethren were received at the “pen,” and Elder Clawson's life now became more bearable. His father. Bishop H. B. Clawson, entered the prison in November, 1885, and remained nearly six months. Naturally the young man took great comfort in his father's society, though at the same time grieved to see him in prison.
Slowly the months lengthened into years. His brethren came and went but Rudger was still there. The great number of Mormon convicts had its modifying influence on the prison and its life was easier to bear. During Elder Clawson's incarceration President Lorenzo Snow served a term in prison. The aged Apostle was a great comfort to the brethren in showing them how to bear their affliction with due fortitude.
Elder Clawson was pardoned by President Grover Cleveland and he left the penitentiary December 1, 1887. “During my imprisonment of three years, one month, and ten days,” says Elder Clawson, “I never once felt to murmur or complain, and as I emerged from the prison walls my faith in the principle of plural marriage was just as firm and unshaken as when I entered. I felt to praise and glorify the Lord that He had deemed me worthy to suffer bonds and imprisonment in defense of the right."
The scene of action again changes. Elder Clawson received a letter from President Wilford Woodruff, dated December 23, 1887, calling him to preside over the Box Elder stake of Zion. This was a Christmas present indeed! At the quarterly conference of Box Elder stake, held in Brigham City, February 5, his name was presented and sustained. Elder Clawson at once moved to Brigham and entered upon the discharge of his duties. Under his presidency the Box Elder stake has come well up to the front rank In the completeness of its Church organizations and the general progressiveness of the Saints. During his presidency a new meeting house was erected in eleven of the fourteen wards of the stake. At the destruction of the Brigham Tabernacle by fire, President Clawson at once took steps for its rebuilding and thirteen months afterward, the elegant new tabernacle was erected, paid for and dedicated. President Clawson was called to the Apostleship at the general conference held October 9, 1898. Since that time he has been occupied in the business of his calling in traveling, organizing, instructing, and in office work for the Church.
“What, Brother Clawson,” asked the writer of this sketch, “has been the most potent factor in aiding you to success in life?” and the answer unhesitatingly was:
“My success in life, if I have attained to any, is due to a fixed and unyielding determination on my part to seek and abide by counsel. I know there is safety in counsel, and that he who turns therefrom and seeks to become a law unto himself must surely fall.”
Nephi Anderson.
LIVES OF OUR LEADERS—THE APOSTLES.
RUDGER CLAWSON.
APOSTLE RUDGER CLAWSON is yet young in the high calling of Apostleship, as he is also not old in years; but he is a striking example of that diversity of experiences which is characteristic of the lives of the Latter-day Saints. In this great latter-day struggle of the principles of truth and right against the powers of the evil one, not many who have enlisted in the cause of God may lead a quiet uneventful career. No; to such, life is full of stir, of struggles, of trials, of experiences many and varied, all of which give to life its greatest educational value. At the present writing, a small part only of the life of Apostle Clawson can be given; yet within that brief period have occurred events that have brought him into prominence before the Latter-day Saints.
Apostle Rudger Clawson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 12, 1857, being the son of Bishop H. B. Clawson and Margaret Gay Judd Clawson. He was educated in the schools of his native city. The teachers who seem to have influenced him most were Dr. Karl G. Maeser, Miss Cook and Dr. John R. Park.
From his earliest boyhood, Elder Clawson was religiously inclined. One of the shaping forces of his character was his early reading of the Book of Mormon. His own words on this subject teach a lesson full of interest and deep meaning to the young Latter-day Saints.
"Early in life I became deeply interested in the Book of Mormon,” he says, “which I read and re-read, and drew from its divine pages inspiration and hope. Faith sprang up in my heart. By a careful study of that glorious book, well defined ideas of right and wrong were firmly fixed in my youthful mind, and I was thus measurably able to withstand the temptations that assailed me and was able to escape many of the sins and follies to which some of the young are addicted. With advanced years, the conviction has constantly grown upon me that the Book of Mormon is one of the grandest books of the age.”
Regarding the meeting-going of the small boy. Elder Clawson bears this testimony:
I remember the interest I felt, as a boy, in the Sunday meetings at the Old Tabernacle, and later in the large New Tabernacle. The sermons of Presidents Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith and the Apostles and Elders made a profound impression on my mind for good. From my own experience I am led to believe that the effects and influence of the teachings of our leaders upon the youth of Zion—I mean the very small boys and girls, who, in the midst of the congregations sit almost unnoticed—is greater than many suppose.
An important adjunct to Elder Clawson's school life was the Wasatch Literary Society, whose membership was composed of his companions and associates, boys and girls of early days, many of whom have since become prominent in public life.
Shortly after leaving school the young man, then only eighteen years old, became private secretary to Hon. John W. Young, then president of the Utah Western Railway company. In this capacity he spent two years in the East, visiting most of the prominent places, but spending the greater part of his time in New York city. This trip gave the young man much practical and valuable experience.
In 1879, Elder Clawson was called on a mission to the Southern States; and it was while laboring in the State of Georgia, preaching the Gospel of Christ, that his friend and companion missionary. Elder Joseph Standing, was shot down by a brutal mob. The news at the time sent a thrill of horror through the Church. Briefly told, the terrible experience and Elder Clawson's part in it, is as follows:
In the summer of 1879, Elder Clawson and Elder Standing who were laboring in Georgia, started for a conference of the Elders to be held in the city of Rome, that State. On the way, they were to call on some members of the Church living at Varnell's Station, Whitfield County. Elder Standing had previously labored in that section and had succeeded in raising up a branch of the Church.
The missionaries reached the place on the evening of Saturday, July 9th. Calling at the house of a Church member, they found .the family to be in a state of great excitement, owing to the threats made against the Elders in the neighborhood. Because of this bitter and murderous feeling the brethren were refused the privilege of stopping over night at the house. They were, however, directed to the house of a Mr. Henry Holston, who was not a member of the Church but was friendly to the Elders.
Mr. Holston received the missionaries kindly, and when the situation was explained to him, he said he would defend them as long as they were under his roof. Elder Standing appeared pale and anxious over the trouble which threatened them. A dream he had had a short time previous seemed to worry him, as it appeared to forebode evil.
The next day was Sunday. The morning opened beautiful, and the two Elders set out to get their satchels and bring them back to Mr. Holston's place. They found the family still fearful of trouble, so did not remain long.
The road between the two houses was densely wooded on both sides. On the way back to Holston's, the two young missionaries suddenly came upon twelve men, some on horseback and some on foot. They were all armed, and as they caught sight of the Elders, they set up great yells of exultation and came rushing towards them like a pack of hungry wolves. Elder Standing asked the men by what authority they were thus molested on the public highway.
“We'll show you by what authority we act!” they replied.
One of them then jumped from his horse, and came up to Elder Clawson with a cocked revolver, pointing it into his face and at the same time uttering vile and most blasphemous language. The mob then ordered the brethren to follow them which they did. To the expostulation of the Polders that they were peaceable, law-abiding citizens, the mob replied:
“The government of the United States is against you, and there is no law in Georgia for Mormons."
In this march to violence Elder Clawson walked rather slowly and thus lagged somewhat. At this, one of the ruffians came up behind and struck him a terrible blow on the back of the head, causing him to fall forward. He was, however, up again in an instant, but he knew he could do nothing to resent the attack. Shortly after the wretch attacked him again with a club, which only his comrades prevented him from using over Elder Clawson's head.
After a time they left the road and went deeper into the woods. The party met an old man, well known in the neighborhood, and a girl by the name of Mary Hamblin who had come to warn the Elders.
Elder Clawson feared that the mob would injure the girl, but they let her go with a threat. Soon they came to a beautiful spot in the woods—a spring of clear water shaded by a large tree. Here a halt was made and the party seated themselves around the pool of water.
Here the mobbers conversed for about an hour and a half, accusing the Mormons of all manner of vile acts. They seemed very eager to learn something of the whereabouts of Elder John Morgan, against whom they seemed to have a deep-seated hatred. They were much disappointed when they learned that he was in Utah.
Presently three horsemen, who had left the party a short time previously, rode up again. One of them gave a command to “follow us.” At the same time. Elder Standing, who was sitting with his back to the rider, suddenly leaped to his feet, turned, clapped his hands together and shouted the word, "Surrender!" A man seated close to him pointed his pistol at him and fired, and the young missionary instantly fell. The mobbers at once arose, and one of them, pointing to Elder Clawson, said to his companions: “Shoot that man.”
Instantly every weapon was turned upon him, and it seemed to the young man that he was standing on the brink of eternity. He faced the mob, folded his arms and said, “Shoot!”
But the order not to shoot was given and the guns were lowered. Elder Clawson then went to his murdered companion and looked into his face. A ghastly wound was in his forehead where the bullet had entered.
Elder Clawson got permission from the mob to go after some assistance for his friend. Running through the woods he hailed a wood-chopper, and asked him to assist in removing the body. “No; I haven't time,” was the reply.
Arriving at Mr. Holston's that gentleman gave Brother Clawson a horse to go after the coroner, while he left for the scene of the assassination. Elder Clawson again met the mob on the road fleeing from the State. He feared they would murder him also, but they let him pass unharmed, and with a thankful heart he traveled on. Arriving at Catoosa Springs, a fashionable watering place, telegrams were sent to Salt Lake City, and also to the governor of the State. The coroner, his clerk, and Brother Clawson, then set out to get the body. They were joined by Mr. Holston on the way. The coroner held an inquest, and the body was laid upon a plank and carried to the house of Mr. Holston. Here, during that gloomy night, by the light of a candle, with the awestricken spectator standing near. Elder Clawson performed the last act of kindness to his friend in washing the awful stains from his body and preparing it for its final rest.
After much difficulty and danger. Elder Clawson got the body safely on the train, and arrived with it in Salt Lake City August 3rd.
In September of the next year Elder Clawson went back to Georgia to attend the trial of the murderers. Feeling was high against him in the State, but he had a duty to perform, and he did it, although at the risk of his life. Three of the murderers had been captured, and they had been indicted for murder in the first degree. The trial continued for three days. The jury's verdict was “not guilty!" The result was greeted with great demonstration by the spectators. A friend told Elder Clawson that he was in danger, and as soon as possible after the trial he got quietly away.
From the free wandering life of a missionary to the pent-up quarters of a prison cell —such was the next change in the experience of Elder Clawson. Having obeyed the law of plural marriage, Elder Clawson was one of the first victims of that terrible persecution which began under the Edmunds law and which made many thousand sufferers for conscience sake.
After a trial which attracted wide attention Elder Clawson was convicted. He was sentenced to be imprisoned in the Utah Penitentiary for a term of four years, and to pay a fine of $800.00. He entered the prison November 3rd, 1884.
Just prior to passing sentence, Judge Charles S. Zane asked him if he had anything to say why judgment should not be pronounced, and he promptly replied:
Your honor: Since the jury in my case have seen proper to find a verdict of guilty, I have only this to say why judgment should not be passed upon me:
I very much regret that the laws of my country should come in conflict with the laws of God; but whenever they do. I shall invariably choose to obey the latter. If I did not so express myself I should feel unworthy the cause I represent. The Constitution of the United States expressly provides that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. It cannot be denied, I think, that marriage, when attended and sanctioned by religious rites and ceremonies, is an establishment of religion. The anti-polygamy law of 1862 and the Edmunds-Tucker law of 1882 were expressly designed to operate against marriage as believed in and practiced by the Latter-day Saints. They are therefore unconstitutional, and, of course, as such, cannot command the respect that constitutional laws would. That is all I have to say, your honor.
Elder Clawson was but twenty-seven years of age when this terrible experience came to him. Think of it—a young man, full of the energy of life, with bright prospects opening before him, condemned to a loathsome prison cell for four years! What an eternity that four long years must have appeared to the young man! What heart-crushing, hopeless misery! A man of refinement, accustomed to the society of the noble and the pure, forced now to associate with men, low and degraded with vice; to come in close contact with them, yes, to eat and to sleep with men repulsively vile and debased; to mingle with robbers and murderers; to be served with poor food, hardly fit to eat; to breathe the filthy tobacco-laden air of the cells—surely, the very gates of hell or the grave could not have been more to be dreaded!
There was but one source from which to ask relief—God, the merciful; and from Him and His comforting Spirit the young man received the strength to carry him through the awful ordeal.
This short sketch cannot give a detailed account of Elder Clawson's experience in the Utah Penitentiary. For a long time the prison officials treated him with indignities. He had to bear the insults of his fellow convicts, some of whom took a delight in persecuting the lone Mormon.
After a time other brethren were received at the “pen,” and Elder Clawson's life now became more bearable. His father. Bishop H. B. Clawson, entered the prison in November, 1885, and remained nearly six months. Naturally the young man took great comfort in his father's society, though at the same time grieved to see him in prison.
Slowly the months lengthened into years. His brethren came and went but Rudger was still there. The great number of Mormon convicts had its modifying influence on the prison and its life was easier to bear. During Elder Clawson's incarceration President Lorenzo Snow served a term in prison. The aged Apostle was a great comfort to the brethren in showing them how to bear their affliction with due fortitude.
Elder Clawson was pardoned by President Grover Cleveland and he left the penitentiary December 1, 1887. “During my imprisonment of three years, one month, and ten days,” says Elder Clawson, “I never once felt to murmur or complain, and as I emerged from the prison walls my faith in the principle of plural marriage was just as firm and unshaken as when I entered. I felt to praise and glorify the Lord that He had deemed me worthy to suffer bonds and imprisonment in defense of the right."
The scene of action again changes. Elder Clawson received a letter from President Wilford Woodruff, dated December 23, 1887, calling him to preside over the Box Elder stake of Zion. This was a Christmas present indeed! At the quarterly conference of Box Elder stake, held in Brigham City, February 5, his name was presented and sustained. Elder Clawson at once moved to Brigham and entered upon the discharge of his duties. Under his presidency the Box Elder stake has come well up to the front rank In the completeness of its Church organizations and the general progressiveness of the Saints. During his presidency a new meeting house was erected in eleven of the fourteen wards of the stake. At the destruction of the Brigham Tabernacle by fire, President Clawson at once took steps for its rebuilding and thirteen months afterward, the elegant new tabernacle was erected, paid for and dedicated. President Clawson was called to the Apostleship at the general conference held October 9, 1898. Since that time he has been occupied in the business of his calling in traveling, organizing, instructing, and in office work for the Church.
“What, Brother Clawson,” asked the writer of this sketch, “has been the most potent factor in aiding you to success in life?” and the answer unhesitatingly was:
“My success in life, if I have attained to any, is due to a fixed and unyielding determination on my part to seek and abide by counsel. I know there is safety in counsel, and that he who turns therefrom and seeks to become a law unto himself must surely fall.”
Nephi Anderson.
"Rudger Clawson." Improvement Era. June 1910. pg. 730, 764.
Elder Rudger Clawson, recently called to preside over the European Mission, was for some years president of the Box Elder stake of Zion. He won the hearts of the people. President Oleen N. Stohl recently invited Elder Clawson and his family to visit Brigham City, which invitation they accepted, and on the 30th of April, at 4 o'clock, a banquet was held in their honor at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Anderson, where about seventy of their former neighbors and friends were present in their honor. On the same evening a social was held in the stake tabernacle, which was beautifully decorated, and to which all were invited. A part of the program consisted in the presentation to Elder Clawson of a beautiful gold watch, which was handed him by Bishop Lorenzo Stohl, in behalf of the people assembled. The inscription reads, "Rudger Clawson, from your Brigham City friends, April 30, 1910.'' Elder Clawson was greatly affected, and in a happy speech thanked the people for the honor shown him. Elder Clawson left for Liverpool May 16. The Era wishes him inspiration, success and happiness in his new and responsible calling. |
ELDER RUDGER CLAWSON.
Chosen April 7, 1910, to succeed Elder Charles W. Penrose as President of the European Mission; born, Salt Lake City, March 1, 1857; chosen President of the Box Elder Stake of Zion February 5, 1888; called, ordained and sustained a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, October, 1898. |
"President Heber J. Grant and His Counselors - Rudger Clawson." Relief Society Magazine. February 1919. pg. 74-76.
President Heber J. Grant and his Counselors
ELDER RUDGER CLAWSON.
ACTING-PRESIDENT OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES.
The labor performed by Elder Rudger Clawson in the building up of this Church and kingdom is known best by specialists like himself who toil in the quiet paths.
Essentially industrious and painstaking, Elder Clawson early acquired a good business education. The natural bent of his mind was towards system and order in all phases of life.
As a youth he became intimately acquainted with President Lorenzo Snow while both were confined in the penitentiary for conscience' sake. He was chosen President of the Box Elder Stake of Zion, immediately following his release from confinement. Dec. 2, 1887. His labors in that Stake were productive of much good. In October, 1898, Elder Clawson was ordained an apostle, and became a member of the Council of Twelve.
At this time, a special work was entrusted to his charge by President Snow, that of systematizing and unifying the accounts of the Church. There was great need for such expert and intelligent modernizing of these matters, and Elder Clawson was happy in his delegated task. Books long continued in open accounts were properly closed.
Meanwhile, President George Q. Cannon died, and President Snow, October 4, 1901, chose Joseph F. Smith as his first, and Rudger Clawson as his second counselor. Six days later, President Snow himself passed away.
Elder Clawson continued his labors on the Church books, and when completed, the signatures of President Joseph F. Smith and his counselors were written across the final sheet in grateful approval. Thus the foundation of our present complete and admirable system of Church accounts was laid. When Elder Clawson went to Europe as President of the European mission his first care was to clarify and unify the financial records of that mission with those already established at home.
Two of Elder Clawson's close friends and associates speak of his character and attainments in warm terms. Bishop John Wells refers to his long and faithful presidency of the Priesthood Committee, of his dependable and conservative attributes which mark his associations with the brethren of that committee. Elder Clawson insists on getting to the bottom of facts and problems, but is never dogmatic nor overbearing in expressing opinions or in giving counsel. Always ready to discuss points and problems he is as ready to adjust differences with a nice sense of others' point of view, which is both agreeable and wise. He wins his way with kindly patience rather than vociferous insistence, exercising ever a large tolerance of others. His friendship is wide and his watchful care of the interests of the people is universal in application.
Another friend and long-time associate, Elder Arthur Winter, speaks affectionately of the democratic and approachable manners of Elder Clawson. No toiler is forgotten, no associate is slighted, as he passes along his kindly way. In fact no class distinction mars the character of Elder Clawson. His close attention to details and to system impels accuracy in his private as well as his public labors ; while his scrupulous honesty and integrity inspire confidence and admiration in all who know him. With it all he possesses a dry, quaint humor that plays fitfully over his everyday associations and which fortunately makes for that sanity and poise so necessary in leaders of men. Elder Clawson is best esteemed by those who know him best.
President Heber J. Grant and his Counselors
ELDER RUDGER CLAWSON.
ACTING-PRESIDENT OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES.
The labor performed by Elder Rudger Clawson in the building up of this Church and kingdom is known best by specialists like himself who toil in the quiet paths.
Essentially industrious and painstaking, Elder Clawson early acquired a good business education. The natural bent of his mind was towards system and order in all phases of life.
As a youth he became intimately acquainted with President Lorenzo Snow while both were confined in the penitentiary for conscience' sake. He was chosen President of the Box Elder Stake of Zion, immediately following his release from confinement. Dec. 2, 1887. His labors in that Stake were productive of much good. In October, 1898, Elder Clawson was ordained an apostle, and became a member of the Council of Twelve.
At this time, a special work was entrusted to his charge by President Snow, that of systematizing and unifying the accounts of the Church. There was great need for such expert and intelligent modernizing of these matters, and Elder Clawson was happy in his delegated task. Books long continued in open accounts were properly closed.
Meanwhile, President George Q. Cannon died, and President Snow, October 4, 1901, chose Joseph F. Smith as his first, and Rudger Clawson as his second counselor. Six days later, President Snow himself passed away.
Elder Clawson continued his labors on the Church books, and when completed, the signatures of President Joseph F. Smith and his counselors were written across the final sheet in grateful approval. Thus the foundation of our present complete and admirable system of Church accounts was laid. When Elder Clawson went to Europe as President of the European mission his first care was to clarify and unify the financial records of that mission with those already established at home.
Two of Elder Clawson's close friends and associates speak of his character and attainments in warm terms. Bishop John Wells refers to his long and faithful presidency of the Priesthood Committee, of his dependable and conservative attributes which mark his associations with the brethren of that committee. Elder Clawson insists on getting to the bottom of facts and problems, but is never dogmatic nor overbearing in expressing opinions or in giving counsel. Always ready to discuss points and problems he is as ready to adjust differences with a nice sense of others' point of view, which is both agreeable and wise. He wins his way with kindly patience rather than vociferous insistence, exercising ever a large tolerance of others. His friendship is wide and his watchful care of the interests of the people is universal in application.
Another friend and long-time associate, Elder Arthur Winter, speaks affectionately of the democratic and approachable manners of Elder Clawson. No toiler is forgotten, no associate is slighted, as he passes along his kindly way. In fact no class distinction mars the character of Elder Clawson. His close attention to details and to system impels accuracy in his private as well as his public labors ; while his scrupulous honesty and integrity inspire confidence and admiration in all who know him. With it all he possesses a dry, quaint humor that plays fitfully over his everyday associations and which fortunately makes for that sanity and poise so necessary in leaders of men. Elder Clawson is best esteemed by those who know him best.
Hinckley, Bryant S. "Greatness in Men - Rudger Clawson." Improvement Era. January 1932. pg. 133-137.
