- W. Wallace Smith
William Wallace Smith (1900—1989), born November 18, 1900 in Lamoni, Iowa. He was Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now
Community of Christ ), from 1958 to 1978. Smith was the son of PresidentJoseph Smith III and grandson of PresidentJoseph Smith, Jr. , the founder of theLatter Day Saint movement . W. Wallace Smith was the third of his father's sons to succeed to the presidency of the church, assuming the presidency after the deaths of his brothers Frederick M. Smith and Israel A. Smith.In 1958, instead of calling Lynn Smith to replace his father in the office of
Presiding Patriarch , he namedRoy Cheville to the office in a break with a tradition of lineal succession. Following a 1960 worldwide missionary tour, W. Wallace Smith's tenure as church president saw substantial overseas growth in the church, especially inAfrica ,Latin America , and theFar East . The internationalization of the church also began an era of significant doctrinal and practical changes.Smith designated his son,
Wallace B. Smith as his successor in 1976, and in 1978 he became the first president of the church to retire to "emeritus " status — all previous presidents had served until their deaths. To ensure a smooth transition, W.W. Smith read a letter of resignation shortly before his son was ordained.References
*Richard P. Howard, "The Church Through the Years," Herald House: 1992.
External links
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