The explosive temper of a religious leader's youth

Health · Published 19 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Joseph F. Smith, the sixth president of the LDS Church, later described his younger years as being defined by a "burning rage" and an "explosive temper." He attributed this volatile psychological state to the profound trauma of losing both parents during his childhood.

Born in 1838, Joseph F. Smith's early life was marked by extreme instability and violence. His father, Hyrum Smith, was taken prisoner just days before Joseph was born under a Missouri "extermination order" intended to threaten the lives of Mormons. At nearly six years old, Joseph witnessed the deaths of both his father and his uncle, Joseph Smith, in Carthage, Illinois, in 1844.

These events were compounded by a harrowing exodus from the American Midwest. In 1846, at age seven, Smith helped drive an ox team across the plains to Nebraska. During this journey, he faced life-threatening situations, including a confrontation with a band of twenty or thirty American Indians where he successfully saved a cattle herd but was physically assaulted and lost his horse.

The psychological toll of these experiences manifested in significant behavioral issues during his adolescence. Smith later admitted that his youth was characterized by an explosive temper, which he linked directly to the deaths of his parents. Such instability caused him to attack an educator whom he perceived as treating a peer unjustly—an incident that eventually forced his deployment on a remarkably early mission at fifteen.

Smith's life serves as a study in how early childhood trauma and displacement can shape adult personality. While he eventually became a prominent religious leader, his personal history highlights the enduring impact of systemic violence and familial loss on the human psyche.

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