Greatness in Men President Rudger Clawson By BRYANT S. HINCKLEY President of Liberty Stake In this article one of the most touching tragedies of the missionary endeavors of the Church is told graphically by President Hinckley, who, at the same time, -pays high tribute to a man of courage—President Rudger Clawson. "The conscience of every man recognizes courage as the foundation of manliness and manliness is the perfection of human character." (Thomas Huxley) PRESIDENT RUDGER CLAWSON is a mild-mannered man, but a man with the courage of a martyr and he has proved it. To face with folded arms an infuriated and murderous mob with their guns leveled and waiting for the signal to fire, to say to them when you are ready "shoot" requires colossal courage. Quietly to endure indignities and suffer unspeakable outrages for conscience sake, such as he has done, demands strength and fortitude of no common calibre. Rudger Clawson has never seen a day since he reached manhood that he would not, if need be, die for the truth. No man in this generation has faced more dangerous or more difficult situations with finer fortitude. Never has he wavered in his allegiance to the truth; never has he deviated a hair's breadth from the moral perpendicular. HIS story is an interesting one. He grew to manhood in Salt Lake City and the first twenty years of his life were not marked by any extraordinary circumstances. He is the son of Hyrum B. and Margaret Gay Judd Clawson. His father was a successful, public-spirited man of recognized standing and ability, and his son was given the advantages of education offered in those days. He had the rare good fortune to be under the tutelage of such men as Dr. John R. Park and Dr. Karl G. Maeser, two educators whose names will shine forever in the annals of this commonwealth and whose influence will never die. He was prominent and active in the various organizations of the Church. He spent two years in New York City as secretary to John W. Young. In his twenty-second year he was called on a mission to the Southern States and the next ten years of his life record some events of the most tragic and remarkable character, and from all of these bitter experiences he emerged a kind, tolerant, patient, courageous man. HE has always been a diligent, painstaking, methodical worker. Early in his life he became a thoroughly trained and skillful accountant with a clear and happy understanding of the essentials of record making. To scan his private history, which he keeps with little effort, is indeed interesting. It has in it just enough of detail and personality, with frequent glints of humor, to make it really human. Referring briefly to some facts: his records show that during the past thirty-two years, or since he became a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles (October 10, 1898) he has delivered 4,981 addresses. His records show where these addresses were delivered and the subject considered in each. He has attended 7,966 meetings and traveled more than five hundred thousand miles to attend these meetings. Prior to being ordained an Apostle, Elder Clawson presided as president of the Box Elder stake of Zion for eleven years. He was sustained as second counselor in the First Presidency of the Church at a general conference held in April, 1901. After presiding over the European Mission (1910 to 1913) he was able to make the most complete report ever filed in the office of the Church Historian. All his records are brief, accurate, carefully and beautifully written. He has a clear, orderly intellect. All his life he has been a careful student. As a consequence he has a deep understanding of the fundamentals of the gospel and a dependable and accurate knowledge of the rituals and functions of the Church. He is never intolerant or radical in his utterances, never harsh in his discipline; still he is firm and immovable in his convictions with a loyalty to his Church and to his brethren that is constant, unquestioned and admirable; a faith that is quiet, profound and unwavering. THE quality of Rudger Clawson's courage and the strength of his gentle heart were revealed when he was just a young man twenty-two years old. This is clearly revealed in the tragic narrative related in this sketch. When the crucial hour comes in any man's life there is no defense comparable to the defense which comes from the righteousness of his cause, no matter what the handicap is or what the circumstances may be. 'Thrice armed is he whose cause is' laid in justice." The most precious heritage the world possesses is the heroism displayed by valiant-hearted men whose only defense in great crises has been this very thing. Witness, if you will, Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms' declaring, at the risk of his very life, "I cannot or will not recant. * * * Here I take my stand! I cannot do otherwise, so help me God, Amen." John Huss, the Bohemian reformer, burned at the stake exclaiming, as the hungry flames climbed about his defenseless form and he saw an old man coming with additional fagots for the fire, "O Holy Innocence!" Nathan Hale, standing upon the fatal ladder in the grey hours of that September morning, taunted for a dying speech by a British officer who was about to execute him, saying in a clear voice as he looked into eternity: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Righteousness is indeed the armor of the innocent. We submit an abridged account of the martyrdom of Joseph Standing substantially as related by President Clawson, who was present and who, only through the intervention of Providence, escaped the same tragic fate as his companion. IT was a radiant and beautiful Sabbath morning in the early summer of 1879. All nature seemed wrapped in peace and tranquility. Two missionaries, one twenty-two and the other twenty-six, were walking through a wooded lane in the State of Georgia, They were young, alone, unarmed and far from home. Their only defense was the message of peace and good will toward all men which they carried in their youthful hearts; but this defense is supreme. Turning a bend in the road the two young missionaries suddenly came in full view of a posse of twelve men. These men were armed, part of them mounted on horses and the others afoot. As soon as the mobocrats caught sight of the Elders they set up, unitedly, the most fiendish yells and came rushing toward them like a pack of hungry wolves who had discovered the prey they were about to tear to pieces and devour. The feelings that were inspired in Joseph Standing, the elder of the two, at this appalling spectacle can only be judged by his appearance. His face was pale as death, his features rigid, while his eyes betokened the intensity of the subdued excitement under which he labored. The sensations which passed through Elder Clawson's mind were new and terrible to him as he was now facing a danger which had no parallel in any former experience of his life. The expressions upon the faces of these fiends incarnate were in unison with the vengeful sounds which escaped from their throats. They were laboring under the excitement of passion to such an extent that their frames shook and some of them foamed at the mouth. AS soon as they came up to Joseph Standing, in a clear voice, loud enough to be heard by all of them, he said: "Gentlemen, by what authority are we molested upon the public highway? ' If you have a warrant of arrest or any other legal process to serve upon us we would like to examine it, that we may be satisfied as to your authority to interfere with our movements." "We'll show you by what authority we act," some of them shouted. One of the mounted mobbers then jumped from his horse and approached Elder Clawson with a cocked revolver. He flourished this weapon, whirling it menacingly in the face of the young man who looked down the muzzle of an instrument of that character for the first time. It is perhaps needless to state that it looked exceedingly formidable to him. The murderous fellow who performed this part of the program accompanied his threatening antics with the most foul and blasphemous abuse, while his companions were moving around and indulging in vile and profane cursings. The excitement of Bradley— a large and powerful man —was singularly noticeable. He was on horseback and was holding, with both hands, a double barrelled shotgun across his animal. He shook so that the weapon moved up and down as if he were about to drop it. "Come with us," was the command from the mob. THE singular procession then started back in the same direction from which the Elders had come. Standing appeared to be laboring under a terrible strain. His face continued overspread with a deathly pallor; he walked rapidly with his figure erect as an arrow. He moved so quickly that he kept pace with the front line of the mobbers, with whom he constantly reasoned and expostulated. "It is not our intention," said he, "to remain in this part of the State. If we had been unmolested we would have been away in a very short time. We use no inducements to persuade people to join our Church. We preach what we understand to be the truth and leave people to embrace it or not, as they may choose," etc. > Such expostulations had not the slightest effect in mollifying the lawless band, but rather exasperated them all the more. Indeed it was not what the missionaries might do for which these base fellows had resolved to punish them, but for what had already been done, some of the best and most respected people in that section having embraced the gospel through Eld e r Standing's ministrations. They said : "The Government o f the United States is against you, and there is no law in Georgia for Mormons." At this point three horsemen left the company and went deeper into the woods, for what purpose they did not know. FROM the time the Elders were captured by the mob Standing seemed to be affected with a burning thirst occasioned by the suppressed excitement under which he was laboring. On the way he several times appealed to his captors for water and now an opportunity was presented for the first time for him to obtain it. One of the men, pointing to the spring, told him to drink. The young man was farthest from the pool and in order to reach it would have to pass close to several of the mobbers, and while reclining to reach the water would be an easy prey to any of the blood-thirsty crew who might take advantage of his position to do him violence. This possibility seemed to flash across his mind and he said: "I don't wish to drink now." The man who told him to slake his thirst evidently divined what was passing through his mind and said: "You needn't be afraid; you can drink as we will not hurt you while you do so." Standing went to the spring and took a copious draught. He was still very pale, his features rigid and overspread with an expression of deep anxiety. A desultory conversation ensued, in the course of which the vilest accusations were laid against the "Mormons". The space of about one hour was consumed in this way when the three horsemen who had left the party came in sight. As they rode up one of them exclaimed: "Follow us." At this time Joseph Standing was sitting with his back tow a r d the horsemen, but no sooner had the command embodied in the two words quoted been uttered than he leaped to his feet with a bound, instantly wheeled so as to face them, brought his two hands together with a sudden slap and shouted in a clear, loud, resolute voice—"Surrender." A MAN seated close to him pointed his pistol at him and fired. Young Standing ' whirled or spun three times around upon his feet, fell heavily forward upon the ground, turned once over, bringing his face upward and spread his arms widely out being in such a position as to be in the shape of a cross. As if moved by one impulse all those who had been seated upon the ground arose to their feet. Suddenly a member of the party, pointing to Elder Clawson, said to his companions in an authoritative tone — "Shoot that man." In an instant every weapon was turned upon the defenseless missionary who felt that his last moment upon earth had come and that in a few seconds he would be launched into eternity. He fully realized the situation, his feelings being intensified by the expectation that a bullet was about to crash through his brain. The murderous wretches paused a moment with their weapons leveled upon this defenseless boy who folded his arms and said with measured deliberation: "Shoot." The suspense of a life-time seemed to be thrown into the next few seconds. A whirling sensation passed over his brain and then all was dark. This condition was but momentary and when he recovered the position was unaltered — the murderous ruffians still stood with their guns leveled on him. The man who directed that the young Elder be murdered suddenly changed his mind and countermanded the first order by shouting: "Don't shoot." THE men at once lowered their guns. They then appeared to sense the horrible character of the deed that had been committed. As soon as it flashed fully upon them they were seized with sudden consternation and instinctively rushed together in a compact group as if seeking mutual protection from each other from the probable consequences of the bloody act. Elder Clawson walked over to where young Standing was lying, stooped and looked into his face. The spectacle that met his gaze sent a shock through his system that can never be erased from his memory. There lay his companion so recently in the full vigor of life and health—bright, capable and intelligent—now in the last throes of death. There was a large ghastly wound in the forehead directly above the nose, the right eye had been torn out, the brain was oozing from the place where the bullet entered and the death rattle was in his throat. Elder Clawson gently raised the dying man's head and placed his hat under it to keep it out of the dust. He was then seized with a deep and awful sense of grief, succeeded by a feeling of utter loneliness which may well be imagined from the appalling character of the situation. Under the circumstances he could only put his trust in God. As Elder Clawson stood gazing at his friend and companion he was approached by one of the Nations brothers, who said with strong emphasis upon the last word of each exclamation: 'This is terrible! This is terrible! This is terrible that he should have killed himself in such a manner." THE missionary perceived the intention to res6rt to the suicide theory and deeming it both imprudent and unsafe openly to repudiate it, replied: "Yes, this is terrible." Then realizing the danger of giving the gang any time to (Sense the fact that to permit him to escape alive would be a menace to their safety he saw there was no time to be lost. He exclaimed: "Gentlemen, it is a burning shame to leave a man to die in the woods in this fashion. For Heaven's sake either you go and procure assistance that the body may be removed and cared for, or allow me to do so." He urged this point so earnestly and vehemently that the gang consulted a moment and then turning to him said: "You go." He did go and the gruesome experience through which he passed in caring for and bringing home the mortal remains of his innocent and beloved companion were almost as ghastly and terrible as the actual experience of the martyrdom itself. Elder Clawson immediately sought help to care for the body and to arrange for a coroner's inquest. As he made his way alone across the country in search of a coroner he again met three of the mounted mobocrats. When he recognized them it flashed upon his mind that they had held a conference, reconsidered their plans and were returning to kill him. But sustained again by that intrepid courage which he had already displayed, he continued toward them, faced them, and in response to an inquiry as to where he was going he indicated the general direction and said: "Over there," which they interpreted as meaning toward his home. THIS martyrdom occurred on Sunday morning, July 21, 1879, and two weeks later, Sunday, August 3rd, the last sad rites over the mortal remains of Joseph Standing were held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle in the presence of ten thousand people. President John Taylor and President George Q. Cannon were the speakers. The remains were interred in the Salt Lake City cemetery. The grave is marked by a handsome monument of Italian marble erected by the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion of which he was an active member. At that time the stake embraced all the City stakes and Granite and Grant stakes. INSCRIBED on this shaft is a brief poem by Orson F. Whitney, the last stanza of which reads: "Our brother rests beneath his native sod, His murderers are in the hands of God. Weep, weep for them, not him whose silent dust Here waits the resurrection of the just.' This monument erected more than fifty years ago stands today moss covered and beautiful, a silent witness to coming generations of the sacrificial devotion of Joseph Standing to the cause for which the prophet and his brother Hy- rum both gave the last full measure of their devotion. All who read the story of the tragedy which led to this monument must know that Rudger Clawson, in a supreme and crucial hour, displayed the spirit and courage of a martyr—that is why we relate it. Lorenzo Snow's administration as President of the Church (1898- 1901) was a brief but significant one. Divine inspiration was given to him and he formulated and executed the plan which resulted in liberating the Church from the galling bondage of debt. The people recognized k his prophetic call, responded cheerfully and generously to the great law of tithing. As a consequence the debts of the Church were met, the bonds burned and the saints rejoiced. President Clawson's training as an expert accountant enabled him to render invaluable service to President Snow during those historic days. He seemed so eminently fitted in every way to do a necessary and vital part in this epoch making period of Church history that one sees the hand of Providence shaping his destiny. UNDER the most extraordinary circumstances Rudger Clawson became intimately acquainted with Lorenzo Snow and under these adverse conditions this friendship ripened into confidence and affection and the results which followed seem almost miraculous. One cannot review some chapters in his life without being compelled to exclaim: "Truth is indeed stranger than fiction." Permeating the very vicissitudes of those troubled days is this consoling thought— that oft times the hours that seem darkest, the experiences that seem hardest, in the end are turned to the highest good. Some of his bitterest trials resulted in his happiest and sweetest experiences. A proverbial patience, a flawless fidelity, an almost faultless faith in God, coupled with a deep devotion to the Church and all that it stands for, has made possible the service and achievements which shall remain eternally to the credit of Rudger Clawson, President of the Council of Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. |
Picture of Rudger Clawson, Taken April, 1930
Margaret Jay Clawson Bond at the age of 23.
The three sons of President and Mrs. Clawson: Hiram B., Samuel and Lorenzo.
Lydia Spencer Clawson
Lydia Clawson Hoopes, at the age of 18.
Rudger Clawson at the age of 35.
A picture taken while President Clawson was presiding over the European Mission.
Rudger Clawson, when in the mission-field with Elder Joseph
Standing (seated). An unusual picture of Rudger Clawson, taken at the age
of two, with an old man who took great interest in the little boy. Teresa Hastings Judd—grandmother of Rudger Clawson.
She was born Oct. 3, 1812. Thomas Alfred Judd. This picture teas taken from an old ambrotype, the subject being 75 years of age at the time.
Margaret Gay and Hiram B. Clawson, parents of Rudger.
|
"President Rudger Clawson." Instructor. August 1934. pg. 342.
President Rudger Clawson Our front cover this month presents a splendid picture of Elder Rudger Clawson, President of the Council of the Twelve. The fine photograph bears a good trace of the delicate sense of humor possessed by President Clawson, a characteristic hardly suspected by those not well acquainted with him and who meet him only in the line of his high and dignified calling. To those close to him this quality is well known. It has probably descended from his parents Hyrum B. and Margaret Judd Clawson, the father well known as the first manager of the Salt Lake Theatre and his mother the first actress appearing in that old playhouse. President Clawson was born in Salt Lake City March 1, 1857. He was educated in the schools of the city and the Deseret University. His life has been full of dramatic incidents and for the last fifty-five years closely connected with Church history. To see a missionary companion shot down in cold blood by a ruthless mob and barely escaping with his own life; to endure imprisonment for conscience sake; to receive calls to a Stake Presidency, and then to the Apostleship; to spend a brief period as counselor in the First Presidency of the Church and many years as President of the Council of the Twelve—these are thrilling experiences not often registered in one man's existence, To get better acquainted with this high Church leader, one should read the life sketches of President Clawson to be found in Jenson's Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 174 and in the Improvement Era for January, 1932, Vol. 35, page 133. They are thrilling stories. |
Hinckley, Bryant S. "The Youth and Early Manhood of Rudger Clawson." Improvement Era. March 1937. pg. 134-137.
The Youth and Early Manhood of Rudger Clawson By Bryant S. Hinckley, President of the Northern States Mission As President Clawson approaches his eightieth BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY, MARCH 12, 1937, THE AUTHOR LOOKS BACK ON THE BACKGROUND, HERITAGE, AND ESSENTIAL QUALITIES THAT HAVE ENABLED THIS MAN TO FACE PERSECUTION, INCARCERATION, AND ASSASSINATION WITHOUT LOSING COURAGE OR COMPROMISING PRINCIPLE. Rudger Clawson stands upon the summit of eighty years, a quiet, fearless defender of the faith; a God-fearing, benevolent leader of men. Coming generations will read the story of his life with interest and admiration. Running through it are pathos, tragedy, and humor with striking and impressive verifications of courage, loyalty, obedience, and faith. He has to his credit fourscore years of constructive and blameless living—years that have revealed the strength and fiber of his soul—years that have crowned him with honor and won for him the love and confidence of a great people. From his early manhood to his eightieth year the strong and dominant note running through his life and permeating his thinking is the spread of truth and the well-being of his fellows. He is a peace-loving, quiet-spoken, mild-mannered, mellow- tempered man, always gentle but adamant for the truth. Prudent, patient, painstaking, never boasting, never demonstrative, and never compromising—he stands as one of the strong characters of his day. The first twenty years of his life were placid and delightful, filled with carefree days and the dreams of youth. The next ten years were turbulent and tragic—not dreams but realities of a stern and bitter kind. On the twelfth of March, 1857, Rudger Clawson was born in Salt Lake City of goodly parents. His father, Hiram B. Clawson, was a public-spirited and enterprising citizen, who was personally acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith and who stood high in the confidence of President Brigham Young, and his successors. He was a pioneer, a diplomat, a soldier, a dramatist, and a business man. He made forty-two journeys across the plains, built the first adobe building in Utah, superintended the construction of the Salt Lake Theatre, appeared upon its stage, and served as its manager. He was one of the pioneer merchants of Utah and the first super- intendent of Z. C. M. I.—an Indian war veteran, a bishop and a patriarch, honored and esteemed. His wife, Margaret Gay Judd, the mother of Rudger, was a beautiful and talented woman of refined tastes and artistic ability. President Clawson's early associates were the outstanding young men of that time. Among them were such distinguished leaders as President Heber J. Grant, Brigadier General Richard W. Young, Abraham H. Cannon, Orson F. Whitney, Horace G. Whitney, Junius F. Wells, and others. That was a generation of talented and superior young men and women. President Clawson was popular among them, deservedly so. He has a delightful sense of humor, was a trained reader, a graceful dancer, and an industrious and dependable worker. Among other advantages he was privileged to attend the University of Deseret, (Utah) when John R. Park, a pioneer educator, was its president and did much of the teaching. At the age of eighteen he became secretary to John W. Young, who will go down in history as one of the promoters of his time. In this capacity he was taken to New York City where he remained for two years. It was an unusual opportunity for a young man to live in the metropolis of America during some of the impressionable years of his life. This contact gave him poise, self-confidence and polished manners. He was an active member of the Wasatch Literary Association, which was at that time one of the most popular social clubs in Salt Lake City. At twenty he had every reason to look forward to a cushioned and prosperous career. Those halcyon days gave no premonition of what the next ten years would bring to him in the course of his experiences. President Clawson has a clear and orderly intellect—he is, and always has been, an industrious and methodical worker, pursuing steadily and purposefully the task in hand. All his work is smooth, accurate and artistic. He has a genius for record making—a rare capacity for sifting facts, selecting the essentials and recording them, and the record which he makes is beautiful to look at and fascinating to read. To scan his private history, which he keeps with little effort, is indeed interesting. He has in it just enough detail and personality, with frequent glints of humor, to make it pleasant to read. The report which he made of the European Mission during his presidency is said to be the most complete report of its kind that was ever filed in the office of the Church Historian. An analysis of his character reveals a courage that is never questioned, a loyalty that never wavers, a quiet faith that is inspiring and a fidelity to his friends and his convictions that is at once heroic. Underneath a calm and mild exterior lie the rugged virtues that combine to build a rock-ribbed and impregnable character. He is never radical in his utterances, never severe in his judgments, never harsh in his discipline; still there is granite in his composition—he is firm and immovable in his convictions. For his religion he has faced with folded arms the leveled guns of a murderous and infuriated mob, and deliberately said, "Shoot!" For a principle he suffered bonds and imprisonment. He would meet death with a smile rather than betray a friend or deny the truth. In prison he suffered abuses and endured foul indignities that, to a man of his refined sensibilities, would seem unbearable, and this he did without becoming morose or embittered. His faith in his Creator is settled and flawless. Early in his career he became a thoroughly trained and skillful accountant and this played a significant part in his after life. For eleven years he served as president of the Box Elder Stake of Zion. On October 10, 1898, he was made a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles; at the General Conference held October 6, 1901, he was sustained as Second Counselor in the First Presidency; from 1910 to 1913 he presided over the British Mission and for eighteen years he has served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve. At the General Conference of the Church, held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, April, 1879, Rudger Clawson was called to fill a mission to the Southern States. He responded and was soon on his way. His early experiences as a missionary were almost as humorous as his subsequent ones were tragic and bitter. He was assigned to labor in the state of Georgia with Joseph Standing, a young man twenty-six years of age from Salt Lake City, who had already filled one mission and had spent sixteen months on a second mission. These young men were congenial in temperament, harmonious in tastes, and happy in their work. They had been together but a short time, however, when they were instructed to go to Rome, Georgia, to attend a district conference. The account of Joseph Standing's martyrdom which follows is substantially as related by President Clawson to the writer. As these missionaries made their way on foot to the conference Elder Standing related a dream he had had which greatly impressed him and which was weighing heavily upon his mind. The dream proved to be a premonition of the awful tragedy here related. After a long and tiresome day's journey, near midnight, the Elders knocked at the door of Mr. Holston, not a member of the Church. After explaining to him who they were he said: "Gentlemen, come in. You are welcome to my home." He secured a light and said further: "In all likelihood the mob will be here searching for you—but," said he with clenched fists and great emphasis: "If they come into my yard I will shoot them down like dogs." He knew what a mob meant but he was unafraid. The Elders were shown to their room. Fatigued with the journey and exhausted with anxiety they were soon lost in sleep. The morning of July 21, 1879, dawned bright and beautiful. It was Sunday—peace permeated the very atmosphere they breathed. There was a calmness and a spirit of tranquility that was in keeping with the Holy day; it was, however, but the calm that precedes the cyclone. After expressing their gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Holston and explaining that they would call on their way back, the young missionaries started on their journey. Peace was in their youthful hearts. They carried the message of good will toward all men. They were young, alone, unarmed, and far from home. Their only armor of defense was the truth. As they walked through the primeval woods of Georgia with the feeling that all the trouble was over, they made a turn in the road and suddenly came in view of an armed mob. With shouts and vile imprecations the mob charged down upon them. The leader said: "You are our prisoners." Elder Standing replied: "By what authority do you arrest us upon the public highway? If you have a warrant for our arrest we should like to see it." The answer was: "The United States of America is 'agin' you and there is no law in Georgia for the Mormons. You go with us." "We'll show you by what authority we act!" some of them shouted. The mobocrats led the way and the missionaries followed. Elder Standing was greatly agitated. He was deathly pale and moved nervously and quickly all the time, endeavoring to explain to the mob the nature of their mission, what they were doing—expostulating with them to no avail. Elder Clawson walked more deliberately and slowly, which seemed to exasperate one of the fiends behind him who gave him a heavy blow on the back of the head which almost felled him to the ground. A few minutes later this same murderer raised a heavy club and was about to deliver a death-dealing blow to this innocent man when one of the mob caught his arm. This vicious fellow had already flourished a cocked pistol menacingly in Elder Clawson's face accompanied with oaths and threats. As they went along Elder Standing repeatedly asked for water. He seemed to have an insatiable thirst. They soon reached a spring of water in a secluded spot deep in the woods. They sat around this spring and one of the mobocrats said to Elder Standing: "There's the water; you've been asking for it; why don't you drink?" Elder Standing said: "I don't wish to drink now." "You needn't be afraid; we won't hurt you while you do." Thereupon Elder Standing walked slowly to the spring, lay down and drank and drank. It seemed almost impossible for him to quench his thirst. He returned to his seat in the circle. A desultory conversation ensued in the course of which the vilest accusations were laid against the Mormons. A space of nearly an hour was consumed in this way. We quote the words of President Clawson: The fateful moment had arrived. The three men on horses rode up. The presumption is that they had left the party shortly after our arrest for the purpose of locating a secluded place in the forest to carry out the intent of the mob. . . . The spokesman with a rifle in his trembling hands, for he appeared greatly agitated, said: "Follow us." ... At that critical instant, Joseph Standing jumped to his feet, turned and faced the horsemen, clasped his hands firmly together, and said in a commanding voice, "Surrender." As the word "Surrender" left the lips of Joseph Standing, one of the men sitting in the circle pointed his weapon at Elder Standing and fired. Elder Standing, whirling in his tracks, fell heavily to the ground face downward, and immediately turned upon his back with his face upward. The mobocrats instantly stood upon their feet. A cloud of smoke and dust enveloped the body of the wounded man. At this critical juncture the leading mobocrat, pointing at me, said: "Shoot that man." Every weapon was leveled at my head. My time had come, so it seemed to me. My turn to follow Joseph Standing was at hand. The command to shoot had been given. I was looking down the gun barrels of the murderous mob. I folded my arms and said: "Shoot," and almost persuaded myself that I was shot, so intense were my feelings. I quickly recovered my presence of mind when I heard the voice of a mobocrat which said hurriedly and in a tone of fear: "Don't shoot." I then stepped over to the spot where Joseph Standing had fallen. He was breathing heavily; the death rattle was in his throat and a great, gaping bullet wound appeared in his forehead just above the bridge of his nose. He was unconscious. I did not speak to him. I saw at a glance that he was beyond all earthly help. The chief mobocrat stepped up by my side and together we stood looking down upon the prostrate form of the dying man. Do you ask, "What does one experience who receives a bullet into his body at a vital point?" I can tell you, although no bullet has ever entered my body. When the guns and pistols of the mobocrats were leveled at my head and the command to fire had been given, I thought I was actually shot and suffered for a moment or two the agony of a dying man. With my eyes wide open, gazing into the muzzles of the deadly weapons, instantly the sight went out of my eyes; total blindness followed, and I was enveloped in darkness. The world around me seemed to be blotted out. When I heard the voice in command say: "Don't shoot," it was just then that the realization came to me that I had not been shot. My sight gradually returned and I lived again, so to speak. I am sure this was the experience of Elder Standing, only in his case he did not live again. Suddenly the mob appeared to sense the horrible character of the deed they had committed, and seized with consternation they instinctively rushed together in a compact group as if seeking mutual protection. Elder Clawson walked over to where Elder Standing was lying, stooped and looked into his face. He was breathing heavily. He raised the dying man's head, and tenderly placed his hat under it to keep it out of the dust. An awful sense of grief and utter loneliness seized him; he could only put his trust in God. He exclaimed: "Gentlemen, it is a burning shame to leave a man to die in these woods this way. For Heaven's sake, either you go and secure assistance that the body may be removed and cared for or allow me to do so." After a moment's consultation they said: "You go." Elder Clawson set out at once to find the coroner. It took him from ten o'clock in the morning until sunset to get the coroner and his assistants to the place where the body lay. He says: "I was horrified to discover that the mob had returned— presumably while Elder Standing was yet alive—and had fired several shots into his face and neck." The coroner's jury, after due deliberation, rendered a verdict to the effect that Joseph Standing met his death from gun shots fired by a mob—giving their names. The body was then released. A door was secured from a deserted cabin near by, the body placed upon it, and six men, Brother Clawson being one of them, carried the remains to Mr. Holston's home where it was placed on a scaffold out under the trees. It was now well into the night. The coroner before leaving said: "Mr. Clawson, why don't you bury the body here in Georgia? After some years you can take up the bones and move them to Utah." He said, "Never, never, never! I am going to do for my companion what he would do for me under like circumstances. I tell you frankly, Mr. Coroner, if I had been shot to death in Georgia, as he was shot to death, I would not wish to be buried in this soil. I am sure Joseph Standing feels that way. I am going to take his body home." "Well," said the coroner, "you will not be able to do it." Quoting from Brother Clawson: It became my duty to prepare the body. I had never before touched a dead person, and yet there was no help for it. Under the feeble light of several candles I washed the body. With painstaking care I washed the wounds. To me it was a painful ordeal — but willingly and tenderly performed. It was far into the dark before he completed this sad and difficult service. This was a supreme test of his loyalty to his companion. All who read this story must know that Rudger Clawson in a supreme and crucial hour displayed the spirit and courage of a martyr. He proceeded to secure the best metallic casket obtainable—placed the body in it and had it carefully sealed. However, almost insurmountable difficulties were experienced before the railroad would receive the body for shipment. He was forced to place the metallic casket in a large wooden box and surround it with dry cinders. It was then carried by rail from Dalton, Georgia, to Salt Lake City, a distance of three thousand miles. The name of Joseph Standing will shine forever among those who gave their lives for the truth. He has won a place among the immortal and glorified ones, who suffered martyrdom for the testimony of Jesus. Lorenzo Snow's administration as President of the Church was a brief but significant one (1898-1901). When he came to the presidency the Church was in financial distress. He was inspired to formulate and able to execute plans which liberated it from the bondage of debt and started it on its way to financial security. Rudger Clawson played a vital part in this epoch making period. No other man, except his earthly father, has influenced so powerfully the life of Rudger Clawson as did Lorenzo Snow. The circumstances which led to his intimate acquaintance with President Lorenzo Snow and the chain of events which followed this acquaintance show that omnipotent fingers were weaving the web of his life. In President Clawson's life we have exemplified the glorious and comforting thought that forever shining through our darkest days is the bright assurance that our hardest experiences may be turned to our highest good—that our bitterest trials may prove to be our sweetest memories. It is convincingly shown in the record of Rudger Clawson's life that the hand of Providence has shaped his destiny. As one reads this story he is confronted with questions that can only find satisfactory answers in the fact that an unseen and powerful hand has preserved his life— - that "a divinity has shaped his end." The master influence in shaping the character of this splendid man is his reverence and love for the Redeemer of the world—of whose mission he has a deep understanding. This understanding has bred in him a universal love for mankind —a tenderness for the poor, a tolerance for the wayward, and a compassion for the unfortunate. Rudger Clawson has never been false to any man; he has honored his Apostleship and subordinated every other interest to it. Always valiant for the testimony of Jesus, he stands upon the summit of eighty years, a quiet, fearless, defender of the faith—a kind and devoted husband, a loving father, a God-fearing and benevolent leader of men. |
HIRAM B. CLAWSON, FATHER OF RUDGER
CLAWSON. MARGARET GAY CLAWSON, MOTHER OF RUDGER CLAWSON.
AN UNUSUAL PICTURE OF RUDGER CLAWSON, TAKEN AT THE AGE OF TWO, WITH AN OLD MAN WHO TOOK GREAT INTEREST IN THE LITTLE BOY.
PICTURE OF RUDGER CLAWSON, TAKEN APRIL, 1930.
LYDIA SPENCER CLAWSON, WIFE OF RUDGER
CLAWSON AND MOTHER OF NINE OF HIS TEN CHILDREN. PRESIDENT RUDGER CLAWSON AND ELDER
CHARLES A. CALLIS ON UMBRELLA ROCK ON TOP OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN OVERLOOKING THE FAMOUS MOCCASIN BEND IN THE TENNESSEE RIVER, NEAR CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ABOUT THIRTY MILES FROM THE SCENE OF THE KILLING OF ELDER JOSEPH STANDING. THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN ON THE OCCASION OF PRESIDENT CLAWSON'S FIRST RETURN TO THE SOUTHERN STATES WHILE BROTHER CALLIS WAS STILL PRESIDENT OF THE MISSION. RUDGER CLAWSON (LEFT) WHEN IN THE MISSION FIELD WITH ELDER JOSEPH
STANDING (RIGHT). PRESIDENT CLAWSON AS HE APPEARED AT
ABOUT THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN. |
Widtsoe, John A. "Rudger Clawson's Service in the Council of the Twelve." Improvement Era. March 1937. pg. 140-141.
RUDGER CLAWSON'S SERVICE in the COUNCIL of the TWELVE By DR. JOHN A. WIDTSOE Of the Council of the Twelve A Methodical man. President Clawson has kept careful record of his activities and has made notable contributions to the cause of systematizing church procedure. “Seest thou a man diligent in his business; he shall stand before kings." This message of old is a key to the life and labors of the man who now presides over the Council of Twelve, whose service entitles him to the plaudit, "'well done." During the thirty-seven years since Elder Rudger Clawson was ordained an Apostle and called into the Council of Twelve (Oct. 10, 1898), his activity in behalf of the welfare of the Church has been unremitting. Deliberately, without hurry, but persistently, he has accomplished an amount of methodical work in setting the Church in order, which perhaps has never been surpassed in the same length of time. This is in part the result of President Clawson's orderly mind. He is a trained accountant with a love of order and system in all that he does. He has learned that duties, regularly performed, make a great total throughout the years. His service has not been spasmodic, but regular—therefore fruitful of great results. Living power has been given to President Clawson's orderly devotion to his duties by his unfaltering faith that the cause of the Church is of divine origin and divinely guided. His testimony of the truth of the work restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith is ever direct and positive, never hedged about or negative. This has been the activating force of his ministry. Faith, order, and diligence form an armor and a weapon which always lead men to victory. They have led him to great heights. So equipped, President Clawson has gone out, during thirty-seven eventful years, among the stakes and wards of Zion to bless and help them. The record of his life's labors is before the people. He has taught the Gospel, urged compliance with its requirements, administered to the sick, comforted the sorrowful, counseled the undecided, encouraged the doubting, and all with a gentle humor that has let the sunshine through the clouds. He has been a peacemaker in our troubled world. Many love him. Since he has ever been respectful of the Priesthood, reverent towards all sacred things, obedient to those presiding over him, and faithful in his compliance with Gospel requirements, the inspiration that belongs to his calling has been with him. By the spirit of discernment and the power of prophecy he has often been enabled to discover the hidden needs of individuals or groups, or to call the right men to responsible positions in the Church. He has depended upon the Lord, who has not failed him. The influence of his Priesthood and office has been felt for good in the Church. As the presiding officer of the Council of Twelve, President Clawson has performed his duties with steady devotion. The interests of the Church have been his interest. Every request from the field has been heeded by him. His associates on the Council, to whom he has always been courteous and kind, hold him in affectionate regard. He has taken, and takes, his full share of travel and other labor required of the Twelve. He has set the pace and the example in ministering among the people. Perhaps no better statement can be made concerning President Clawson's Apostolic labors than the following list of his Church-wide service from January, 1899, to December 31, 1936. This information has been recorded and preserved by President Clawson with meticulous care during the long period of thirty-seven years: Priesthood Ordinations Patriarchs 56 High Priests 1,066 Seventies 475 Elders 235 Bishops 417 2,249 Settings Apart Stake Presidents 46 Counselors to Stake Presidents 97 High Councilors 378 Alternate High Councilors 135 Presidents of High Priests Quorums 26 Counselors to Presidents of High Priests Quorums 31 Presidents of Seventies Quorums 159 Presidents of Elders Quorums 23 Counselors to Presidents of Elders Quorums 12 Having already been ordained Bishops now again set apart to preside as Bishops 37 Bishops' Counselors 868 Presiding Elders over Branches 21 Former Blessings Restored 14 Number set Apart to Fill Foreign Missions 975 Stake Clerks 24 2,846 Priesthood Ordinations 2,249 TOTAL 5,095 Stake Conferences Attended 1,195 Ward Meetings Attended 1,204 Miscellaneous Meetings Attended 6,655 Total number of meetings attended 9,054 Total number of times addressed congregations 6,000 Total number of miles going and coming 576,107 Notes Of the foregoing ordinations to the Priesthood, 41 High Priests and 123 Elders (total 164) were ordained by President Clawson during his presidency of eleven years over the Box Elder Stake from January, 1888, to January, 1899. During his three years' mission in Europe President Clawson attended 681 meetings, addressed 510 congregations and traveled 58,594 miles going and coming. These figures are included in the foregoing statement. Such a record of faithful, intelligent service is an example to the Priesthood, indeed to the whole membership of the Church, The rejuvenating, peace-begetting power of the Church for all humankind will increase in the proportion to which every member of the Church magnifies as President Clawson has done, his assigned field of labor within the latter-day cause of the Lord. The life and labors of President Clawson as one of the General Authorities of the Church reflects best the character of the man. He has magnified his Priesthood and calling. He is an example to all who would achieve well in life. He has been a worthy Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. May the blessings of the Lord be multiplied upon his head. |
PRESIDENT RUDGER CLAWSON AS HE APPEARS IN HIS EIGHTIETH YEAR, FROM A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN OCTOBER, 1936, BY BLANK & STOLLER OF NEW YORK.
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Clawson, Samuel G. "Some Impressions of My Father." Improvement Era. March 1937. pg. 142-143, 168.
Some impressions of my father By SAMUEL G. CLAWSON Chicago Attorney and Son of Rudger Clawson THE HAS LEFT NO RESIDUE OF BITTERNESS IN HIM; IMPRESSIONS AND MEMORIES HAVE LEFT NO SCARS. He has never indulged in self-pity, never tolerated self-esteem. There is no elation when he wins—he either wins and turns victory into wisdom for the next encounter, else he endures AND WAITS. He NEVER LOSES, BECAUSE HE SEES TIME AS PART OF ENDLESS ETERNITY. My father stands out in my mind as an ideal. Although the values in that ideal have shifted in their emphasis as the years have passed, the ideal itself has always represented one thing about father, and that is his courage. It is a quiet courage as all of his gifts and his virtues are the quiet ones. Even his personality is as quiet as the twinkle in his eye. But it is not in the quietness that the courage lies, for the quietness is only one aspect of his strength; and it is not in his physical endurance which amazed me so much when I was a boy and which is still there. But it lies in another characteristic which I have never found in another man. This other element is a dynamic thing and seems to emerge out of the sum total of all of his various aspects—out of his personality, his religion, his philosophy, his character, out of his whole attitude toward life and out of all the acts of his life. It is the way father looks at Time. He lives and reacts to men and events as if he had lived forever and will live forever. He does not see time as most men see it; he sees it as Eternity. He does not live in time as it is measured by all of our various inventions and mathematical formulas. Father actually lives in Eternity. That gives father strength, for it gives him all the ages past and future to measure things by. A crisis of any kind is small when measured against all events that have passed or may happen. He is unhurried. He takes his time and measures and never judges hastily. All values to him are relative. Circumstances are self-evaluating in time and in its eternal stretch and he can view them impersonally. He sees possible good in apparent bad and virtues in things and people where no virtues seem to belong. He looks on seemingly important occasions and at past events quite unruffled and he can view the most trivial things with quiet dignity. What that sort of thing can mean, what it can represent has always been exemplified to me in a certain blend in father of all of his various characteristics, and particularly a blend of mind and character. He will get hold of a principle and hold to it in the face of persecution, hardships, and long suffering. He can endure anything and will endure the most severe suffering indefinitely. Nothing can switch him from a course once he has his mind set on a goal. Father has on more than one occasion faced death for a principle. He would give his life for a principle. More than once he has walked directly into a crisis with the conviction that all possible consequences would be of equal importance. Death to him is only an event in his continuous eternal life. This has made him patient and courageous. To father I think life looks like a long series of obstacles, obstacles put there to be endured or to be overcome by the force of a man's character, a force which may be strengthened by constant prayer. Over a long period of years he has arisen early in the morning to pray and face the eventualities of the day. Life has left no residue of bitterness in him; impressions and memories have left no scars. He has never indulged in self-pity, never tolerated self-esteem. There is no elation when he wins—he either wins and turns victory into wisdom for the next encounter, else he endures and waits. He never loses. To analyze his qualities is not to understand him. For out of the sum total of all of them, out of the aggregate, arises a quality and charm which is more simple than any one of his characteristics. The way he looks at time—this living in eternity— pervades every act of his life. When you go to him with a problem you never come away feeling blamed. What has been right or wrong in some particular instance is never condemned but always explained against a background of a long chain of events leading up to and away from the particular problem you may have brought him. Father has never rebuked me nor felt that I was wrong—but he has often felt that I was unenlightened. He has said to me on more than one occasion, "My son, you are all in darkness." I think Father has this feeling of living in Eternity because he thinks and feels and lives his religion. He never talks much about it, but you cannot live around him and understand him without coming to know what his religion means, and what it means to him. It is not merely a philosophy and it is not merely a creed. It is not static; it is vital and dynamic. Religion to him is a living eternal thing and he as an integral part of it will live eternally. When he talks of faith you have a feeling that the words inadequately express his meaning, but you understand faith because it is a living part of father; and when he talks of revelation you also know what that means because father's character stands before you as the evidence of revealed religion. Of course father's character and his attitude toward life are an outgrowth of his life's work. That work has carried him into many fields and has brought experiences which would have crushed a weaker man. In his early life there were long sad years of hardship and persecutions, and in the mission field when he saw his companion shot down before his eyes; and later miserable, degrading years of incarceration for a principle. But when he speaks of them the hardships are submerged in his mind to an ideal, and the persecutions are woven into a faith. Where one leaves off and the other begins it is difficult to< determine— difficult to decide where ideals and faith break with reality, just as it is difficult to see in him where time breaks with eternity. The more intimately you know him, the clearer his characteristics stand out. You never run into the baffling inconsistencies which familiarity discloses in many people. Intimacy with him reveals the simple, ordered beauty of the pattern of his character. A contact with father may have meant many things to many people. To me he has always been a light by which I have been privileged to work. (Note—The eldest of Rudger Clawson's ten children, Rudger Elmo Clawson, whose mother was Florence Ann Dinwoodey, is not pictured here. He died April 19, 1898, at the age of fourteen.) |
ABOVE: THE THREE LIVING SONS OF PRESIDENT AND MRS. CLAWSON: HYRUM B., SAMUEL, AND LORENZO, AS THEY APPEARED IN 1911.
THE AUTHOR, SAMUEL G. CLAWSON, SEVENTH OF RUDGER CLAWSON'S TEN CHILDREN
HYRUM B. CLAWSON, ELDEST LIVING CHILD OF RUDGER CLAWSON
MARGARET GAY CLAWSON BOND, ELDEST DAUGHTER OF RUDGER CLAWSON
HOME OF TWO OF HIRAM B. CLAWSON'S FAMLIES,
FORMERLY OWNED AND BUILT BY LORENZO SNOW. ON THE PORCH AT RIGHT ARE ELLEN SPENCER CLAWSON, MOTHER OF THE FIRST FAMILY; AND MARGARET GAY CLAWSON, MOTHER OF THE SECOND FAMILY, OF WHICH RUDGER IS A MEMBER. THE HOME, SINCE TORN DOWN, WAS ON SOUTH TEMPLE STREET NEAR THIRD EAST. GERALDINE CLAWSON, TWO-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER OF LORENZO CLAWSON AND YOUNGEST OF RUDGER
CLAWSON'S TEN GRANDCHILDREN. LYDIA CLAWSON HOOPES, YOUNGEST OF RUDGER CLAWSON'S TEN CHILDREN.
FOUR OF RUDGER CLAWSON'S DECEASED CHILDREN
Rudger R. Clawson Vera Mary Clawson Daniel S. Clawson Francis M. Clawson LORENZO S. CLAWSON, EIGHTH OF RUDGER CLAWSON'S TEN CHILDREN.
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Lee, S. Norman. "When Box Elder "Imported" Rudger Clawson." Improvement Era. March 1937. pg. 146-147, 166.
When Box Elder “IMPORTED" RUDGER CLAWSON By S. NORMAN LEE Former Associate Editor of the Millennial Star and Former President of Box Elder Stake. Without friends, without income, without a home, Rudger Clawson was called by President Wilford Woodruff to go to Box Elder as President of the Stake, which he did with these results-- Rudger Clawson was set apart to preside over Box Elder Stake on February 5, 1888, and served in that capacity until October 10, 1898, when he was ordained an Apostle. Oliver G. Snow was appointed president when Box Elder Stake was organized by President Brigham Young on August 19, 1877, but on July 31, 1887, he resigned and the burden of carrying on rested upon his counselors. President Lorenzo Snow, then an Apostle resident in Brigham City, who had guided the destinies of the stake in an advisory capacity, had become well and favorably acquainted with Rudger Clawson, who was then about thirty years of age, and was impressed that he would be excellent material to fill the vacancy in Box Elder. Accordingly he sent for Brother Clawson under direction of President Wilford Woodruff to come to Brigham City for this express purpose. The appointment was not altogether popular; some of the prominent members of the stake thought there was plenty of local material and it did not set just right with them to have a "foreigner" brought in. President Clawson has told the writer a number of times that he did not feel too comfortable about it himself, but his convictions of what constituted loyalty to the Church and obedience to authority left him only one course—to come and do as he was told. The stake had been without a head for over six months and naturally was more or less disorganized. Setting things in order, therefore, was the most immediate need. It became apparent that President Snow's judgment was good because President Clawson began in his methodical and thorough manner, to organize from top to bottom. When he was set apart no counselors were chosen. He did not know the men he was to work with well enough to make a selection at once, but on April 9, 1888, Adolphus Madsen and Charles Kelly were selected and sustained as counselors. A survey of the physical features of Box Elder Stake shows that the era February 5, 1888 to October 10, 1898, was one of energetic work and advancement. In this respect the record has not been even remotely approached since that time; neither was there anything comparable to it before that time. For instance, of the wards then, and now, in Box Elder Stake where chapels were built, the historical record discloses the following: Brigham Second Ward, 1890; Fourth Ward, 1893; Sixth Ward (then First Ward), 1894; Mantua, 1892; Harper, 1892; Honeyville, 1895. The Perry Chapel was built at this time, but not dedicated until 1899. There were eleven wards in the area now comprising Box Elder Stake and the chapels in seven of them were built during President Clawson's administration. The rebuilding of the Box Elder Stake Tabernacle which burned down January 6, 1896, is the most outstanding work of the kind undertaken during his time as president. A note culled from the stake historical record reads as follows: "February 1, 1896. Decision was made at Priesthood meeting to rebuild the Tabernacle." Everyone present was deeply impressed by the determination of the president to undertake the work immediately, and with the manner in which he set about collecting funds. The Church was not quite so liberal in those days in matching local contributions for building purposes, but President Clawson "knew his way about." He not only set the pace and urged the Saints in the stake to cooperate, but he gave many of his friends elsewhere in Utah, and especially in Salt Lake City, an opportunity to do themselves the honor of contributing. On March 21, 1897, just a little over a year after the fire, the new Tabernacle was dedicated. President Clawson himself regards this matter as one of his cherished memories. It brought him closer to the people of the stake than almost any other one thing of a temporal nature. He is wont to dwell upon the matter as evidence of unity of spirit in the stake rather than as a mere contribution of funds. The building itself is a very fine monument, one that invites the attention and inquiry of travelers. Aside from his work in the ministry, President Clawson presented an interesting personality. He had been persecuted for years because of his religious convictions and had no opportunity to accumulate any of this world's goods. He had no home when he came to Brigham City but managed to acquire the old Josephson residence on the northeast corner of Main and Second North Streets which he renovated and remodeled. He did not even have employment so there was added to his problem the necessity of finding something to do to support his young growing family. He was well equipped by education and training to do a number of things, but in this sparsely settled community his talents did not find a ready market. He was an expert bookkeeper and accountant but he could have served all the business there was in the stake without overtaxing his powers. It is evident that he was uncommonly resourceful because he not only paid for his home during his presidency but supported his family in comfort. His son Rudger R., was born previous to the arrival of the family in Brigham City. But six of his ten children, Hyrum B., Margaret Gay, Daniel Spencer, Vera Mary, Samuel George, and Lorenzo Snow Clawson, were born in Brigham City, and Daniel Spencer and Vera Mary died there. So the President's family ties are intimately associated with Box Elder. The part that wives play in these matters seldom comes before the public eye but their mission is vital nevertheless. The hero of the play would make but a sorry showing if he didn't have a strong supporting cast. If a man makes a good record there is always a good woman in the background. Applying this rule, Sister Clawson comes in for her full measure of praise. In many cases the role played by the wife is more heroic than that of the leading man. Sister Clawson has stood by the President in times of trial and hardship with unwavering loyalty. She has been an helpmeet in the full and true sense of the term, a fact upon which President Clawson discourses with ever increasing frequency—and fervency. Among the things that President Clawson obtained in the way of employment was the abstracting of the records in the local County Recorder's office. Up to the time he obtained the commission to do this work, the instruments presented had been recorded in the ordinary record books and indexed but no abstract records had been kept. He worked on these records for three years until they were entirely completed. Box Elder records were made vastly more important than they would otherwise have been by the fact that the Central Pacific Railroad Company built its main line in 1869 through this territory. Grants of land were made by the Federal government to the railroad and in Box Elder County, this grant comprised every odd numbered section within twenty miles on each side of the right-of-way. The thoroughness with which this work was done is well attested by the fact that no corrections have ever been deemed necessary or advisable. President Clawson also made some abstracts on his own account as a licensed abstractor. The writer has handled quite a number of these abstracts and was early impressed with their conciseness and comprehensiveness; so much so that the transactions involving the railroad titles especially have been printed and are used even at this time in all abstracts. Also, the President taught bookkeeping, for two seasons at least, and his classes were well patronized. He introduced the double entry system which up to that time had not been understood in Box Elder. A good many really practical bookkeepers were developed from this beginning and many of the businesses in Box Elder County still use the setup that he provided. In addition to this he kept the books of the Brigham City Flour Mills and did odd jobs of accounting for various firms in Brigham City. His records of all kinds are marvels of neatness and accuracy. He had a style of penmanship that was apparently all his own. It has been said that "Whatever a man writes he writes himself." President Clawson was distinguished not only by the subject matter in his writing but the style of his penmanship would identify him anywhere. It is amazing, when one considers the case, how Brother Clawson found time and strength to keep up with his manifold interests. He possessed that most vital element in a presiding officer, namely the social impulse. He was a lover of the drama and gave it every encouragement, particularly that of his personal appearance on every possible occasion. He likewise delighted in music, placing special emphasis on ward and stake choirs, quoting frequently from the scriptures, "The song of the righteous is a prayer unto the Lord." He delighted in house parties, entertaining the presiding brethren of the stake at his own home and being entertained in their homes in return. The writer is a personal witness to the fact that he added very materially to the congeniality and merriment of all such occasions. He has enjoyed healthful sports; including baseball, football, swimming, racing, and even prize fighting and wrestling. I have never seen him actually engaged in any of these sports but I have seen him enjoying them with the enthusiasm of a real fan. President Clawson took an active part in civic affairs, lending his influence to every progressive movement undertaken in this locality. He did not inject himself personally into any of the controversies that were waged between conservatives and liberals but supported the city administration and their endeavors to improve conditions, especially the municipal utilities, such as the water works system and the electric lighting system. His interest in the schools was evident in the progress that was made during his administration. His opinion was sought and followed in such matters as consolidation of small school districts, the erection of suitable school buildings and the grading of elementary schools. All in all, President Clawson has proved himself to be a friend of Box Elder Stake, during his ministry there, and ever since, even up to the present time. To sum up, the evidence is that he is a man of God, an able executive, a wise counselor, and friend to a multitude of co-workers. |
THE HOME ACQUIRED BY PRESIDENT RUDGER
CLAWSON IN BRIGHAM CITY RUDGER CLAWSON AT ABOUT AGE THIRTY-FIVE WHEN HE WAS STILL LIVING IN BRIGHAM CITY.
BOX ELDER COUNTY COURTHOUSE, BRIGHAM CITY, AS IT APPEARED WHEN PRESIDENT CLAWSON WORKED THERE.
BOX ELDER STAKE TABERNACLE, BRIGHAM CITY, UTAH, AS REBUILT DURING THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT RUDGER CLAWSON.
|
Snow, LeRoi C. "A Matter of History." Improvement Era. March 1937. pg. 149.
A MATTER OF HISTORY By LE ROI C. SNOW Of the Church Historian's Office A little known occurrence in Church history is recalled in the following statement made by President Rudger Clawson, June 18, 1935: "After the Sunday morning meeting of the General Conference, October 6, 1901, I called at the Bee-Hive House to inquire after President Lorenzo Snow's condition, as he had not been able to attend any of the conference sessions, up to that time. "As I went into President Snow's room he said: 'Brother Rudger, I am a sick man. I should not go to the meeting this afternoon, but I have some important business to present to the conference and I feel that I must go. I need another Counselor in the First Presidency and I feel impressed that it should not be put off any longer. I have chosen you to be my Second Counselor.' "In astonishment I replied: 'Why, President Snow, this is like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. I am greatly surprised. There are others of the Twelve Apostles who are much older than I am, who have had a great deal more experience and are better qualified for this responsible position. If I am chosen I fear it may create some jealousy or perhaps dissatisfaction. '' 'It is not only that I have chosen you,’ President Snow said, 'but it is also the will of the Lord. So, go now and have your lunch and then come back and ride with me in my carriage to the Tabernacle.' This I did. "After President Snow had finished speaking to the people he turned to President Joseph F. Smith, saying: 'Brother Joseph, please present the names of the General Authorities for the vote of the congregation. Present your own name as my First Counselor and Brother Rudger Clawson as my Second Counselor.' This was done and all the names were sustained unanimously by the conference. "(Signed) Rudger Clawson." The following are the words of President Lorenzo Snow spoken at the Sunday afternoon session of the General Conference, October 6, 1901: "I have had only one Counselor since President Cannon died. I have chosen another Counselor. I have sought the guidance of the Lord in the matter, and the Lord has directed the choice. I have chosen a strong, energetic man, and I think he will be a great help to myself and President Smith: I hope therefore you will sustain him. God bless you all. (Deseret News, October 7, 1901.) These were the last words uttered publicly by President Snow before his death, which occurred October 10, 1901, four days later. |
COMPOSITE PICTURE OF FIRST PRESIDENCY DURING THE DAYS REFERRED TO IN THIS ARTICLE.
Note—Owing to the death of President Lorenzo Snow the day after October 9, 1901, the foregoing photostatic copy of a
circular tetter was the one and only official document sent out to the Church by the said presidency. |
Ireland, Hugh. "With President Clawson in Europe." Improvement Era. March 1937. pg. 152-153, 167.
With PRESIDENT CLAWSON IN EUROPE
By HUGH IRELAND
Former Associate Editor of the Millennial Star and Former Editor of the Liahona
From the journal of Rudger Clawson and from the personal observations of the author has come this brief account of those eventful years in the British Mission, 1910 to 1913, when the Church prospered in the face of missionary mobbings and violent opposition.
ELDER RUDGER CLAWSON was called to preside over the European Mission April 7, 1910, succeeding President Charles W. Penrose in that office. Elder Clawson left Salt Lake City accompanied by his wife and children May 1 7, of that year, and arrived in Liverpool June 4th. Seven days later, upon the departure of President Penrose, he assumed full charge of the European Mission.
At that time the European Mission comprised the British, Scandinavian, Swedish, Netherlands, Swiss and German, and South African missions, all of which were under the general jurisdiction of President Clawson. Of these the British Mission was under his direct and particular jurisdiction since he was the recognized president of that mission, as well as being the editor of the Millennial Star, the official organ of the British Mission. The outstanding success with which President Clawson administered the affairs of the European Mission during his incumbency, is typical of the sterling qualities of the man and his forthright efficient manner of handling administrative problems.
The scope of this article necessarily precludes a detailed enumeration of the many splendid things undertaken and accomplished during President Clawson's tenure of office as President of the European Mission; a few of the more outstanding incidents and accomplishments should, however, be mentioned.
A significant and far-reaching administrative change was made by President Clawson in the management of the office of the British Mission and the Liverpool office which was concerned largely with immigration matters. The business affairs of these two offices had been intermingled in such a way as to result in considerable confusion. President Clawson considered it imperative to effect a separation of these two important branches of the work and accordingly inaugurated a system whereby the business and accounts of the British Mission were divorced entirely from those of the Liverpool office. The work was well and thoroughly done to the great satisfaction of the First Presidency and Presiding Bishopric.
To expedite the conduct of the actual missionary work in the British Mission and to establish and preserve uniformity throughout the mission, President Clawson compiled a "Book of Instructions," a copy of which was sent to each of the thirteen conference presidents of the mission. The purpose of this "Book of Instructions" was to obviate the necessity of republishing instructions from time to time for the benefit of newly installed conference presidents and incoming Elders. That the book accomplished its purpose was evidenced by the warm expressions of commendation received from the conference presidents to whom a copy of the book was sent.
Of particular and lasting significance was the recommendation of President Clawson to the First Presidency of the Church that a new mission be created in Europe. The recommendation was made in a letter dated July 31, 1912, in which President Clawson set forth with admirable clarity his proposal and reasons, therefor. I quote briefly from the letter.
After due consideration, I do not hesitate making the following recommendation: that the branches of the Church in the French part of the Swiss and German Mission and in the Netherlands Mission be joined together and organized into what would be known as the French Mission. There are a number of good reasons for this change which, doubtless, if you have given the matter any thought, have already occurred to you. A Dutch speaking president, or a German speaking president, is always at more or less of a disadvantage in visiting, preaching, and counseling in the French part of their mission. If they do not speak in the language of the country there is a lack of interest and sympathy between them and their flock. They cannot easily get into the hearts of the people.
The wisdom of this proposed change was recognized by the First Presidency and the recommendation was accordingly approved. To effect the actual organization of the mission, President Clawson called together a conference of the French speaking Elders of the European Mission, to convene in Paris, France, October 15, 1912, at which time and place the French Mission was organized and launched upon its course.
During the nearly three years that elapsed between June, 1910, and April, 1913, the time covered by the administration of President Clawson, as president of the European Mission, many stirring events occurred in connection with the missionary work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Mission. The success that had been gained throughout the mission, as a result of the labors of the Elders, led some of the ministers of other churches to look with apprehension at the success gained by the Mormon missionaries, and to decide that something must be done to arrest the progress of a missionary movement that was causing them to lose some who had been faithful members of their congregations and who had become converted to the restored Gospel teachings.
In an effort to stem the progress of Mormonism an anti-Mormon crusade was launched for the purpose of checking the missionary work of the Church. An anti-Mormon demonstration was held in the Holborn Hall, London, April 28, 1911, another in the Hope Hall, Liverpool, and a number of minor ones in various English cities.
Scenes of violence and mobocracy were enacted at Birkenhead, Bootle, Heywood, Sunderland, Seaton Hurst, Nuneaton, Birmingham, Bristol, London, and Ipswich. The Elders in most of these places were subjected to gross insults and in some instances to personal assaults, from which they suffered more or less personal injury. Indeed, Elder Albert Smith, a traveling Elder in the Birmingham conference, on leaving a meeting of the Nuneaton branch in May, 1912, was literally covered with tar and feathers. President Clawson himself was mobbed in Bristol on November 17, 1912.
Speaking at an anti-Mormon meeting, Bishop Welldon, Dean of Manchester (Episcopal Church), said: "I think the Mormon propaganda ought to be put down in England. If the law is not strong enough to put it down, it ought to be reinforced."
Rev. Father Bernard Vaughan from his pulpit declared: "The Mormons should be taken by the scruff of the neck, rushed across our island, and dropped into the sea."
In this crisis, Mr. W. T. Stead,[1] editor of the Review of Reviews (England), came to the defense of the missionaries and wrote as follows to the London Daily Express, which communication, because of the prominence and influence of Mr. Stead, was published:
The whole so-called crusade is an outbreak of sectarian savagery worked up by journalists, who in their zest for sensation appear to be quite indifferent to the fact that the only permanent result of their exploit will be to advertise and to spread the Mormon faith among the masses, who love fair play, and who hate religious persecution none the less because it is based upon a lie.
At this time in compliance with demands made by leading clergymen and other influentials the British Home Secretary, Winston Churchill, directed that a nationwide survey of the activities of the Mormon missionaries be made. However, when pressed as to what action the British government intended to take against the Mormon missionaries, he replied: "I have not so far discovered any grounds for legislation in the matter."
It was well that at that time the European Mission and especially the British Mission had for its president a man experienced in missionary work, who knew well the influences that were arrayed against the work of the Lord, and the best way to meet them.
President Clawson, who in his early manhood encountered opposition in his missionary experiences, compared with which these sporadic outbursts were as trifles, manifested no alarm over the successive waves of opposition, feeling confident that the proverbially sound judgment and sense of justice of the English people would in time assert themselves and accord to the Mormon missionaries the right of fair play and free speech to which they were entitled.
But as mobbings and persecution increased, an important question forced itself on President Clawson and the missionaries alike. As demand after demand came that the Elders leave certain places, and mobbings became a matter of frequent occurrence, the question arose: how were these seemingly intolerable conditions to be met? In some places it appeared to be well nigh impossible to carry on. Yet it was fully realized that to yield in any instance to the demands of the mobbers, and leave the town or place where they were laboring, would be to strengthen the position of those who were opposing them, and lead them to believe that if only sufficient pressure were brought to bear the Mormon missionaries could be driven out of the country.
Moreover, as the missionaries were breaking no law, they were entitled to the protection of the police and the courts of the land. Besides, the Elders had a high and important calling, to testify of the restoration of the true Gospel of Christ to the earth, on obedience to which the temporal and eternal salvation of the people of the world depended. Realizing also that as there were people who were hungering to hear their message, after due consideration, it was decided that there must be no thought of surrender. Assured as they were of the divine origin of the cause they represented and of their divine calling, they would continue to "hold the fort" in every place where their labors had called them.
So, undisturbed by opposition and mobbings, the missionaries continued to proclaim the restored Gospel message, converts continued to be made, and the work of the Lord progressed in the British Mission.
During the crusade President Clawson wrote many able and fearless editorials for the Millennial Star in reply to the false charges that were being circulated by leading newspapers, by clergymen and other prominent anti-Mormons. He also made clear the truth regarding the work of the missionaries, and the message they had for the nations of the earth.
As a rule, when the facts were thus placed before the people in their true light, opposition gradually died out, and the missionaries were allowed to proceed with their work without hindrance.
Notwithstanding the adverse and trying conditions noted, the work of the Lord prospered exceedingly during the nearly three years of Elder Clawson's presidency of the European Mission. From January 1, 1910, to April 15, 1913, there were distributed in the British Mission alone 10,686,116 tracts, 212,- 813 books, and 1,470 persons were added to the Church by baptism; while in other parts of the European Mission during the same time there were at least 7,054,715 tracts and 482,203 books distributed, and 3,896 persons baptized, making in the aggregate about 17,740,831 tracts and 695,016 books distributed, and 5,366 persons baptized.
During the three years of President Clawson's incumbency important real estate holdings were secured, including chapels in Northampton, Sunderland, West Hartlepool, and Birmingham; also a fine meetinghouse property at Bergen, Norway.
He was strongly supported and comforted throughout by his wife and family. During his presidency, Hyrum Bradley, his eldest living son, filled an honorable 29 months mission in Great Britain. Shining through all the activities of President Clawson as head of the European Mission was his strong and noble character. He was kind and fatherly to missionaries and Saints alike, and he had the happy faculty of making those he contacted feel at ease in his presence. His counsels to the missionaries and at the various conferences were always clear and practical, outlining their duties and urging the need of their striving to reach as many of the people as they could with the message of the restoration of the true Gospel of Christ to the earth in these latter days through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
To the Saints and investigators the burden of President Clawson's message was the need, in the first place, of getting a true knowledge of God, our relationship to Him, and His purpose in our lives; and then the duty of learning and obeying His counsels and commandments and living in harmony with them.
The true spirit of the Gospel he exemplified in his daily life and his personal example was a constant inspiration to the missionaries and Saints in the mission field.
[1] After the death of Mr. Wm. Thomas Stead President Clawson vicariously did temple work for him and had it done also for Mrs. Stead.
With PRESIDENT CLAWSON IN EUROPE
By HUGH IRELAND
Former Associate Editor of the Millennial Star and Former Editor of the Liahona
From the journal of Rudger Clawson and from the personal observations of the author has come this brief account of those eventful years in the British Mission, 1910 to 1913, when the Church prospered in the face of missionary mobbings and violent opposition.
ELDER RUDGER CLAWSON was called to preside over the European Mission April 7, 1910, succeeding President Charles W. Penrose in that office. Elder Clawson left Salt Lake City accompanied by his wife and children May 1 7, of that year, and arrived in Liverpool June 4th. Seven days later, upon the departure of President Penrose, he assumed full charge of the European Mission.
At that time the European Mission comprised the British, Scandinavian, Swedish, Netherlands, Swiss and German, and South African missions, all of which were under the general jurisdiction of President Clawson. Of these the British Mission was under his direct and particular jurisdiction since he was the recognized president of that mission, as well as being the editor of the Millennial Star, the official organ of the British Mission. The outstanding success with which President Clawson administered the affairs of the European Mission during his incumbency, is typical of the sterling qualities of the man and his forthright efficient manner of handling administrative problems.
The scope of this article necessarily precludes a detailed enumeration of the many splendid things undertaken and accomplished during President Clawson's tenure of office as President of the European Mission; a few of the more outstanding incidents and accomplishments should, however, be mentioned.
A significant and far-reaching administrative change was made by President Clawson in the management of the office of the British Mission and the Liverpool office which was concerned largely with immigration matters. The business affairs of these two offices had been intermingled in such a way as to result in considerable confusion. President Clawson considered it imperative to effect a separation of these two important branches of the work and accordingly inaugurated a system whereby the business and accounts of the British Mission were divorced entirely from those of the Liverpool office. The work was well and thoroughly done to the great satisfaction of the First Presidency and Presiding Bishopric.
To expedite the conduct of the actual missionary work in the British Mission and to establish and preserve uniformity throughout the mission, President Clawson compiled a "Book of Instructions," a copy of which was sent to each of the thirteen conference presidents of the mission. The purpose of this "Book of Instructions" was to obviate the necessity of republishing instructions from time to time for the benefit of newly installed conference presidents and incoming Elders. That the book accomplished its purpose was evidenced by the warm expressions of commendation received from the conference presidents to whom a copy of the book was sent.
Of particular and lasting significance was the recommendation of President Clawson to the First Presidency of the Church that a new mission be created in Europe. The recommendation was made in a letter dated July 31, 1912, in which President Clawson set forth with admirable clarity his proposal and reasons, therefor. I quote briefly from the letter.
After due consideration, I do not hesitate making the following recommendation: that the branches of the Church in the French part of the Swiss and German Mission and in the Netherlands Mission be joined together and organized into what would be known as the French Mission. There are a number of good reasons for this change which, doubtless, if you have given the matter any thought, have already occurred to you. A Dutch speaking president, or a German speaking president, is always at more or less of a disadvantage in visiting, preaching, and counseling in the French part of their mission. If they do not speak in the language of the country there is a lack of interest and sympathy between them and their flock. They cannot easily get into the hearts of the people.
The wisdom of this proposed change was recognized by the First Presidency and the recommendation was accordingly approved. To effect the actual organization of the mission, President Clawson called together a conference of the French speaking Elders of the European Mission, to convene in Paris, France, October 15, 1912, at which time and place the French Mission was organized and launched upon its course.
During the nearly three years that elapsed between June, 1910, and April, 1913, the time covered by the administration of President Clawson, as president of the European Mission, many stirring events occurred in connection with the missionary work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Mission. The success that had been gained throughout the mission, as a result of the labors of the Elders, led some of the ministers of other churches to look with apprehension at the success gained by the Mormon missionaries, and to decide that something must be done to arrest the progress of a missionary movement that was causing them to lose some who had been faithful members of their congregations and who had become converted to the restored Gospel teachings.
In an effort to stem the progress of Mormonism an anti-Mormon crusade was launched for the purpose of checking the missionary work of the Church. An anti-Mormon demonstration was held in the Holborn Hall, London, April 28, 1911, another in the Hope Hall, Liverpool, and a number of minor ones in various English cities.
Scenes of violence and mobocracy were enacted at Birkenhead, Bootle, Heywood, Sunderland, Seaton Hurst, Nuneaton, Birmingham, Bristol, London, and Ipswich. The Elders in most of these places were subjected to gross insults and in some instances to personal assaults, from which they suffered more or less personal injury. Indeed, Elder Albert Smith, a traveling Elder in the Birmingham conference, on leaving a meeting of the Nuneaton branch in May, 1912, was literally covered with tar and feathers. President Clawson himself was mobbed in Bristol on November 17, 1912.
Speaking at an anti-Mormon meeting, Bishop Welldon, Dean of Manchester (Episcopal Church), said: "I think the Mormon propaganda ought to be put down in England. If the law is not strong enough to put it down, it ought to be reinforced."
Rev. Father Bernard Vaughan from his pulpit declared: "The Mormons should be taken by the scruff of the neck, rushed across our island, and dropped into the sea."
In this crisis, Mr. W. T. Stead,[1] editor of the Review of Reviews (England), came to the defense of the missionaries and wrote as follows to the London Daily Express, which communication, because of the prominence and influence of Mr. Stead, was published:
The whole so-called crusade is an outbreak of sectarian savagery worked up by journalists, who in their zest for sensation appear to be quite indifferent to the fact that the only permanent result of their exploit will be to advertise and to spread the Mormon faith among the masses, who love fair play, and who hate religious persecution none the less because it is based upon a lie.
At this time in compliance with demands made by leading clergymen and other influentials the British Home Secretary, Winston Churchill, directed that a nationwide survey of the activities of the Mormon missionaries be made. However, when pressed as to what action the British government intended to take against the Mormon missionaries, he replied: "I have not so far discovered any grounds for legislation in the matter."
It was well that at that time the European Mission and especially the British Mission had for its president a man experienced in missionary work, who knew well the influences that were arrayed against the work of the Lord, and the best way to meet them.
President Clawson, who in his early manhood encountered opposition in his missionary experiences, compared with which these sporadic outbursts were as trifles, manifested no alarm over the successive waves of opposition, feeling confident that the proverbially sound judgment and sense of justice of the English people would in time assert themselves and accord to the Mormon missionaries the right of fair play and free speech to which they were entitled.
But as mobbings and persecution increased, an important question forced itself on President Clawson and the missionaries alike. As demand after demand came that the Elders leave certain places, and mobbings became a matter of frequent occurrence, the question arose: how were these seemingly intolerable conditions to be met? In some places it appeared to be well nigh impossible to carry on. Yet it was fully realized that to yield in any instance to the demands of the mobbers, and leave the town or place where they were laboring, would be to strengthen the position of those who were opposing them, and lead them to believe that if only sufficient pressure were brought to bear the Mormon missionaries could be driven out of the country.
Moreover, as the missionaries were breaking no law, they were entitled to the protection of the police and the courts of the land. Besides, the Elders had a high and important calling, to testify of the restoration of the true Gospel of Christ to the earth, on obedience to which the temporal and eternal salvation of the people of the world depended. Realizing also that as there were people who were hungering to hear their message, after due consideration, it was decided that there must be no thought of surrender. Assured as they were of the divine origin of the cause they represented and of their divine calling, they would continue to "hold the fort" in every place where their labors had called them.
So, undisturbed by opposition and mobbings, the missionaries continued to proclaim the restored Gospel message, converts continued to be made, and the work of the Lord progressed in the British Mission.
During the crusade President Clawson wrote many able and fearless editorials for the Millennial Star in reply to the false charges that were being circulated by leading newspapers, by clergymen and other prominent anti-Mormons. He also made clear the truth regarding the work of the missionaries, and the message they had for the nations of the earth.
As a rule, when the facts were thus placed before the people in their true light, opposition gradually died out, and the missionaries were allowed to proceed with their work without hindrance.
Notwithstanding the adverse and trying conditions noted, the work of the Lord prospered exceedingly during the nearly three years of Elder Clawson's presidency of the European Mission. From January 1, 1910, to April 15, 1913, there were distributed in the British Mission alone 10,686,116 tracts, 212,- 813 books, and 1,470 persons were added to the Church by baptism; while in other parts of the European Mission during the same time there were at least 7,054,715 tracts and 482,203 books distributed, and 3,896 persons baptized, making in the aggregate about 17,740,831 tracts and 695,016 books distributed, and 5,366 persons baptized.
During the three years of President Clawson's incumbency important real estate holdings were secured, including chapels in Northampton, Sunderland, West Hartlepool, and Birmingham; also a fine meetinghouse property at Bergen, Norway.
He was strongly supported and comforted throughout by his wife and family. During his presidency, Hyrum Bradley, his eldest living son, filled an honorable 29 months mission in Great Britain. Shining through all the activities of President Clawson as head of the European Mission was his strong and noble character. He was kind and fatherly to missionaries and Saints alike, and he had the happy faculty of making those he contacted feel at ease in his presence. His counsels to the missionaries and at the various conferences were always clear and practical, outlining their duties and urging the need of their striving to reach as many of the people as they could with the message of the restoration of the true Gospel of Christ to the earth in these latter days through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
To the Saints and investigators the burden of President Clawson's message was the need, in the first place, of getting a true knowledge of God, our relationship to Him, and His purpose in our lives; and then the duty of learning and obeying His counsels and commandments and living in harmony with them.
The true spirit of the Gospel he exemplified in his daily life and his personal example was a constant inspiration to the missionaries and Saints in the mission field.
[1] After the death of Mr. Wm. Thomas Stead President Clawson vicariously did temple work for him and had it done also for Mrs. Stead.
"President Clawson Active at Eighty-Three." Improvement Era. March 1940. pg. 157.
PRESIDENT CLAWSON ACTIVE AT EIGHTY-THREE In good health and daily at his desk as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Rudger Clawson on March 12 enters the eighty-fourth year of his life. He is the same age, lacking three and a half months, as President Heber J. Grant, who reached his eighty-third birthday last November, and whom twenty-one years ago Rudger Clawson succeeded as President of the Council. President Clawson's life has been filled with active Church duty: as missionary, as stake president, mission president, one-time counselor in the First Presidency, and forty-one years as Apostle. Born in Salt Lake City in 1857, he has known the struggles of pioneer life and has experienced much of the persecution heaped upon the Church in early days. As a youthful missionary in the Southern States, he saw his companion shot down beside him by a band of ruffians, and once, while presiding over the European Mission from 1910 to 1913, a mob of several hundred followed him through the streets of Bristol, shouting and hooting derisively. For ten years President Clawson presided over the Box Elder Stake, from 1888 to 1898, when he was called to the Apostleship. In 1901 he was sustained as second counselor to President Lorenzo Snow in the First Presidency, and in November, 1918, became President of the Council of the Twelve. Mindful of his courage and integrity, his industry and devotion, an appreciative Church membership wishes President Clawson well on the occasion of his eighty-third birthday. |
PRESIDENT RUDGER CLAWSON
|
Evans, Richard L. "President Rudger Clawson, Who has continued long in good works." Improvement Era. March 1942. pg. 138, 189.
President Rudger Clawson Who has continued long in good works By RICHARD L. EVANS Of the First Council of Seventy IN looking back over the eighty-five years of President Rudger Clawson's life, there stand out two elements of character and performance that gloriously dominate the whole sweep of the long course: courage and consistency. Countless heroic words have been used to extol the quality of courage—but somehow or other men have had less to say about consistency. We have been worshippers of the spectacular. Many of the "one-deed" men have gone down in history because some writer of verse or of song has immortalized a single instance of valor — while others whose lives have been a moving stream of good works have passed unnoticed. But of them the Lord himself has spoken high praise in His assurances to those who "endure to the end." Combined in the life of Rudger Clawson are both these elements—dramatic, unyielding courage—and quiet, unwavering consistency. From his birth, March 12, 1857, to the present time, the record fails to show any instance in which this man did not respond with all his gifts and energies to any call that came to him through the channels of the Priesthood of God. Nor does the record show any departure, for any reason of personal advantage or expediency, from any conviction, or principle, or right course, or from justice and mercy and long-suffering patience and kindliness, as it was given to him to see and to know these things. From his youth in a favored home, guided by noble parents, until his present eminence of years, he has walked the ways of life in goodness, with quiet effectiveness, and with full regard for the demands of duty. This could be said of him in his earliest carefree days. It was true of him, when, not yet twenty, he moved to New York as secretary to one of the notable promoters and builders of the West. It could be said of him with rising emphasis as he stood beside the body of his murdered missionary companion, facing an armed mob in whose hearts there was still murderous intent, and yet gave no ground! It could be said of him again when he suffered imprisonment in preference to the forsaking of principle; and again when he responded to the call to preside over Box Elder Stake, and when he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and when, as president of the European Mission, he quietly faced threatening mobs. But, great and convincing as these dramatic experiences are, yet greater and yet more convincing is the manner of his daily life. The spirit of his ministry was revealed in his remarks on the occasion of his call to the apostleship when he said: It is true, as President [George Q.] Cannon has said, that I have been placed in some trying situations. I was with Elder Joseph Standing at the time of his martyrdom, and was myself exposed for a few moments to martyrdom, but I escaped through the providence of the Lord. I have been placed behind prison bars for the testimony of Jesus, and that was a trying situation. When I came out of the penitentiary, I was told that the Lord wanted me to labor as president of the Box Elder Stake, and I assure you, brethren and sisters, that that was a great surprise to me at that time, and very trying. I had been brought up in Salt Lake City; all my interests, all my associations, and, as I thought, all my expectations were in Salt Lake City, and it was a great trial to me to be called away. No inducements were offered but I was told that the Lord would bless and sustain me in that appointment, and I testify to you, my brethren and sisters, that I have been sustained in my presidency of the Box Elder Stake . . . This later call that has come has proven to be a great surprise. I had no knowledge of it; I had no notice of it whatsoever, only as it has come to me today in this meeting. My patriarchal blessing that was given a number of years ago indicated that I would be called to a high appointment in the Church in the due time of the Lord, and I presume that this is the appointment, now. I feel very weak; I feel very humble, I know that unless I can enjoy the spirit of the apostleship and the faith and prayers and support of my brethren and sisters of this Church I cannot stand, I cannot succeed in this labor . . . (Address upon appointment as an apostle, Sunday afternoon, October 9, 1898. Sixty-ninth Semi-annual Conference Report, October, 1898, pages 53-54.) In some men a blustering manner and rash, demonstrative speech are mistaken for courage and wisdom. But no one ever made this mistake in an appraisal of Rudger Clawson. The granite of his courage is cloaked with gentility. The wisdom of his years is carried with humility. The sparkle of his humor is dispensed to give warmth and uplift and not to do hurt. The authority of his office is exercised with fairness and an understanding heart. His voice conveys the quiet conviction of one who is armed with truth and needs no other armor. The manner of his life is as one who sees the way plain before him, and who has no time to lose, and no need to rush, because all things move according to plan with those who walk the ways marked out by the Father of us all. Of such is the life of President Rudger Clawson, who has lived long among men, and for whose presence and influence among us we express gratitude as he comes upon the eighty-fifth anniversary of his birth. Note: For further detailed articles on the life and activities of President Rudger Clawson see The Improvement Era: “President Rudger Clawson," by B. S. Hinckley, Vol. 35:133 (Jan. 1932). “The Youth and Early Manhood of Rudger Clawson," B. S. Hinckley, Vol. 40:134 (March 1937). “Rudger Clawson's Service in the Council of the Twelve," John A. Widtsoe, 40:140 (March 1937) “Some Impressions of my Father," Samuel G. Clawson, 40:142 (March 1937). "When Box Elder 'Imported' Rudger Clawson," by S. Norman Lee 40:146 (March 1937) “With Rudger Clawson in Europe," by Hugh Ireland, 40:152 (March 1937) “Active at Eighty-three," Editorial—43:157 (March 1940). “Matter of History," by LeRoi C. Snow, 40:149 (March 1937). |
Events in the Official Ministry of Rudger Clawson
1857, March 12: Born at Salt Lake City to Hiram B. and Margaret Gay Clawson. 1875, March 7: Ordained a seventy by Hiram B. Clawson. 1879, April 9: Called to fill a mission to the Southern States. 1879, July 21: His companion, Elder Joseph Standing, martyred by a mob in Georgia. 1888, February 5: Began his eleven year assignment as president of Box Elder Stake. 1888, February 12: Ordained a high priest by Lorenzo Snow. 1898, October 10: Ordained an apostle by Lorenzo Snow. 1901, October 6: Sustained as second counselor in the First Presidency. 1910, April 7: Called to preside over the European Mission. 1910, April 17: Left with his family for Liverpool, arriving June 4. 1912, October 15: Reorganized the French Mission. 1912, November 17: Mobbed in Bristol. 1913, April 15: Released from duties as European Mission president. 1918, November 23: Sustained as acting president of the Council of the Twelve (President Anthon H. Lund called to First Presidency). 1921, March 10: Succeeded President Anthon H. Lund as president of the Council of the Twelve, and was set apart by President Heber J. Grant. 1942, March 12: President Rudger Clawson's eighty-fifth anniversary. PRESIDENT RUDGER CLAWSON AND ELDER
CHARLES A. CALLIS ON UMBRELLA ROCK ON TOP OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN OVERLOOKING THE FAMOUS MOCCASIN BEND IN THE TENNESSEE RIVER, NEAR CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ABOUT THIRTY MILES FROM THE SCENE OF THE KILLING OF ELDER JOSEPH STANDING. THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN ON THE OCCASION OF PRESIDENT CLAWSON'S FIRST RETURN TO THE SOUTHERN STATES WHILE BROTHER CALLIS WAS STILL PRESIDENT OF THE MISSION. |
"Tributes to President Rudger Clawson." Improvement Era. March 1942. pg. 139.
TRIBUTES TO PRESIDENT RUDGER CLAWSON from his associates in the presiding councils of the Church as he approaches the eighty-fifth anniversary of his birth, March 12, 1942
Along with all the other Church members we offer our sincere congratulations to President Rudger Clawson on the approach of his eighty fifth birthday anniversary. He has had a long, valiant service in the Church. The Church will never forget his courage and bravery, his stalwart defense of truth, and his willingness to give his life, if need be, for the cause for which he was working, in connection with the martyrdom of Joseph Standing. Where the dictates of his conscience were involved, life or death were the same to him.
Our prayers join those of the entire Church that his life will be spared until he shall have fully worked out all the purposes for which he came to this earth. May the Lord's blessings be with him always.
HEBER J. GRANT
J. REUBEN CLARK, JR.
DAVID O. McKAY
The First Presidency
Dear President Rudger Clawson:
WE your brethren, members of the Council of the Twelve, extend to you our best wishes and our blessing as you near the eighty-fifth anniversary of your birth.
We appreciate you for your loyalty to the truth, your unwavering integrity and your firmness for the right. You have proved yourself to be a fearless defender of the faith. As a young man in the forests of Georgia, when your martyred missionary companion lay dead at your feet, you gave an exhibition of courage that will shine forever as an inspiration to all who come after you.
It is a real joy to labor under your helpful, considerate, and able leadership. You lead with love and kindness. You are open-minded, tolerant and wise in your conclusions. For more than twenty-three years you have presided over the Council of the Twelve, and during that time we have been united and happy under your leadership.
We rejoice with you and your loved ones on this joyous occasion and wish you every blessing.
Affectionately your brethren,
GEORGE ALBERT SMITH
GEORGE F. RICHARDS
JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH
STEPHEN L RICHARDS
RICHARD R. LYMAN
JOHN A. WIDTSOE
JOSEPH F. MERRILL
CHARLES A. CALLIS
ALBERT E. BOWEN
SYLVESTER Q. CANNON
HAROLD B. LEE
The Council of the Twelve
To live to the honorable age of eighty-five years is the privilege of few men, and to fill out that term in the full enjoyment of one's faculties and in the service of God is a still greater privilege. It falls to the lot of few, but has been the good fortune of our beloved leader, Rudger Clawson.
God endowed him with many talents and precious gifts which his brethren highly appreciate. Among these are his wisdom and loyalty. He has a keen sense of his true relationship to his Church and state and has been loyal to his fellows and his ideals. His sense of humor endears him to all who come into close contact with him.
The seventies of the Church follow his leadership with keen appreciation and pray God to continue to bless him.
LEVI EDGAR YOUNG
ANTOINE R. IVINS
SAMUEL O. BENNION
JOHN H. TAYLOR
RUFUS K. HARDY
RICHARD L. EVANS
OSCAR A. KIRKHAM
The First Council of the Seventy
Dear President Clawson:
Few men have ever known the joy of eighty-five years of service in the work of the Lord. To have thus consecrated your entire life to ministering unto men is to have worshipped and served God in the most acceptable manner.
Your unflinching devotion to duty and your inspiring leadership have awakened in the hearts of countless souls a deep sense of appreciation for the gospel of Jesus Christ, as they have witnessed its fruits in your abundant life.
We greet you out of hearts warmed by your genial influence, with our very souls giving thanks to our Heavenly Father for the gift and joy of your companionship.
Sincerely your brethren,
LE GRAND RICHARDS
MARVIN O. ASHTON
JOSEPH L. WIRTHLIN
The Presiding Bishopric
TRIBUTES TO PRESIDENT RUDGER CLAWSON from his associates in the presiding councils of the Church as he approaches the eighty-fifth anniversary of his birth, March 12, 1942
Along with all the other Church members we offer our sincere congratulations to President Rudger Clawson on the approach of his eighty fifth birthday anniversary. He has had a long, valiant service in the Church. The Church will never forget his courage and bravery, his stalwart defense of truth, and his willingness to give his life, if need be, for the cause for which he was working, in connection with the martyrdom of Joseph Standing. Where the dictates of his conscience were involved, life or death were the same to him.
Our prayers join those of the entire Church that his life will be spared until he shall have fully worked out all the purposes for which he came to this earth. May the Lord's blessings be with him always.
HEBER J. GRANT
J. REUBEN CLARK, JR.
DAVID O. McKAY
The First Presidency
Dear President Rudger Clawson:
WE your brethren, members of the Council of the Twelve, extend to you our best wishes and our blessing as you near the eighty-fifth anniversary of your birth.
We appreciate you for your loyalty to the truth, your unwavering integrity and your firmness for the right. You have proved yourself to be a fearless defender of the faith. As a young man in the forests of Georgia, when your martyred missionary companion lay dead at your feet, you gave an exhibition of courage that will shine forever as an inspiration to all who come after you.
It is a real joy to labor under your helpful, considerate, and able leadership. You lead with love and kindness. You are open-minded, tolerant and wise in your conclusions. For more than twenty-three years you have presided over the Council of the Twelve, and during that time we have been united and happy under your leadership.
We rejoice with you and your loved ones on this joyous occasion and wish you every blessing.
Affectionately your brethren,
GEORGE ALBERT SMITH
GEORGE F. RICHARDS
JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH
STEPHEN L RICHARDS
RICHARD R. LYMAN
JOHN A. WIDTSOE
JOSEPH F. MERRILL
CHARLES A. CALLIS
ALBERT E. BOWEN
SYLVESTER Q. CANNON
HAROLD B. LEE
The Council of the Twelve
To live to the honorable age of eighty-five years is the privilege of few men, and to fill out that term in the full enjoyment of one's faculties and in the service of God is a still greater privilege. It falls to the lot of few, but has been the good fortune of our beloved leader, Rudger Clawson.
God endowed him with many talents and precious gifts which his brethren highly appreciate. Among these are his wisdom and loyalty. He has a keen sense of his true relationship to his Church and state and has been loyal to his fellows and his ideals. His sense of humor endears him to all who come into close contact with him.
The seventies of the Church follow his leadership with keen appreciation and pray God to continue to bless him.
LEVI EDGAR YOUNG
ANTOINE R. IVINS
SAMUEL O. BENNION
JOHN H. TAYLOR
RUFUS K. HARDY
RICHARD L. EVANS
OSCAR A. KIRKHAM
The First Council of the Seventy
Dear President Clawson:
Few men have ever known the joy of eighty-five years of service in the work of the Lord. To have thus consecrated your entire life to ministering unto men is to have worshipped and served God in the most acceptable manner.
Your unflinching devotion to duty and your inspiring leadership have awakened in the hearts of countless souls a deep sense of appreciation for the gospel of Jesus Christ, as they have witnessed its fruits in your abundant life.
We greet you out of hearts warmed by your genial influence, with our very souls giving thanks to our Heavenly Father for the gift and joy of your companionship.
Sincerely your brethren,
LE GRAND RICHARDS
MARVIN O. ASHTON
JOSEPH L. WIRTHLIN
The Presiding Bishopric
"President Rudger Clawson Speaks." Improvement Era. March 1942. pg. 142, 191.
PRESIDENT CLAWSON SPEAKS Sentence sermons from the long career of a man who has drawn from the Source of all wisdom My success in life, if I have attained to any, is due to a fixed and unyielding determination on my part to seek and abide by counsel. I know there is safety in counsel, and that he who turns therefrom and seeks to become a law unto himself must surely fall. (Lives of Our Leaders, 1901, p. 252.) The Constitution of the United States We believe that the Constitution [of the United States] was inspired by the Lord. If other people draw away or lose their interest, or their faith in the Constitution and the flag of our country, the Latter-day Saints will be expected to rally around it. We propose to maintain the Constitution and all that it stands for. Our children are taught to respect the flag and to honor the lawgivers of the nation. (Conference Report, April 7, 1928) How Joy May Come Men are here upon the earth then that they might have joy. Is there anything more desirable than happiness or joy? We are all seeking it; we all want it. How is it to be obtained? It can only be obtained through the Church and kingdom of God. How may one get into this Church and kingdom of God? The answer is: he must be born into it. . . . Baptism by water and the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost is the door that leads into the Church and kingdom of God. (C. R., October 6, 1928) The Importance of this Life They who pass through the second estate will be tried and tested to the uttermost, because it is said of them that if they keep their second estate, glory will be added upon their heads forever more. . . . Surely the second estate is a great school of experience, a variety of conditions are encountered—sickness, disease, misfortune, disappointment, sins of commission, sins of omission, days of happiness, and days of sorrow. (C. R. April 9, 1939) The Lord Must Not Be Trifled With The Lord must not be trifled with, and, when He gives a commandment, and we do not receive it and do not carry it out, what becomes of us? That man who takes such a course will become blind in his mind. While he thinks he is right and probably boasts of his standing in the Church, he is nevertheless in the dark because he has ignored the commandment of God. (C. R., October 6, 1939) The Blessings of the Temple Wherever the people of God are found, there you will also find a temple, or house of the Lord, where He can come and dispense blessings to His people, blessings that cannot be measured in value by money, but are the free gift of God. The blessings of the temple are so great that we can hardly comprehend their importance and value. . . . Husband and wife may be sealed together for time and all eternity. I am sure that none of us can comprehend the importance of these blessings that are dispensed from the temple. The rich are entitled to them, if they are worthy; the poor can have them also if they are worthy. (C. R., April 6, 1940) Magnifying the Priesthood The system and order of the Priesthood in the Church is so perfect, there is no need for any of us to waste time, and it would be a shame for a man in this Church, holding any portion of the holy Priesthood, to say he had nothing to do. (C. R. October 5, 1903) Repentance Consider, for a moment, the great law of repentance. It is binding upon this Church. We must consider it and meet its requirements. It must have an influence in our daily lives. God has said that He cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. Hear it, O Israeli It cannot be condoned, it cannot be excused, it cannot be winked at, because confronting sin is this great and eternal law of repentance. (C. R„ October 7, 1904) Salvation for the Dead The opportunities that are before us in the house of the Lord are boundless. Our dead are waiting, anxiously waiting for this people to go into the house of God and officiate for them that they may be liberated from the prison house in the spirit world. (C. R. October 5, 1908) Missionary Labor These humble missionaries are going forth into the world, bearing their burden and declaring the word. There will be some people who will hear the voice of the elders; others will hear the voice of the Book of Mormon; others again, will hear the voice of the Doctrine and Covenants, others the voice of the Pearl of Great Price, others The Voice of Warning, and others still, the voice of a tract. Thus will a knowledge of the gospel be spread to all nations, and will be preached to every creature. (C. R. April 5, 1909) The Riches of Earth Now, we have before us, on the one hand, the riches of eternity, and on the other hand, the riches of the earth. Which will you choose? If you choose the riches of eternity, then all other things will be added unto you. If you choose the riches of the earth, you may lose all else, yea, even the riches of the earth. (C. R. April 4, 1910) The War Against Darkness Let me say that when the shock of battle comes, men will not be struck down and destroyed, but they will be lifted up by this great army of Priesthood, and will be converted and rescued from sin and wickedness. That is the warfare in which we are engaged—to fight spiritual darkness, to fight against immorality, to fight against intemperance, to fight against dishonesty, evil-speaking and strife, to fight against the conflict between capital and labor. It is intended that with this weapon [the gospel of Jesus Christ] they [the membership of the Priesthood] shall correct every evil in the world, and bring peace and happiness to our Father's children, for our motto is, Peace on earth, and good will to men. (C. R., April 5, 1915) The Word is Deep With Meaning It is said of His word that it is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword to the dividing assunder of both joints and marrow. The Lord never indulges in idle talk, but His sayings are deep with meaning. (C. R., Oct. 7,1916) Forgiveness Every phase of the character of the Lord shows forth the beauty of perfection, but there is no attribute of deity, it seems to me, that is so attractive and so admirable as the principle of forgiveness or mercy. Moses, in speaking of the Lord upon one occasion says . . . "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." If this be a true description of Him, what a glorious being He is. He does not act with hastiness, but His is a spirit of peace; a spirit of tranquility; a spirit of calmness. He is slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. Now I take it that the Lord expects us, His children and His Church, to become like he is. (C. R., April 6, 1917) On Debt Any man who has been in debt, any man or woman who is in debt now, surely knows the evil of indebtedness. It is bondage. It is worse than imprisonment. (C. R. October 8, 1920) On Temple Marriage The Priesthood is not received, or held, or exercised in any degree, by the women of the Church; but, nevertheless, the women of the Church enjoy the blessings of the Priesthood through their husbands. This emphasizes very strongly the importance of marriage. Every woman in the Church, of mature age, and worthiness, who is ambitious to attain to exaltation and glory hereafter should be married, should be sealed to a man for time and all eternity; and we trust that the young women of the Church as well as the young men of the Church realize the responsibility of this important ordinance. (C. R., April 3, 1921) The Standard Works The Bible, if mastered, would be quite equal, I am sure, to a college education. The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, standard Church works, . . . are of equal value to the Bible, and should have our closest and most careful attention. (C. R., April 7, 1922) |
RUDGER CLAWSON (LEFT) WHEN IN THE MISSION FIELD WITH ELDER JOSEPH STANDING (RIGHT).
|
"President Rudger Clawson." Improvement Era. March 1942. pg. 160.
President Rudger Clawson
"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings."
So we might speak of Elder Rudger Clawson, president of the Council of the Twelve.
He has performed with unceasing diligence the duties of his high calling. Powerful as the silent seasons that cut into granite walls, his quiet, persistent labors have overcome evil and brought joy into human lives. He has been a faithful servant of the Lord.
Though gentle, kind, and thoughtful toward all, he has been courageously uncompromising in his adherence to gospel law. He has shown how justice and mercy may be mingled for human good. That is a notable achievement.
He has dealt joyfully with life. His clear intelligence and ready wit have smoothed the rough road for many a struggling soul.
The restored gospel has been his guide and inspiration. By gospel standards he has measured every human act. Thus, he has always walked in the light of truth.
There is splendor in such a life.
We are grateful for such a life.
The whole Church, and all who know him, young and old, unite in tendering President Rudger Clawson congratulations upon the eighty-fifth anniversary of his birth. (March 12, 1942)
May his days increase, and health and strength be his daily portion.—J. A. W.
President Rudger Clawson
"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings."
So we might speak of Elder Rudger Clawson, president of the Council of the Twelve.
He has performed with unceasing diligence the duties of his high calling. Powerful as the silent seasons that cut into granite walls, his quiet, persistent labors have overcome evil and brought joy into human lives. He has been a faithful servant of the Lord.
Though gentle, kind, and thoughtful toward all, he has been courageously uncompromising in his adherence to gospel law. He has shown how justice and mercy may be mingled for human good. That is a notable achievement.
He has dealt joyfully with life. His clear intelligence and ready wit have smoothed the rough road for many a struggling soul.
The restored gospel has been his guide and inspiration. By gospel standards he has measured every human act. Thus, he has always walked in the light of truth.
There is splendor in such a life.
We are grateful for such a life.
The whole Church, and all who know him, young and old, unite in tendering President Rudger Clawson congratulations upon the eighty-fifth anniversary of his birth. (March 12, 1942)
May his days increase, and health and strength be his daily portion.—J. A. W.
Evans, Richard L. "President Rudger Clawson." Improvement Era. August 1943. pg. 461, 511.
President Rudger Clawson By RICHARD L EVANS Of the First Council of the Seventy ON the afternoon of Monday, June 21, Rudger Clawson, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, quietly finished, in his eighty-seventh year, the long and full days of this life. Active until but a few days before his death, President Clawson had traveled up and down the earth about his Father's business, with quiet courage, undeviating conviction, and unostentatious tenacity of purpose. The record of his life showed a demonstrated willingness to face the loaded guns of armed mobs, to suffer incarceration, to endure ridicule and to undergo rigorous hardship rather than yield a principle of truth or compromise his conscience. Few of the honors of men came to him—and yet he was honored of God with a call to the apostleship and lived to preside nearly a quarter of a century over the Council of the Twelve. He was honored by his brethren throughout the Church, and he in turn honored each man in his office and calling, and was beloved by them. He never sought nor gave flattery, but praised others with quiet sincerity where such praise was due, and received the good words of others with appreciative modesty. He was clear in his thinking fair in his decisions, and sound in his interpretation of the word of life. His customary appearance of quiet dignity and serious mien were belied by an irrepressible sense of humor which broke through all barriers. He never lost his zest for hearing or telling a sincerely humorous story. These are a few of the things for which we remember President Clawson —and they could be countlessly multiplied. But the events of fourscore years and more cannot be told here and now. The Era in March of 1937 on the occasion of his eightieth birthday attempted a partial portrayal of his life, devoting the better part of an issue to President Clawson and his work. We told, then, something of the cultured pioneer home from which he came; of his talented and versatile father, Hiram B. Clawson; of his gifted and beautiful mother, Margaret Gay Judd; of his early literary and dramatic and social and business pursuits; of his ten children, six of whom preceded him in death, and of his devoted companion, Lydia Spencer Clawson. The pages of that March, 1937, Era told something, too, of the tragic martyrdom of Joseph Standing in the Southern States, when Rudger Clawson, missionary companion of the slain man, thought himself the next victim of the crazed mob and faced their leveled guns without flinching; we told something then of the years he spent in the penitentiary rather than forsake a principle. We told, too, of his indefatigable record-keeping; of his service as a stake president in Brigham City; of his presidency of the European Mission when, again, he faced angry mobs; of his service as a member and president of the Quorum of the Twelve, and as a kindly and devoted father. To all who would thoughtfully refresh their memories concerning a life that has covered all but ten years of the history of the Latter- day Church in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, we commend the perusal of that issue. (Improvement Era, March, 1937.) President Clawson's brethren, his family, and his friends quietly laid him away on Friday, June 25, following funeral services in the Assembly Hall, on Temple Square, conducted by President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., with President David O. McKay and Elder George Albert Smith as speakers. On that occasion President McKay said: President Clawson was an unpretentious man, ever appreciative of even the smallest kindness or slightest favor; honest in thought and action, fearless in the performance of duty, devoid of flattery, but ever willing to give merited praise. He was kind, considerate, obliging, constantly loyal to truth, and to what he believed was right. . . . President Clawson's life has been an integral part of the Church. To him religion and life have been inseparable. . . . It was the constant aim of his life to respond to every call that the Church gave him. When President Lorenzo Snow asked him to go to Brigham City and take his family and move from Salt Lake City to preside over the Box Elder Stake, in answer to President Snow's question, "Will you go?" Brother Clawson replied: "If you called me, I would go to the North Pole if I could get there." In the March, 1937, Era, referred tor President Clawson's son, Samuel G., who has since died, wrote of his father: He lives and reacts to men and events as if he had lived forever and will live forever. He does not see time as most men see it; he sees it as Eternity. . . . Father actually lives in Eternity. That gives father strength, for it gives him all the ages past and future to measure things by. A crisis of any kind is small when measured against all events that have passed or may happen. He is unhurried. He takes his time and measures and never judges hastily. All values to him are relative. Circumstances are self-evaluating in time, and in its eternal stretch he can view them impersonally. . . . He looks on seemingly important occasions and at past events quite unruffled and he can view the most trivial things with quiet dignity. He will get hold of a principle and hold to it in the face of persecution, hardships, and long suffering. He can endure anything and will endure the most severe suffering indefinitely. Nothing can switch him from a goal. Father has on more than one occasion faced death for a principle. He would give his life for a principle. More than once he has walked directly into a crisis with the conviction that all possible consequences would be of equal importance. Death to him is only an event in his continuous eternal life. This has made him patient and courageous. To father I think life looks like a long series of obstacles, obstacles put there to be endured or to be overcome by the force of a man's character, a force which may be strengthened by constant prayer. Over a long period of years he has arisen early in the morning to pray and face the eventualities of the day. Life has left no residue of bitterness in him; impressions and memories have left no scars. He has never indulged in self-pity, never tolerated self-esteem. There is no elation when he wins—he either wins and turns victory into wisdom for the next encounter, else he endures and waits. He never loses. The passing of eighty-six years does not ordinarily leave a man with much physical vigor to spare. The weakness of the flesh becomes contrasted with growing strength of spirit. Realizing this, President Clawson gave utterance to some of his thoughts at the next to last temple meeting of the Presidency and the Twelve that he attended. Of this occasion President McKay said: His voice was weak, and his thoughts and words somewhat halting. As he began, the brethren seemed to feel intuitively that he was giving a farewell address. Sensing this, every mind was intent on every word spoken by their beloved leader. His remarks showed his desire to do his duty to the last—appreciation of his brethren— gratitude to his God, the realization that he was nearing the end, and his faith in the immortality of the soul. And these things, in part, are the things of which President Clawson then spoke: . . . People generally do not like to hear of other people's aches and pains, but I have felt it my duty to tell you brethren. Of course, I'll pass out of the scene before a great while, and I am conserving my strength as best I can. I thank you for your patience, brethren, and hearing and bearing with me. You have been very kind to me. I hope you won't say very much about my health. I am trying to guard it, and conserve my strength and do the best I can. I think perhaps if the Lord will bear with me that you, my brethren, will. I feel that I ought to say a few words, and though I cannot quite come up to the mark, it will be pleasing to me if you say: "Brother Clawson, how are you? You are looking well." It will be fine, and that will be a great help to me. I hope we shall not worry about this brief time in mortality in these bodies. We get them renewed after awhile, and that will be fine. I can say in conclusion, I thank you heartily. I feel pretty well. The Lord bless you! We have some fine help in the Church. I have never known of a better group of brethren than we have in this work at the present time. Of course you know how precious that help has been in these two Councils—the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve. I shall not take more of your time, brethren. If it is pleasing to you that I shall occupy this position and come to the temple once a week and make my contribution, which is very small, I will be glad, yes, I will be glad. Of such were the faith and works of President Rudger Clawson, who tasted longer of this life than it is given unto most men to do, and who moved with quiet conviction into the certainties beyond, of which he knew and doubted not. |
PRESIDENT RUDGER CLAWSON
Events in the Official Ministry of Rudger Clawson
1857, March 12— Born at Salt Lake City to Hiram B. and Margaret Gay Clawson 1875, March 7—Ordained a seventy by Hiram B. Clawson 1879, April 9—Called to fill a mission to the Southern States 1879, July 21 —His companion, Elder Joseph Standing, martyred by a mob in Georgia 1888, February 5 —Began his eleven-year assignment as president of the Box Elder Stake 1888, February 12—Ordained a high priest by Lorenzo Snow 1898, October 10—Ordained an apostle by Lorenzo Snow 1901, October 6—Sustained as second counselor in the First Presidency . 1910, April 7— Called to preside over the European Mission 1912, October 15—Reopened the French Mission 1912, November 17—Mobbed in Bristol 1913, April 15—Released from duties as European Mission President 1918, November 23— Sustained as acting president of the Council of the Twelve (President Anthon H. Lund called to First Presidency) 1921, March 10—Succeeded President Anthon H. Lund as president of the Council of the Twelve 1943, March 12—Eighty-sixth birthday 1943, June 21-3-40 p.m., death. |
"President Rudger Clawson." Improvement Era. August 1943. pg. 480.
President Rudger Clawson
President Rudger Clawson was an uncommon man. In his nature, gentle simplicity was blended with valorous persistence. A beautiful singleness of purpose marked his life. He knew where he was going, and quietly, steadily, approached his objective. From that which he knew to be God's will he turned not to the right nor to the left. In the great work of his life, he was content to let the honors of men pass him by. He sought to be a friend of God. The honors of heaven were his hope.
He was mighty in firm-rooted faith; in fearless defense of truth; in forgetfulness of self when others needed help; and in devotion to the cause of the Lord which he knew had been re-established in these latter days. He was certain of ultimate victory, but understood that as an authorized ambassador he must labor and toil for the accomplishment of the Lord's purposes. To the establishment of the kingdom of God he was ready to give all he possessed, even his life if need be. He faced death courageously, and suffered imprisonment uncomplainingly for his convictions. He was indeed an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
His near friends will miss his cheerful comradeship, with its quiet, clean humor. His business associates will miss his painstaking accuracy in his secular profession. The Church will miss his wise and dependable expositions of gospel principles. His associates in the Council of the Twelve, who loved him, will miss his just and kindly leadership. His family will be left with a great memory of a distinguished career, and a life to emulate.
A mighty man has fallen in Israel; but the multitudes he taught will follow in his steps. Sweet will be his reward; and great his endless destiny. He has returned whence he came with the plaudits of his Eternal Father.—J. A. W.
President Rudger Clawson
President Rudger Clawson was an uncommon man. In his nature, gentle simplicity was blended with valorous persistence. A beautiful singleness of purpose marked his life. He knew where he was going, and quietly, steadily, approached his objective. From that which he knew to be God's will he turned not to the right nor to the left. In the great work of his life, he was content to let the honors of men pass him by. He sought to be a friend of God. The honors of heaven were his hope.
He was mighty in firm-rooted faith; in fearless defense of truth; in forgetfulness of self when others needed help; and in devotion to the cause of the Lord which he knew had been re-established in these latter days. He was certain of ultimate victory, but understood that as an authorized ambassador he must labor and toil for the accomplishment of the Lord's purposes. To the establishment of the kingdom of God he was ready to give all he possessed, even his life if need be. He faced death courageously, and suffered imprisonment uncomplainingly for his convictions. He was indeed an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
His near friends will miss his cheerful comradeship, with its quiet, clean humor. His business associates will miss his painstaking accuracy in his secular profession. The Church will miss his wise and dependable expositions of gospel principles. His associates in the Council of the Twelve, who loved him, will miss his just and kindly leadership. His family will be left with a great memory of a distinguished career, and a life to emulate.
A mighty man has fallen in Israel; but the multitudes he taught will follow in his steps. Sweet will be his reward; and great his endless destiny. He has returned whence he came with the plaudits of his Eternal Father.—J. A. W.
Evans, John Henry. "Rudger Clawson." Instructor. August 1943. pg. 411.
Rudger Clawson By John Henry Evans In the death of President Rudger Clawson the Church and the commonwealth suffer a loss, which cannot be replaced. In the language of a former and discriminating generation, he was a Christian gentleman— a phrase that is not so much used in our industrial and money-grubbing times. To be a gentleman means to be kind, to be considerate of other people. The words have no meaning in themselves, but only in relation to others. President Clawson was kindly and thoughtful of those around him. Many a man, many a woman, will always remember him primarily because he showed an interest in them in a critical time in their lives. One never traveled with him on his trips to the stakes but felt the congeniality of his presence. Always he had his little joke to suit the occasion. His interest in people was genuine. You could tell that at a glance. He was not putting on a show. He really wanted you to be happy. But Rudger Clawson's gentlemanliness extended also to your ideas. He allowed you to hold whatever thoughts you may have wanted, regardless of whether they were right or wrong, according to his standards. That is, he was tolerant—another characteristic of the gentleman. Believing that your personality was as sacred as his own, he was unwilling to press, or even to wish to press, that personality into the molds that he had shaped. He granted you exactly the same right to direct your life that he asked for himself. If, however, President Clawson was a gentleman, on a safe basis of equality and comradeship with others, he was also a Christian. No one who knew him can have any doubts on this point. Most of the obituaries about him note the fact that his name was not on any list of directorates of business. The thought was echoed by the speakers at his funeral. This is notable. An accountant by profession in the years before he was an Apostle, it would have been natural to expect him to take a keen interest in commercial affairs. But Rudger Clawson was too deeply spiritual, too intensely devoted to his religion to pay any more attention than he had to, to matters material, and his duties in the Council did not require him to give special attention to commercial affairs in the Church. The Christian does not show himself absorbed in business overmuch. "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." Rudger Clawson chose to serve God rather than Mammon. President Clawson was a man of ideas, but his ideas centered in religion, salvation. Few men among the leaders of the Church have known the doctrines of our faith more accurately and soundly than he. Not a great preacher, he was more easily read than listened to. He never knew where the emotional stops were, and so could not play them. But his sermons were packed with lucid, reasoned, developed thought. And to be able to do that in an age where there is a premium on loose thinking, is a great achievement. In his death, therefore, we have lost a true Latter-day Saint. |
Smith, George Albert. "President Rudger Clawson." Relief Society Magazine. August 1943. pg. 463.
President Rudger Clawson
Elder George Albert Smith
President of the Council of the Twelve
THE following quotation is taken from Some Impressions oi My Father by Samuel G. Clawson, son of President Rudger Clawson:
''Life left no residue of bitterness in him; impression and memories left no scar. He never indulged in self-pity; never tolerated self-esteem. There was no elation when he won. He either won and turned victory into wisdom for the next encounter, else he endured and waited. He never lost because he saw time as part of endless eternity."
Brother Clawson, who passed away Monday, June 21, 1943, presided over the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for eighteen years and has been a member of the Council for forty-five years. I have been privileged to be intimately associated with him for forty years. To know him was to love him. His kindly, gentle ways have endeared him to all who knew him. His quiet, thoughtful mien gave his co-workers confidence in him, his judgment, and purposes.
He was a friend to everyone. His kindliness made him the confidant of the heartbroken and weary. He visited and cheered the sick, inspired and gave hope to the discouraged.
Undeviating loyalty to the Presidency of the Church was an outstanding characteristic of the life of President Rudger Clawson.
He was a consistent and industrious, hard-working executive. He presided with dignity over the Council of the Twelve Apostles making the stake and mission visiting appointments both for this Quorum, the First Council of Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric. He was careful and considerate in his budgeting of assignments, endeavoring to divide the burdens equally. He took his full share of the work and utilized every ounce of his energy to take care of the responsibilities placed upon him as long as his strength permitted.
All his public utterances were marked with toleration. His discourses were full of substance and deserving of careful study. A proverbial patience, a flawless faith, a fidelity to the truth coupled with a devotion to the Church and all that it stands for, have made achievements possible which will remain eternally to the credit of Rudger Clawson.
President Rudger Clawson
Elder George Albert Smith
President of the Council of the Twelve
THE following quotation is taken from Some Impressions oi My Father by Samuel G. Clawson, son of President Rudger Clawson:
''Life left no residue of bitterness in him; impression and memories left no scar. He never indulged in self-pity; never tolerated self-esteem. There was no elation when he won. He either won and turned victory into wisdom for the next encounter, else he endured and waited. He never lost because he saw time as part of endless eternity."
Brother Clawson, who passed away Monday, June 21, 1943, presided over the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for eighteen years and has been a member of the Council for forty-five years. I have been privileged to be intimately associated with him for forty years. To know him was to love him. His kindly, gentle ways have endeared him to all who knew him. His quiet, thoughtful mien gave his co-workers confidence in him, his judgment, and purposes.
He was a friend to everyone. His kindliness made him the confidant of the heartbroken and weary. He visited and cheered the sick, inspired and gave hope to the discouraged.
Undeviating loyalty to the Presidency of the Church was an outstanding characteristic of the life of President Rudger Clawson.
He was a consistent and industrious, hard-working executive. He presided with dignity over the Council of the Twelve Apostles making the stake and mission visiting appointments both for this Quorum, the First Council of Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric. He was careful and considerate in his budgeting of assignments, endeavoring to divide the burdens equally. He took his full share of the work and utilized every ounce of his energy to take care of the responsibilities placed upon him as long as his strength permitted.
All his public utterances were marked with toleration. His discourses were full of substance and deserving of careful study. A proverbial patience, a flawless faith, a fidelity to the truth coupled with a devotion to the Church and all that it stands for, have made achievements possible which will remain eternally to the credit of Rudger Clawson.
Lyman, Amy Brown. "President Rudger Clawson." Relief Society Magazine. August 1943. pg. 472-473.
President Rudger Clawson
A TRUE and trusted friend of the a General Board of the Relief Society was the late President Rudger Clawson. He was appointed by the First Presidency of the Church, in September 1919, ''to audit the books of the General Board, examine the methods of accounting employed and to make recommendations regarding the bookkeeping and accounting as conditions might required. He thus became special advisor and supervisor of the business and financial affairs of the Board, which duty he faithfully and efficiently performed. This able and experienced accountant consolidated the accounts of the Board; set up a modern system of bookkeeping, and then for years supervised the operation of that system; with painstaking care he reviewed the accounts and regularly examined the receipts and disbursements; guarded the expenditures; and annually audited the books and at all times gave sound financial advice. He thus set up for Relief Society a safe and wise pattern of procedure which has been easy to follow.
As a professional bookkeeper and auditor of long experience, President Clawson's contribution to the General Board has a value so great that it can hardly be measured.
With painstaking care President Clawson also examined and became familiar with the Relief Society stake and ward record books, and with the annual financial, statistical, and narrative reports sent in annually by these organizations to be audited and compiled by the General Secretary for presentation to the General Board and to the women of the whole organization. Few Relief Society women were more familiar with the inner workings of the organization, and no one was more proud of the systematic and painstaking efforts and accomplishments of stake and ward officers and workers in carrying on these practical affairs of the organization than was President Rudger Clawson.
Hardly a week in the year passed without a visit to Relief Society headquarters by this good and faithful man. Keenly did he sense his responsibility, and greatly interested was he in the affairs of the organization. This close association over a period of more than twenty years, together with his kindness, friendliness, courtesy, and good humor endeared him not only to the executive officers, but to every member of the staff. President Clawson was consulted regarding many of the varied problems of the Society as a whole, and his wise and fatherly counsel and advice were always very helpful.
President Clawson was a living example of loyalty and devotion to the Church. No sacrifice was too great for him to make for the Gospel of the Master. He was a great de fender of the faith. While he had always a mild-appearing manner, yet for the right he was always aggressive. He always manifested that same courage which he exhibited when, as a young missionary in Georgia, he bravely faced the firing squad of that threatening and infuriated mob which had brutally taken the life of his missionary companion; and as he stood beside the dead body of his associate and listened to the continued threats of the mob, he even bared his breast and told them to shoot. This surprising attitude on his part so startled the mob that they turned away, leaving him alone with the body of his friend and companion in the dense woods of Georgia.—Amy Brown Lyman.
President Rudger Clawson
A TRUE and trusted friend of the a General Board of the Relief Society was the late President Rudger Clawson. He was appointed by the First Presidency of the Church, in September 1919, ''to audit the books of the General Board, examine the methods of accounting employed and to make recommendations regarding the bookkeeping and accounting as conditions might required. He thus became special advisor and supervisor of the business and financial affairs of the Board, which duty he faithfully and efficiently performed. This able and experienced accountant consolidated the accounts of the Board; set up a modern system of bookkeeping, and then for years supervised the operation of that system; with painstaking care he reviewed the accounts and regularly examined the receipts and disbursements; guarded the expenditures; and annually audited the books and at all times gave sound financial advice. He thus set up for Relief Society a safe and wise pattern of procedure which has been easy to follow.
As a professional bookkeeper and auditor of long experience, President Clawson's contribution to the General Board has a value so great that it can hardly be measured.
With painstaking care President Clawson also examined and became familiar with the Relief Society stake and ward record books, and with the annual financial, statistical, and narrative reports sent in annually by these organizations to be audited and compiled by the General Secretary for presentation to the General Board and to the women of the whole organization. Few Relief Society women were more familiar with the inner workings of the organization, and no one was more proud of the systematic and painstaking efforts and accomplishments of stake and ward officers and workers in carrying on these practical affairs of the organization than was President Rudger Clawson.
Hardly a week in the year passed without a visit to Relief Society headquarters by this good and faithful man. Keenly did he sense his responsibility, and greatly interested was he in the affairs of the organization. This close association over a period of more than twenty years, together with his kindness, friendliness, courtesy, and good humor endeared him not only to the executive officers, but to every member of the staff. President Clawson was consulted regarding many of the varied problems of the Society as a whole, and his wise and fatherly counsel and advice were always very helpful.
President Clawson was a living example of loyalty and devotion to the Church. No sacrifice was too great for him to make for the Gospel of the Master. He was a great de fender of the faith. While he had always a mild-appearing manner, yet for the right he was always aggressive. He always manifested that same courage which he exhibited when, as a young missionary in Georgia, he bravely faced the firing squad of that threatening and infuriated mob which had brutally taken the life of his missionary companion; and as he stood beside the dead body of his associate and listened to the continued threats of the mob, he even bared his breast and told them to shoot. This surprising attitude on his part so startled the mob that they turned away, leaving him alone with the body of his friend and companion in the dense woods of Georgia.—Amy Brown Lyman.
Rudger Clawson
“…Deal courageously, and the Lord shall
be with the good.” -2 Chronicles 19:11
be with the good.” -2 Chronicles 19:11
Ordained: 10 October 1898 at age 41 by Lorenzo Snow
Biography
Rudger Clawson was born 12 March 1857 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Hiram Bradley Clawson, who was a close friend of Brigham Young, and Margaret Gay Judd. His father had a very large family of forty-two children. Rudger told of how his testimony grew, first of the Book of Mormon, and later of the living prophets.
Early in life I became deeply interested in the Book of Mormon which I read and re-read, and drew from its divine pages inspiration and hope. Faith sprang up in my heart. By a careful study of that glorious book, well defined ideas of right and wrong were firmly fixed in my youthful mind, and I was thus measurably able to withstand the temptations that assailed me and was able to escape many of the sins and follies to which some of the young are addicted. With advanced years, the conviction has constantly grown upon me that the Book of Mormon is one of the grandest books of the age. (Anderson 1900, 772)
I remember the interest I felt, as a boy, in the Sunday meetings at the Old Tabernacle, and later in the large New Tabernacle. The sermons of Presidents Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith and the Apostles and Elders made a profound impression on my mind for good. (Anderson 1900, 772-773)
As a youth and young adult, Rudger was active in the Wasatch Literary Society and studied at the University of Deseret (now University of Utah). At the age of 18, he became the private secretary to the president of the Utah Western Railway company and spent two years living in New York City in this capacity.
In 1879 at the age of 22, Rudger was called on a mission to the Southern States. There he had a relatively well-known experience.
While laboring in Georgia, Elder Clawson and his companion, Joseph Standing, were surrounded by a mob of twelve armed men, who forced the two missionaries to walk through the woods with them. When Elder Clawson wasn’t moving fast enough to satisfy them, one of them hit him on the head. After a water break a couple hours after being taken captive, his mission companion, Joseph Standing, was shot and killed by the mob. All the men then turned their weapons on Elder Clawson and one of them said, “Shoot that man.” Feeling on the edge of eternity, he faced the men, folded his arms and said, “Shoot!” No one fired his weapon. Slowly, all the guns were lowered and Elder Clawson was permitted to go for help for his murdered friend. That evening, he washed and prepared his companion’s body for burial. He also accompanied the body home to Salt Lake City where Elder Standing was hailed as a martyr and Elder Clawson as a hero. (Anderson 1900, 773-774)
The following month, he returned to Georgia to act as a witness in a trial against the murderers, who were, unfortunately, acquitted. Following the trial, Elder Clawson was warned to flee for his life. He finished his mission in another state.
Upon his return to Salt Lake City, he married Florence Ann Dinwoody on 1 August 1882 and Lydia Elizabeth Spencer on 29 March 1883, who was known to have said, "I never want to marry an apostle, a stake president, or a bishop. Things are too hard for the wives when the men have to be away so much." (Cannon 1939, 174) At the time, Rudger fit her wishes perfectly.
Brother Clawson was also a skilled accountant and accurate record-keeper, which served him well in his career.
After the harrowing experience testifying in court on his mission, Elder Clawson once again found himself in the courtroom in 1884. This time, he was being prosecuted for “unlawful cohabitation” under the Edmunds’ Act, the first Mormon polygamist to be convicted and imprisoned for it. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment and a fine of $800, a much heavier sentence than those later convicted had to serve. Despite several appeals, which eventually made it up to the Supreme Court of the United States, his judgment and sentence were upheld. He entered prison on 3 November 1884.
At his sentencing, Rudger said, “I very much regret that the laws of my country should come in conflict with the laws of God; but whenever they do, I shall invariably choose to obey the latter.” (Anderson 1900, 775)
While in prison, his first wife, Florence, sued and obtained a divorce from him, taking their young son with her.
In November of 1885, he was joined in prison briefly by his father, sentenced to six months, and he was also later joined by Apostle Lorenzo Snow. In the course of their incarceration, he and Lorenzo Snow became good friends. Finally, Rudger Clawson was pardoned by President Grover Cleveland and was released from prison 12 December 1887 after being incarcerated for more than three years.
Amazingly enough, considering all he went through, upon his release from prison, Rudger said, “…as I emerged from the prison walls my faith in the principle of plural marriage was just as firm and unshaken as when I entered.” (Anderson 1900, 776)
Of his time in prison, he said:
In 1884, I was convicted and sentenced to prison for keeping a commandment of God. The judge who passed sentence said that because of my youth and because I believed that I was doing right, I was not entitled to leniency. He seemed to think that my belief was to some extent criminal. I was sentenced to four years imprisonment and was incarcerated three years and one month. I saw three hundred of my brethren enter the penitentiary for similar reasons and 220 of them emerged from prison while I was there. I feel none the worse for my experience. My testimony is stronger than ever. It is pleasing to God for men to go to prison under an unjust law rather than act contrary to their covenants. The brethren who were imprisoned exhibited great patience in the midst of the worst class of criminals. It was better for them to do this than to enter into an agreement not to serve God. (R. Clawson, The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star 1888, 292-293)
Shortly after his release from prison, Rudger Clawson received a letter from President Wilford Woodruff calling him to preside over the Box Elder Stake, where Lorenzo Snow was currently residing. In order to fulfill his duties as stake president, he moved to Brigham City January 1888.
This move was a trial for the family, and they suffered many and varied difficulties during his service there. President Clawson had to find a home for his family and employment to support them. The sparsely populated area afforded finding employment in accounting quite difficult, but he was also quite resourceful and, with the support of his wife, managed to pay for his home and support his family in comfort. His presidency was described as one of energetic work and advancement. It saw a lot of construction, with the building of seven new meeting houses and the rebuilding of the Brigham Tabernacle after it was destroyed by fire.
His personality as a stake president was described as one that "delighted in house parties" and a fan of "healthful sports; including baseball, football, swimming, racing and even prize fighting and wrestling." While he didn't personally play any of these sports, he was an avid fan. He also took a strong interest in civic affairs, particularly anything that would improve the community and he delighted in the building of new public schools. (Lee 1937, 166)
While serving as Stake President in 1891, Elder Lorenzo Snow was visiting the stake conference, when they received word that Snow’s niece, Ella Jensen, had passed away from scarlet fever. Taking President Clawson with him, he excused himself from the conference to go see the young girl. President Clawson anointed her with oil and Lorenzo Snow pronounced a blessing upon her, telling her that her mission in life was not yet ended. An hour later the girl woke up and asked where Brother Snow was. He had called her back from the dead.
Then on 9 October 1898 in the general conference session, Rudger Clawson’s name was presented to fill a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was ordained the following day by President Lorenzo Snow.
At the time of his call, he told the assembled congregation:
Brethren and sisters, this is a very trying position that I occupy before you this afternoon. It is true, as President Cannon has said, that I have been placed in some trying situations. I was with Elder Joseph Standing at the time of his martyrdom, and was myself exposed for a few moments to martyrdom, but I escaped through the providence of the Lord. I have been placed behind prison bars for the testimony of Jesus, and that was a very trying situation. When I came out of the penitentiary I was told that the Lord wanted me to labor as President of the Box Elder Stake, and I assure you, brethren and sisters, that that was a great surprise to me at that time, and very trying. I had been brought up in Salt Lake City; all my interests, all my associations, and, as I thought, all my expectations were in Salt Lake City, and it was a great trial for me to be called away. No inducements were offered, but I was told that the Lord would bless and sustain me in that appointment, and I testify to you, my brethren and sisters, that I have been sustained in my presidency of the Box Elder Stake of Zion, and I have enjoyed my labors there. … This later call that has come has proven to be a very great surprise. I had no knowledge of it; I had no notice of it whatever, only as it has come to me today in this meeting. My patriarchal blessing, that was given a number of years ago, indicated that I would be called to a high appointment in the Church in the due time of the Lord, and I presume that this is the appointment now. I feel very weak; I feel very humble. I know that unless I can enjoy the spirit of the apostleship and the faith and prayers and the support of my brethren and sisters of this Church I cannot stand, I cannot succeed in this labor; and therefore I earnestly pray that God will be with me, and that I may have your faith and prayers, and I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. (R. Clawson 1898, 53-54)
In January of 1899, Elder Clawson became a member of the newly-created church auditing committee, around which time he also relocated with his family to Salt Lake City. He also became a member of the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association General Board, on which he served until 1919.
On 6 October 1901, Elder Clawson was sustained as a counselor in the First Presidency, but was never ordained because President Snow died four days later, dissolving the First Presidency.
This does not mean, however, that he didn’t feel the weight of his calling as much as anyone can feel it. At the time of his sustaining, he said:
I want to say that this call has come to me as a great surprise—doubtless as great a surprise to me as to you who are assembled upon this occasion. I feel my weakness and my inefficiency, and that there is nothing that could make me equal to the acceptance of this appointment, of this high responsibility except a knowledge that this is the work of the Lord. I testify to you that it is the work of the Lord. I feel and realize that the Lord can make His servants equal to every responsibility. I have this faith and this desire; I am willing to work and to labor wherever the Lord wants me to labor, under the direction of my brethren. I desire your faith and prayers, and your support; that you will sustain me in this high calling, as I desire to sustain and hope to be able to sustain my President, President Lorenzo Snow. I desire to be a help and a strength to him, and a counselor in very deed. It is the aim of my life that wherever I am called to labor, in any position, to give my heart and soul to that labor. (R. Clawson 1901, 65)
According to cryptic diary entries, circumstantial evidence, genealogical records and family tradition, Elder Clawson married another plural wife, Pearl Udall, in August of 1904. She was also reportedly released from the marriage in 1913.
In April of 1910, he was called to preside over the European Mission, which consisted of the British, Scandinavian, Swiss and German, and South African missions. One change he made was to print a "Book of Instructions" that he sent to the 13 presidents of the various conferences. This helped to avoid unnecessary repetition and is typical of the kinds of changes he tended to make when serving in a presiding position.
In October 1912 he called a meeting of all the French-speaking missionaries in the Netherlands and Swiss-German Missions and reopened the French Mission after a prohibition of missionaries for nearly 50 years.
Meanwhile, anti-Mormon sentiment was very strong in the British Isles. Winston Churchill had even suggested that the activities of the Mormon missionaries be observed. There were numerous demonstrations, typically organized by the ministers of other congregations, and Elder Clawson found himself facing a mob for the second time in his life in Bristol, England, 17 November 1912.
Regarding some of his difficult experiences, Elder Clawson did not let them get the best of him. He used these brushes with evil to add to his own strong testimony.
I might add a word or two respecting my testimony which has been greatly strengthened by some personal experiences. I have contacted the enemy, I have met the adversary under peculiar circumstances. I realize that he is a very shrewd fellow. He is seeking our destruction. I have met him when he was operating through the spirit of mobocracy, and have been placed in some rather uncertain and dangerous situations. I was, however, preserved and delivered from the power of the evil one, and I attribute this to the mercy of God. I have come to the conclusion that, in life or in death. I must cleave to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved, and I'm sure that is the conclusion of every faithful Latter-day Saint. "What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and in the end lose his own immortal soul?" (R. Clawson 1938, 35-36)
Despite opposition, Elder Clawson was determined to keep the mission strong. In fact, his oldest living son, Hyrum Bradley, served an honorable 29-month mission in Great Britain at this time.
In April 1913 he was released as President of the European Mission.
On 10 March 1921 he succeeded Anthon H. Lund as President of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Holding such a responsible position in the Church during the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II was not easy. He did his best to help the members of the Church not to lose hope.
I bear testimony to you that this is a glorious work in which we are engaged, and this is a glorious occasion and a glorious time. I know there is a depression and we have suffered and are suffering every day more or less from it, but behind and above it all is the Lord God of Israel and we are getting experiences that may be profitable to us. If the Lord will sanctify it to our good, we will surely be more careful in the future, will be a little more economical, will not be wasteful and spend our means foolishly, and we will stand by the principles of liberty and by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. (R. Clawson 1934, 54-55)
On 21 June 1943 at the age of 86, President Rudger Clawson died of pneumonia. He had served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for 22 years, meaning that if Heber J. Grant hadn’t lived such a long life, President Clawson would have been the President of the Church. He had been married a total of three times and fathered ten children.
Quotes
After giving conference talks over four decades, there were some topics that came up several times. Some of his favorite topics were: tithing, the Word of Wisdom, eternal marriage, and the importance of following your priesthood leaders. He often quoted from the book of Daniel about the stone cut out of the mountain without hands in the Old Testament and the Savior's answer to Nicodemus about being born again in the New Testament.
His talks seem incredibly well-thought-out. He didn't tend to stray from the main topic and the scriptures he cited supported what he said very well. He also made it clear, however, that he didn't write out what he said beforehand, so this is an indication of his linear thought processes. His style was also full of humor. He loved a good joke and loved even more to share them with others.
Elder Clawson was a man of incredible testimony. He shared that testimony often.
I rejoice in this knowledge, and I know, as I know that I live, that if I will submit to this authority, if I will abide by the counsels of the Priesthood, if I will honor those whom God has honored, my file leaders, that all will be well with me, and that my redemption and my salvation is sure and certain. This is the feeling of my heart. This is my understanding. This is my testimony. Those who ignore counsel, those who trample upon the word of the Lord, those who turn their backs upon this people and upon this work, will go into darkness; they will lose the light of truth, and their knowledge and their testimony will go from them. (R. Clawson 1917, 28)
His final testimony before he died, was given at the April 1943 General Conference:
I testify to you, my brethren, that this revelation was given for our profit, and I express to you my testimony in these words, that I know the Lord is with us, that Jesus is the Christ, and that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God. We are engaged in a glorious work. It is a marvelous scene to look out upon this gathering of Priesthood.
I trust that I may never lose this testimony that I have. (R. Clawson 1943, 24)
Indeed, he did not lose his testimony. Elder Clawson was also in a unique position to testify of the latter-day prophets since he had personally met all of them except for Joseph Smith. As a result, he often testified of the latter-day prophets.
I have been laboring fifty years in the ministry. I did not know the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, but I am acquainted with the stupendous work that they accomplished under divine help, and to me that is a testimony of the truth of the Gospel, because I do not think it is humanly possible for any individual to accomplish the work that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, accomplished without divine help, and I feel as if I know the Prophet and his brother Hyrum about as well as if I had lived in Nauvoo at the time of their martyrdom.
I was acquainted with President Brigham Young. I rode with him by invitation on a trip through Southern Utah and felt that it was a great distinction to ride with the prophet of God. I was deeply impressed with the importance of myself on that occasion. He was a great man; he was a leader of men; he was a pioneer, but above all he was a prophet of God, a servant of the Almighty, and I am happy to say that I knew him fairly well, and knew of his work and of his life, and that is a testimony to me.
I was acquainted with President John Taylor who is designated as a champion of the truth. He was a valiant man, an able president, a man of great firmness of purpose, and who exerted an influence for good throughout the Church and throughout the world.
President Woodruff won great distinction in the mission field. He was certainly an energetic man and a successful missionary. He found the field white and ready for harvest, and brought many, many souls into the Church, both in the east and in the west, as also in Great Britain. He was a humble man, but that rather added distinction to his greatness. I always admired President Woodruff. His life was a testimony to me.
President Lorenzo Snow, under the inspiration of the Almighty, brought the Church out of financial difficulties and stress. He was a cultured man; he was a wise counselor, a great leader and prophet. To me his life and labors are a testimony of the truth of the Gospel.
We are all acquainted with the life of President Joseph F. Smith, a man of great strength of character, a man who stood firm and steadfast to the truth. He advocated powerfully the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though dead he lives in his testimony and his writings. He was much beloved of the Latter-day Saints, and I loved him.
And now we come to our living prophet and leader. President Heber J. Grant. You are as familiar with his life and testimony as I am. He is a very active man and has already accomplished a great work. (R. Clawson 1938, 33-34)
The following are a few examples of his infectious humor:
The brethren and sisters who have come to this conference have met with a rather cold reception; that is to say, the weather has been somewhat unfavorable. Last evening we had a light fall of snow, and today it has been quite chilly. It reminds me of a discussion that occurred between a Yankee and a Scotchman. They were talking about the cold weather in the north of Scotland. The Yankee said: "Your winters here are nothing to compare with the winters in the states. I recollect one winter," said the Yankee, "when a sheep, in jumping from a hillock into a .field, suddenly became frozen in passing, and stuck in the air like a mass of ice." (Laughter.) "My boy," said the Scotchman, "that could not be, for the law of gravitation would not allow it." "I know it," said the Yankee, "but the law of gravitation was frozen too." (Laughter.) (R. Clawson 1909, 91)
Day before yesterday, I was proud and high-minded and lifted up in my feelings. Through some strange accident, I got hold of the hat of President Penrose and wore it all the afternoon. I am free to confess that I could not fill his shoes, but I filled his hat (laughter). (R. Clawson 1922, 180)
General conferences of the past are not the well-planned, extremely structured ordeals they are today. President Clawson explained:
As I was coming into the tabernacle yesterday forenoon a brother said to me: "President Clawson, will you be a speaker this morning?" I said to him: "My dear brother, the Council of the Twelve and other authorities of the Church have no notice whatever, at these general conferences, as to whether they will be called upon to speak or not; and furthermore in speaking, they are not told just what to say. They are expected, of course, to depend upon the Spirit of the Lord to inspire them." Now, if I shall speak to you this morning by the Spirit of the Lord, you will be edified, but if I shall speak to you by some other spirit there will be no instruction. So I invoke His Spirit, and pray that it may be upon me and upon this congregation. (R. Clawson 1929, 105)
Despite how well-planned his talks seemed to be, he tried to always be open enough to the Spirit to change his topic with no notice.
My brethren and sisters: I have selected a text this morning, but I do not know that I shall be able to speak to it as I desire at all times to leave my mind open to the impressions of the Holy Spirit, and not place myself in a position to resist that influence. (R. Clawson 1899, 3)
He often joked about the difficulty of speaking in front of such a large congregation.
I wondered, as I sat in the stand yesterday, where President John M. Knight got his stentorian voice. If I knew where such voices were manufactured, I think I should go and get one. As he stood there and spoke to the congregation, he roared like a lion, and the building trembled. I cannot roar. Nevertheless, I may possibly be able to make you hear, if I speak straight ahead. (R. Clawson 1922, 45)
If any of you brethren think it is a simple matter to stand before a vast assemblage of people like this, I can only wish that you might have the opportunity. It is a great responsibility. I must needs look to the Lord to assist me, and I ask for your faith and prayers. (R. Clawson 1934, 51)
President Clawson sometimes observed members of the church being envious of various callings. He made it clear that the calling does not sanctify. It is how the calling is magnified.
There is no need for envy. There is no need for overweening ambition. There is no need to reach out and try to grasp that to which we are not entitled. The essential thing is that every man should see to it, that he obtains the High Priesthood. If he advances no further than the office of an elder but is faithful in the magnifying of his calling, he will enter into his glory and exaltation and will receive the fulness of which the record speaks. (R. Clawson 1917, 29)
A hot topic of the day was the concept of evolution vs. the biblical account of the creation. President Clawson therefore spoke on this topic several times.
A gentleman said to me some time ago: "Do you believe in evolution?"
I said, "Yes sir, I do.'' And then I said, "You will remember that there are two views of this question of evolution, one bears upon true evolution and the other bears upon what I call false evolution." And I called his attention to the fact that the scriptures tell us—we find it in the first chapter of Genesis—that God created animals after their kind—that of man and that of animal—and it is set forth beautifully…
And so I remarked that following this test and this view set forth by the scriptures, one kind of animal never changes into another kind, that an elephant never changes into a man, because if he did there would be a tremendous reduction of avoirdupois [weight], and as a matter of fact he does not. Neither is a mouse changed into a giraffe. But I did remark that animals might be improved after their kind and along their line, as we know to be the case. And then I added also, that man may be improved along his own line by education, by study and reflection and by worship of the God of heaven. (R. Clawson 1923, 85-86)
President Clawson felt it important for the saints to get out of debt. He compared it with being in prison, and considering that he had actually spent several years in prison, this is a powerful statement.
The means that come into our hands are a direct blessing from the Lord and he expects us to expend them wisely and well and to be very careful in our management of affairs. I think that the Lord particularly expects us as a people to avoid debt. A man who is weighed down by a burden of debt might just as well be in prison, because it is to him a constant worry and anxiety. One of the first considerations that devolves upon us is to get out of debt. The Latter-day Saints should heed this counsel, for it is counsel that comes to us from time to time from the leaders of the Church. (R. Clawson 1920, 136-137)
He had an unwavering faith in the plan of salvation and almost took the concepts surrounding it for granted.
They who have gone before us, who bear the priesthood, have taken the means with them which represents divine authority. We lose nothing by dying, except the body which must go back to the earth that gave it. The body belongs to the earth. It is formed of dust, and will return to dust. But the spirit came from God, and when it leaves the body it will return to God who gave it. That is good scripture.
Now, a man who is an apostle here will be an apostle there. A man who is a high priest here, or a seventy, or an elder, or a patriarch, when he dies, will still be in possession of the office he held on earth. The high priest, for instance, will pass into the high priests' quorum there, the seventy into the seventies' quorum, and the elder into the elders' quorum, and so on. It is all one church. All that divides these two great church divisions is the veil, and the principles of the Gospel that govern here in the Church of Christ will surely govern there in the Church of Christ. So the men holding various offices in the priesthood in this life will pass into their proper quorums in the life to come. No doubt it will all be done in perfect order. There will be no confusion, and the good work will go on. (R. Clawson 1933, 76)
One topic that continually held his attention was the subject of eternal families. He felt very strongly that the Saints should have large families where possible.
When the nations began to disregard and violate the sacred duty and obligations of marriage, weakness and dissolution came, and they have disappeared, many of them, from the face of the world. As a people, the Latter-day Saints, I think I may safely say, appreciate the glorious principle of marriage. In my travels I have seen some very large families of children. I met one sister who was the mother of eighteen children. I looked upon her as a veritable queen among women; her crown was studded with eighteen precious jewels. I have met other sisters in the Church who were the mothers of fourteen, fifteen or sixteen children, which we will all concede are very large families. There are hundreds of mothers in Israel who have had eight, nine, ten eleven, twelve and thirteen children, which reflects great credit and honor upon them. (R. Clawson 1907, 27-29)
As the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, President Clawson was very aware of the work the Twelve Apostles were doing. He reported on the condition of the Quorum of the Twelve.
I am happy to say that the Twelve are active, diligent and faithful in the performance of their duties. They are a body of men who make quick response. They do not hesitate, there is no shirker in that Council, they are alive to the situation. I think you will agree with me that they are men of wisdom, men of counsel, and I believe I can say as the president of the Twelve that they are as nearly one as a Council of Twelve could be, and that they give to the Presidency of the Church their entire support. They recognize them as their file leaders and are laboring constantly under their jurisdiction. If we go into the stakes of Zion—and we are a traveling high council—we go to represent the Presidency of the Church because we are laboring under their direction. I am very happy to bear this testimony to you. So far as I know there is no division of sentiment in the Council of the Apostles. (R. Clawson 1934, 54)
At the occasion of this eightieth birthday, The Improvement Era had this to say about his character.
From his early manhood to his eightieth year the strong and dominant note running through his life and permeating his thinking is the spread of truth and the well-being of his fellows. He is a peace-loving, quiet-spoken, mild-mannered, mellow-tempered man, always gentle but adamant for the truth.
Prudent, patient, painstaking, never boasting, never demonstrative, and never compromising—he stands as one of the strong characters of his day. (Hinckley 1937, 134)
And then this, following his death.
He never sought nor gave flattery, but praised others with quiet sincerity where such praise was due, and received the good words of others with appreciative modesty. He was clear in his thinking, fair in his decisions, and sound in his interpretation of the word of life. (Evans 1943, 461)
David O. McKay said of him:
President Clawson was an unpretentious man, ever appreciative of even the smallest kindness or slightest favor; honest in thought and action, fearless in the performance of duty, devoid of flattery, but ever willing to give merited praise. He was kind, considerate, obliging, and constantly loyal to truth, and to what he believed was right… (Evans 1943, 461)
His son, Samuel G. Clawson, said of him:
He will get hold of a principle and hold to it in the face of persecution, hardships, and long suffering. He can endure anything and will endure the most severe suffering indefinitely. Nothing can switch him from a goal. Father has on more than one occasion faced death for a principle. He would give his life for a principle. (S. G. Clawson 1937, 142)
Conclusion
After such glowing reports, what more can be said about the kind of man Rudger Clawson was? He was a man who always lived true to his principles. He never compromised nor did anything he felt would be wrong. To make sure he was always on the right side, he followed his priesthood leaders' counsel to the letter.
His view of time and eternity is also reflected in his testimony, which he seems always to have had, and his taking for granted of the plan of salvation. "Of course work goes on after this life. Why would we be working here if it didn't?" seemed to be his sentiment.
He had a humorous side to him and showed his affection for the people through his humor. He had the kind of courage that five-star generals would be proud of, standing up before mobs and bravely going to prison even though there seemed to be no reason in it. He wasn't afraid of adversity and patiently bore all things the Lord saw fit to inflict upon him.
Anderson, Nephi. 1900. "Lives of Our Leaders--The Apostles. Rudger Clawson." The Juvenile Instructor, December 1: 772-776.
Cannon, Ramona W. 1939. "Women We Should Know: Lydia Spencer Clawson--Wife and Mother." The Relief Society Magazine, March: 172-176.
Clawson, Rudger. 1898. Sixty-Ninth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Company. 53-54.
—. 1899. Sixty-Ninth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 3-5; 57-59.
—. 1901. Seventy-Second Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News. 7-11; 65-66.
—. 1907. Seventy-Eighth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 27-30.
—. 1909. The 79th Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 91-96.
—. 1917. Eighty-Seventh Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News. 26-29.
—. 1920. Ninetieth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company. 64-66; 136-140.
—. 1922. Ninety-Second Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 45-48.
—. 1922. Ninety-Third Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 180-184.
—. 1923. Ninety-Fourth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 85-88.
—. 1929. One Hundredth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 104-109.
—. 1933. One Hundred Third Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 73-80.
—. 1934. One Hundred Fourth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 51-55.
—. 1938. One Hundred Ninth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 33-36.
—. 1943. One Hundred Thirteenth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 23-24.
—. 1917. Eighty-eighth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 27-31.
—. 1888. The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star, May 7: 292-293.
Clawson, Samuel G. 1937. "Some Impressions of My Father." The Improvement Era, March: 142-143; 168.
Evans, Richard L. 1943. "President Rudger Clawson." The Improvement Era, August: 461; 511.
Hinckley, Bryant S. 1937. "The Youth and Early Manhood of Rudger Clawson." The Improvement Era, March: 134-137.
Ireland, Hugh. 1937. "With President Clawson in Europe." The Improvement Era, March: 152-153; 167.
Jenson, Andrew. 1899. Church Chronology. A Record of Important Events. Second Edition. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News.
—. 1936. Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. Salt Lake City: The Andrew Jenson Memorial Association.
Larson, Stan, ed. 1993. A Ministry of Meetings: The Apostolic Diaries of Rudger Clawson. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. Accessed October 14, 2014. http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=15155.
Lee, S. Norman. 1937. "When Box Elder "Imported" Rudger Clawson." The Improvement Era, March: 146-147; 166.
Widtsoe, Dr. John A. 1937. "Rudger Clawson's Service in the Council of the Twelve." The Improvement Era, March: 140-141.
Biography
Rudger Clawson was born 12 March 1857 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Hiram Bradley Clawson, who was a close friend of Brigham Young, and Margaret Gay Judd. His father had a very large family of forty-two children. Rudger told of how his testimony grew, first of the Book of Mormon, and later of the living prophets.
Early in life I became deeply interested in the Book of Mormon which I read and re-read, and drew from its divine pages inspiration and hope. Faith sprang up in my heart. By a careful study of that glorious book, well defined ideas of right and wrong were firmly fixed in my youthful mind, and I was thus measurably able to withstand the temptations that assailed me and was able to escape many of the sins and follies to which some of the young are addicted. With advanced years, the conviction has constantly grown upon me that the Book of Mormon is one of the grandest books of the age. (Anderson 1900, 772)
I remember the interest I felt, as a boy, in the Sunday meetings at the Old Tabernacle, and later in the large New Tabernacle. The sermons of Presidents Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith and the Apostles and Elders made a profound impression on my mind for good. (Anderson 1900, 772-773)
As a youth and young adult, Rudger was active in the Wasatch Literary Society and studied at the University of Deseret (now University of Utah). At the age of 18, he became the private secretary to the president of the Utah Western Railway company and spent two years living in New York City in this capacity.
In 1879 at the age of 22, Rudger was called on a mission to the Southern States. There he had a relatively well-known experience.
While laboring in Georgia, Elder Clawson and his companion, Joseph Standing, were surrounded by a mob of twelve armed men, who forced the two missionaries to walk through the woods with them. When Elder Clawson wasn’t moving fast enough to satisfy them, one of them hit him on the head. After a water break a couple hours after being taken captive, his mission companion, Joseph Standing, was shot and killed by the mob. All the men then turned their weapons on Elder Clawson and one of them said, “Shoot that man.” Feeling on the edge of eternity, he faced the men, folded his arms and said, “Shoot!” No one fired his weapon. Slowly, all the guns were lowered and Elder Clawson was permitted to go for help for his murdered friend. That evening, he washed and prepared his companion’s body for burial. He also accompanied the body home to Salt Lake City where Elder Standing was hailed as a martyr and Elder Clawson as a hero. (Anderson 1900, 773-774)
The following month, he returned to Georgia to act as a witness in a trial against the murderers, who were, unfortunately, acquitted. Following the trial, Elder Clawson was warned to flee for his life. He finished his mission in another state.
Upon his return to Salt Lake City, he married Florence Ann Dinwoody on 1 August 1882 and Lydia Elizabeth Spencer on 29 March 1883, who was known to have said, "I never want to marry an apostle, a stake president, or a bishop. Things are too hard for the wives when the men have to be away so much." (Cannon 1939, 174) At the time, Rudger fit her wishes perfectly.
Brother Clawson was also a skilled accountant and accurate record-keeper, which served him well in his career.
After the harrowing experience testifying in court on his mission, Elder Clawson once again found himself in the courtroom in 1884. This time, he was being prosecuted for “unlawful cohabitation” under the Edmunds’ Act, the first Mormon polygamist to be convicted and imprisoned for it. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment and a fine of $800, a much heavier sentence than those later convicted had to serve. Despite several appeals, which eventually made it up to the Supreme Court of the United States, his judgment and sentence were upheld. He entered prison on 3 November 1884.
At his sentencing, Rudger said, “I very much regret that the laws of my country should come in conflict with the laws of God; but whenever they do, I shall invariably choose to obey the latter.” (Anderson 1900, 775)
While in prison, his first wife, Florence, sued and obtained a divorce from him, taking their young son with her.
In November of 1885, he was joined in prison briefly by his father, sentenced to six months, and he was also later joined by Apostle Lorenzo Snow. In the course of their incarceration, he and Lorenzo Snow became good friends. Finally, Rudger Clawson was pardoned by President Grover Cleveland and was released from prison 12 December 1887 after being incarcerated for more than three years.
Amazingly enough, considering all he went through, upon his release from prison, Rudger said, “…as I emerged from the prison walls my faith in the principle of plural marriage was just as firm and unshaken as when I entered.” (Anderson 1900, 776)
Of his time in prison, he said:
In 1884, I was convicted and sentenced to prison for keeping a commandment of God. The judge who passed sentence said that because of my youth and because I believed that I was doing right, I was not entitled to leniency. He seemed to think that my belief was to some extent criminal. I was sentenced to four years imprisonment and was incarcerated three years and one month. I saw three hundred of my brethren enter the penitentiary for similar reasons and 220 of them emerged from prison while I was there. I feel none the worse for my experience. My testimony is stronger than ever. It is pleasing to God for men to go to prison under an unjust law rather than act contrary to their covenants. The brethren who were imprisoned exhibited great patience in the midst of the worst class of criminals. It was better for them to do this than to enter into an agreement not to serve God. (R. Clawson, The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star 1888, 292-293)
Shortly after his release from prison, Rudger Clawson received a letter from President Wilford Woodruff calling him to preside over the Box Elder Stake, where Lorenzo Snow was currently residing. In order to fulfill his duties as stake president, he moved to Brigham City January 1888.
This move was a trial for the family, and they suffered many and varied difficulties during his service there. President Clawson had to find a home for his family and employment to support them. The sparsely populated area afforded finding employment in accounting quite difficult, but he was also quite resourceful and, with the support of his wife, managed to pay for his home and support his family in comfort. His presidency was described as one of energetic work and advancement. It saw a lot of construction, with the building of seven new meeting houses and the rebuilding of the Brigham Tabernacle after it was destroyed by fire.
His personality as a stake president was described as one that "delighted in house parties" and a fan of "healthful sports; including baseball, football, swimming, racing and even prize fighting and wrestling." While he didn't personally play any of these sports, he was an avid fan. He also took a strong interest in civic affairs, particularly anything that would improve the community and he delighted in the building of new public schools. (Lee 1937, 166)
While serving as Stake President in 1891, Elder Lorenzo Snow was visiting the stake conference, when they received word that Snow’s niece, Ella Jensen, had passed away from scarlet fever. Taking President Clawson with him, he excused himself from the conference to go see the young girl. President Clawson anointed her with oil and Lorenzo Snow pronounced a blessing upon her, telling her that her mission in life was not yet ended. An hour later the girl woke up and asked where Brother Snow was. He had called her back from the dead.
Then on 9 October 1898 in the general conference session, Rudger Clawson’s name was presented to fill a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was ordained the following day by President Lorenzo Snow.
At the time of his call, he told the assembled congregation:
Brethren and sisters, this is a very trying position that I occupy before you this afternoon. It is true, as President Cannon has said, that I have been placed in some trying situations. I was with Elder Joseph Standing at the time of his martyrdom, and was myself exposed for a few moments to martyrdom, but I escaped through the providence of the Lord. I have been placed behind prison bars for the testimony of Jesus, and that was a very trying situation. When I came out of the penitentiary I was told that the Lord wanted me to labor as President of the Box Elder Stake, and I assure you, brethren and sisters, that that was a great surprise to me at that time, and very trying. I had been brought up in Salt Lake City; all my interests, all my associations, and, as I thought, all my expectations were in Salt Lake City, and it was a great trial for me to be called away. No inducements were offered, but I was told that the Lord would bless and sustain me in that appointment, and I testify to you, my brethren and sisters, that I have been sustained in my presidency of the Box Elder Stake of Zion, and I have enjoyed my labors there. … This later call that has come has proven to be a very great surprise. I had no knowledge of it; I had no notice of it whatever, only as it has come to me today in this meeting. My patriarchal blessing, that was given a number of years ago, indicated that I would be called to a high appointment in the Church in the due time of the Lord, and I presume that this is the appointment now. I feel very weak; I feel very humble. I know that unless I can enjoy the spirit of the apostleship and the faith and prayers and the support of my brethren and sisters of this Church I cannot stand, I cannot succeed in this labor; and therefore I earnestly pray that God will be with me, and that I may have your faith and prayers, and I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. (R. Clawson 1898, 53-54)
In January of 1899, Elder Clawson became a member of the newly-created church auditing committee, around which time he also relocated with his family to Salt Lake City. He also became a member of the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association General Board, on which he served until 1919.
On 6 October 1901, Elder Clawson was sustained as a counselor in the First Presidency, but was never ordained because President Snow died four days later, dissolving the First Presidency.
This does not mean, however, that he didn’t feel the weight of his calling as much as anyone can feel it. At the time of his sustaining, he said:
I want to say that this call has come to me as a great surprise—doubtless as great a surprise to me as to you who are assembled upon this occasion. I feel my weakness and my inefficiency, and that there is nothing that could make me equal to the acceptance of this appointment, of this high responsibility except a knowledge that this is the work of the Lord. I testify to you that it is the work of the Lord. I feel and realize that the Lord can make His servants equal to every responsibility. I have this faith and this desire; I am willing to work and to labor wherever the Lord wants me to labor, under the direction of my brethren. I desire your faith and prayers, and your support; that you will sustain me in this high calling, as I desire to sustain and hope to be able to sustain my President, President Lorenzo Snow. I desire to be a help and a strength to him, and a counselor in very deed. It is the aim of my life that wherever I am called to labor, in any position, to give my heart and soul to that labor. (R. Clawson 1901, 65)
According to cryptic diary entries, circumstantial evidence, genealogical records and family tradition, Elder Clawson married another plural wife, Pearl Udall, in August of 1904. She was also reportedly released from the marriage in 1913.
In April of 1910, he was called to preside over the European Mission, which consisted of the British, Scandinavian, Swiss and German, and South African missions. One change he made was to print a "Book of Instructions" that he sent to the 13 presidents of the various conferences. This helped to avoid unnecessary repetition and is typical of the kinds of changes he tended to make when serving in a presiding position.
In October 1912 he called a meeting of all the French-speaking missionaries in the Netherlands and Swiss-German Missions and reopened the French Mission after a prohibition of missionaries for nearly 50 years.
Meanwhile, anti-Mormon sentiment was very strong in the British Isles. Winston Churchill had even suggested that the activities of the Mormon missionaries be observed. There were numerous demonstrations, typically organized by the ministers of other congregations, and Elder Clawson found himself facing a mob for the second time in his life in Bristol, England, 17 November 1912.
Regarding some of his difficult experiences, Elder Clawson did not let them get the best of him. He used these brushes with evil to add to his own strong testimony.
I might add a word or two respecting my testimony which has been greatly strengthened by some personal experiences. I have contacted the enemy, I have met the adversary under peculiar circumstances. I realize that he is a very shrewd fellow. He is seeking our destruction. I have met him when he was operating through the spirit of mobocracy, and have been placed in some rather uncertain and dangerous situations. I was, however, preserved and delivered from the power of the evil one, and I attribute this to the mercy of God. I have come to the conclusion that, in life or in death. I must cleave to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved, and I'm sure that is the conclusion of every faithful Latter-day Saint. "What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and in the end lose his own immortal soul?" (R. Clawson 1938, 35-36)
Despite opposition, Elder Clawson was determined to keep the mission strong. In fact, his oldest living son, Hyrum Bradley, served an honorable 29-month mission in Great Britain at this time.
In April 1913 he was released as President of the European Mission.
On 10 March 1921 he succeeded Anthon H. Lund as President of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Holding such a responsible position in the Church during the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II was not easy. He did his best to help the members of the Church not to lose hope.
I bear testimony to you that this is a glorious work in which we are engaged, and this is a glorious occasion and a glorious time. I know there is a depression and we have suffered and are suffering every day more or less from it, but behind and above it all is the Lord God of Israel and we are getting experiences that may be profitable to us. If the Lord will sanctify it to our good, we will surely be more careful in the future, will be a little more economical, will not be wasteful and spend our means foolishly, and we will stand by the principles of liberty and by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. (R. Clawson 1934, 54-55)
On 21 June 1943 at the age of 86, President Rudger Clawson died of pneumonia. He had served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for 22 years, meaning that if Heber J. Grant hadn’t lived such a long life, President Clawson would have been the President of the Church. He had been married a total of three times and fathered ten children.
Quotes
After giving conference talks over four decades, there were some topics that came up several times. Some of his favorite topics were: tithing, the Word of Wisdom, eternal marriage, and the importance of following your priesthood leaders. He often quoted from the book of Daniel about the stone cut out of the mountain without hands in the Old Testament and the Savior's answer to Nicodemus about being born again in the New Testament.
His talks seem incredibly well-thought-out. He didn't tend to stray from the main topic and the scriptures he cited supported what he said very well. He also made it clear, however, that he didn't write out what he said beforehand, so this is an indication of his linear thought processes. His style was also full of humor. He loved a good joke and loved even more to share them with others.
Elder Clawson was a man of incredible testimony. He shared that testimony often.
I rejoice in this knowledge, and I know, as I know that I live, that if I will submit to this authority, if I will abide by the counsels of the Priesthood, if I will honor those whom God has honored, my file leaders, that all will be well with me, and that my redemption and my salvation is sure and certain. This is the feeling of my heart. This is my understanding. This is my testimony. Those who ignore counsel, those who trample upon the word of the Lord, those who turn their backs upon this people and upon this work, will go into darkness; they will lose the light of truth, and their knowledge and their testimony will go from them. (R. Clawson 1917, 28)
His final testimony before he died, was given at the April 1943 General Conference:
I testify to you, my brethren, that this revelation was given for our profit, and I express to you my testimony in these words, that I know the Lord is with us, that Jesus is the Christ, and that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God. We are engaged in a glorious work. It is a marvelous scene to look out upon this gathering of Priesthood.
I trust that I may never lose this testimony that I have. (R. Clawson 1943, 24)
Indeed, he did not lose his testimony. Elder Clawson was also in a unique position to testify of the latter-day prophets since he had personally met all of them except for Joseph Smith. As a result, he often testified of the latter-day prophets.
I have been laboring fifty years in the ministry. I did not know the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, but I am acquainted with the stupendous work that they accomplished under divine help, and to me that is a testimony of the truth of the Gospel, because I do not think it is humanly possible for any individual to accomplish the work that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, accomplished without divine help, and I feel as if I know the Prophet and his brother Hyrum about as well as if I had lived in Nauvoo at the time of their martyrdom.
I was acquainted with President Brigham Young. I rode with him by invitation on a trip through Southern Utah and felt that it was a great distinction to ride with the prophet of God. I was deeply impressed with the importance of myself on that occasion. He was a great man; he was a leader of men; he was a pioneer, but above all he was a prophet of God, a servant of the Almighty, and I am happy to say that I knew him fairly well, and knew of his work and of his life, and that is a testimony to me.
I was acquainted with President John Taylor who is designated as a champion of the truth. He was a valiant man, an able president, a man of great firmness of purpose, and who exerted an influence for good throughout the Church and throughout the world.
President Woodruff won great distinction in the mission field. He was certainly an energetic man and a successful missionary. He found the field white and ready for harvest, and brought many, many souls into the Church, both in the east and in the west, as also in Great Britain. He was a humble man, but that rather added distinction to his greatness. I always admired President Woodruff. His life was a testimony to me.
President Lorenzo Snow, under the inspiration of the Almighty, brought the Church out of financial difficulties and stress. He was a cultured man; he was a wise counselor, a great leader and prophet. To me his life and labors are a testimony of the truth of the Gospel.
We are all acquainted with the life of President Joseph F. Smith, a man of great strength of character, a man who stood firm and steadfast to the truth. He advocated powerfully the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though dead he lives in his testimony and his writings. He was much beloved of the Latter-day Saints, and I loved him.
And now we come to our living prophet and leader. President Heber J. Grant. You are as familiar with his life and testimony as I am. He is a very active man and has already accomplished a great work. (R. Clawson 1938, 33-34)
The following are a few examples of his infectious humor:
The brethren and sisters who have come to this conference have met with a rather cold reception; that is to say, the weather has been somewhat unfavorable. Last evening we had a light fall of snow, and today it has been quite chilly. It reminds me of a discussion that occurred between a Yankee and a Scotchman. They were talking about the cold weather in the north of Scotland. The Yankee said: "Your winters here are nothing to compare with the winters in the states. I recollect one winter," said the Yankee, "when a sheep, in jumping from a hillock into a .field, suddenly became frozen in passing, and stuck in the air like a mass of ice." (Laughter.) "My boy," said the Scotchman, "that could not be, for the law of gravitation would not allow it." "I know it," said the Yankee, "but the law of gravitation was frozen too." (Laughter.) (R. Clawson 1909, 91)
Day before yesterday, I was proud and high-minded and lifted up in my feelings. Through some strange accident, I got hold of the hat of President Penrose and wore it all the afternoon. I am free to confess that I could not fill his shoes, but I filled his hat (laughter). (R. Clawson 1922, 180)
General conferences of the past are not the well-planned, extremely structured ordeals they are today. President Clawson explained:
As I was coming into the tabernacle yesterday forenoon a brother said to me: "President Clawson, will you be a speaker this morning?" I said to him: "My dear brother, the Council of the Twelve and other authorities of the Church have no notice whatever, at these general conferences, as to whether they will be called upon to speak or not; and furthermore in speaking, they are not told just what to say. They are expected, of course, to depend upon the Spirit of the Lord to inspire them." Now, if I shall speak to you this morning by the Spirit of the Lord, you will be edified, but if I shall speak to you by some other spirit there will be no instruction. So I invoke His Spirit, and pray that it may be upon me and upon this congregation. (R. Clawson 1929, 105)
Despite how well-planned his talks seemed to be, he tried to always be open enough to the Spirit to change his topic with no notice.
My brethren and sisters: I have selected a text this morning, but I do not know that I shall be able to speak to it as I desire at all times to leave my mind open to the impressions of the Holy Spirit, and not place myself in a position to resist that influence. (R. Clawson 1899, 3)
He often joked about the difficulty of speaking in front of such a large congregation.
I wondered, as I sat in the stand yesterday, where President John M. Knight got his stentorian voice. If I knew where such voices were manufactured, I think I should go and get one. As he stood there and spoke to the congregation, he roared like a lion, and the building trembled. I cannot roar. Nevertheless, I may possibly be able to make you hear, if I speak straight ahead. (R. Clawson 1922, 45)
If any of you brethren think it is a simple matter to stand before a vast assemblage of people like this, I can only wish that you might have the opportunity. It is a great responsibility. I must needs look to the Lord to assist me, and I ask for your faith and prayers. (R. Clawson 1934, 51)
President Clawson sometimes observed members of the church being envious of various callings. He made it clear that the calling does not sanctify. It is how the calling is magnified.
There is no need for envy. There is no need for overweening ambition. There is no need to reach out and try to grasp that to which we are not entitled. The essential thing is that every man should see to it, that he obtains the High Priesthood. If he advances no further than the office of an elder but is faithful in the magnifying of his calling, he will enter into his glory and exaltation and will receive the fulness of which the record speaks. (R. Clawson 1917, 29)
A hot topic of the day was the concept of evolution vs. the biblical account of the creation. President Clawson therefore spoke on this topic several times.
A gentleman said to me some time ago: "Do you believe in evolution?"
I said, "Yes sir, I do.'' And then I said, "You will remember that there are two views of this question of evolution, one bears upon true evolution and the other bears upon what I call false evolution." And I called his attention to the fact that the scriptures tell us—we find it in the first chapter of Genesis—that God created animals after their kind—that of man and that of animal—and it is set forth beautifully…
And so I remarked that following this test and this view set forth by the scriptures, one kind of animal never changes into another kind, that an elephant never changes into a man, because if he did there would be a tremendous reduction of avoirdupois [weight], and as a matter of fact he does not. Neither is a mouse changed into a giraffe. But I did remark that animals might be improved after their kind and along their line, as we know to be the case. And then I added also, that man may be improved along his own line by education, by study and reflection and by worship of the God of heaven. (R. Clawson 1923, 85-86)
President Clawson felt it important for the saints to get out of debt. He compared it with being in prison, and considering that he had actually spent several years in prison, this is a powerful statement.
The means that come into our hands are a direct blessing from the Lord and he expects us to expend them wisely and well and to be very careful in our management of affairs. I think that the Lord particularly expects us as a people to avoid debt. A man who is weighed down by a burden of debt might just as well be in prison, because it is to him a constant worry and anxiety. One of the first considerations that devolves upon us is to get out of debt. The Latter-day Saints should heed this counsel, for it is counsel that comes to us from time to time from the leaders of the Church. (R. Clawson 1920, 136-137)
He had an unwavering faith in the plan of salvation and almost took the concepts surrounding it for granted.
They who have gone before us, who bear the priesthood, have taken the means with them which represents divine authority. We lose nothing by dying, except the body which must go back to the earth that gave it. The body belongs to the earth. It is formed of dust, and will return to dust. But the spirit came from God, and when it leaves the body it will return to God who gave it. That is good scripture.
Now, a man who is an apostle here will be an apostle there. A man who is a high priest here, or a seventy, or an elder, or a patriarch, when he dies, will still be in possession of the office he held on earth. The high priest, for instance, will pass into the high priests' quorum there, the seventy into the seventies' quorum, and the elder into the elders' quorum, and so on. It is all one church. All that divides these two great church divisions is the veil, and the principles of the Gospel that govern here in the Church of Christ will surely govern there in the Church of Christ. So the men holding various offices in the priesthood in this life will pass into their proper quorums in the life to come. No doubt it will all be done in perfect order. There will be no confusion, and the good work will go on. (R. Clawson 1933, 76)
One topic that continually held his attention was the subject of eternal families. He felt very strongly that the Saints should have large families where possible.
When the nations began to disregard and violate the sacred duty and obligations of marriage, weakness and dissolution came, and they have disappeared, many of them, from the face of the world. As a people, the Latter-day Saints, I think I may safely say, appreciate the glorious principle of marriage. In my travels I have seen some very large families of children. I met one sister who was the mother of eighteen children. I looked upon her as a veritable queen among women; her crown was studded with eighteen precious jewels. I have met other sisters in the Church who were the mothers of fourteen, fifteen or sixteen children, which we will all concede are very large families. There are hundreds of mothers in Israel who have had eight, nine, ten eleven, twelve and thirteen children, which reflects great credit and honor upon them. (R. Clawson 1907, 27-29)
As the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, President Clawson was very aware of the work the Twelve Apostles were doing. He reported on the condition of the Quorum of the Twelve.
I am happy to say that the Twelve are active, diligent and faithful in the performance of their duties. They are a body of men who make quick response. They do not hesitate, there is no shirker in that Council, they are alive to the situation. I think you will agree with me that they are men of wisdom, men of counsel, and I believe I can say as the president of the Twelve that they are as nearly one as a Council of Twelve could be, and that they give to the Presidency of the Church their entire support. They recognize them as their file leaders and are laboring constantly under their jurisdiction. If we go into the stakes of Zion—and we are a traveling high council—we go to represent the Presidency of the Church because we are laboring under their direction. I am very happy to bear this testimony to you. So far as I know there is no division of sentiment in the Council of the Apostles. (R. Clawson 1934, 54)
At the occasion of this eightieth birthday, The Improvement Era had this to say about his character.
From his early manhood to his eightieth year the strong and dominant note running through his life and permeating his thinking is the spread of truth and the well-being of his fellows. He is a peace-loving, quiet-spoken, mild-mannered, mellow-tempered man, always gentle but adamant for the truth.
Prudent, patient, painstaking, never boasting, never demonstrative, and never compromising—he stands as one of the strong characters of his day. (Hinckley 1937, 134)
And then this, following his death.
He never sought nor gave flattery, but praised others with quiet sincerity where such praise was due, and received the good words of others with appreciative modesty. He was clear in his thinking, fair in his decisions, and sound in his interpretation of the word of life. (Evans 1943, 461)
David O. McKay said of him:
President Clawson was an unpretentious man, ever appreciative of even the smallest kindness or slightest favor; honest in thought and action, fearless in the performance of duty, devoid of flattery, but ever willing to give merited praise. He was kind, considerate, obliging, and constantly loyal to truth, and to what he believed was right… (Evans 1943, 461)
His son, Samuel G. Clawson, said of him:
He will get hold of a principle and hold to it in the face of persecution, hardships, and long suffering. He can endure anything and will endure the most severe suffering indefinitely. Nothing can switch him from a goal. Father has on more than one occasion faced death for a principle. He would give his life for a principle. (S. G. Clawson 1937, 142)
Conclusion
After such glowing reports, what more can be said about the kind of man Rudger Clawson was? He was a man who always lived true to his principles. He never compromised nor did anything he felt would be wrong. To make sure he was always on the right side, he followed his priesthood leaders' counsel to the letter.
His view of time and eternity is also reflected in his testimony, which he seems always to have had, and his taking for granted of the plan of salvation. "Of course work goes on after this life. Why would we be working here if it didn't?" seemed to be his sentiment.
He had a humorous side to him and showed his affection for the people through his humor. He had the kind of courage that five-star generals would be proud of, standing up before mobs and bravely going to prison even though there seemed to be no reason in it. He wasn't afraid of adversity and patiently bore all things the Lord saw fit to inflict upon him.
Anderson, Nephi. 1900. "Lives of Our Leaders--The Apostles. Rudger Clawson." The Juvenile Instructor, December 1: 772-776.
Cannon, Ramona W. 1939. "Women We Should Know: Lydia Spencer Clawson--Wife and Mother." The Relief Society Magazine, March: 172-176.
Clawson, Rudger. 1898. Sixty-Ninth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Company. 53-54.
—. 1899. Sixty-Ninth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 3-5; 57-59.
—. 1901. Seventy-Second Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News. 7-11; 65-66.
—. 1907. Seventy-Eighth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 27-30.
—. 1909. The 79th Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 91-96.
—. 1917. Eighty-Seventh Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News. 26-29.
—. 1920. Ninetieth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company. 64-66; 136-140.
—. 1922. Ninety-Second Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 45-48.
—. 1922. Ninety-Third Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 180-184.
—. 1923. Ninety-Fourth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 85-88.
—. 1929. One Hundredth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 104-109.
—. 1933. One Hundred Third Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 73-80.
—. 1934. One Hundred Fourth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 51-55.
—. 1938. One Hundred Ninth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 33-36.
—. 1943. One Hundred Thirteenth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 23-24.
—. 1917. Eighty-eighth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 27-31.
—. 1888. The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star, May 7: 292-293.
Clawson, Samuel G. 1937. "Some Impressions of My Father." The Improvement Era, March: 142-143; 168.
Evans, Richard L. 1943. "President Rudger Clawson." The Improvement Era, August: 461; 511.
Hinckley, Bryant S. 1937. "The Youth and Early Manhood of Rudger Clawson." The Improvement Era, March: 134-137.
Ireland, Hugh. 1937. "With President Clawson in Europe." The Improvement Era, March: 152-153; 167.
Jenson, Andrew. 1899. Church Chronology. A Record of Important Events. Second Edition. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News.
—. 1936. Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. Salt Lake City: The Andrew Jenson Memorial Association.
Larson, Stan, ed. 1993. A Ministry of Meetings: The Apostolic Diaries of Rudger Clawson. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. Accessed October 14, 2014. http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=15155.
Lee, S. Norman. 1937. "When Box Elder "Imported" Rudger Clawson." The Improvement Era, March: 146-147; 166.
Widtsoe, Dr. John A. 1937. "Rudger Clawson's Service in the Council of the Twelve." The Improvement Era, March: 140-141.