Editing James Strang (section)

{{Short description|American Mormon leader (1813–1856)}}
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{{Infobox Latter Day Saint biography
| name                = James J. Strang
| image               = James Strang daguerreotype (1856).jpg
| alt                 = 
| caption             = James Strang in 1856 [[daguerreotype]] photograph
| birth_name          = James Jesse Strang
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1813|03|21|mf=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Scipio, New York]], United States
| home_town           = 
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1856|07|09|1813|03|21|mf=y}}
| death_place         = [[Voree, Wisconsin]], United States
| death_cause         = [[Gunshot wound]]
| resting_place       = Burlington Cemetery 
| resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord|42| 40|59.16|N|88|15|30.96|W|type:landmark|display=inline|name=Burlington Cemetery}}
| education           = 
| alma_mater          = 
| occupation          = 
| employer            = 
| organization        = 
| notable_works       = 
| title               = 
| spouse              = {{plain list|
* {{marriage|Mary Perce|1836|1851|end=[[Legal separation|{{abbr|sep.|separated}}]]}}
* {{marriage|Elvira Eliza Field|1849}}
* {{marriage|Betsy McNutt|1852}}
* {{marriage|Sarah Wright|1855}}
* {{marriage|Phoebe Wright|1855}} }}
| children            = 14
| parents             = Clement Strang<br />Abigaile James
| relatives           = 
| portals             = Movement
<!-- Latter Day Saint Leadership  -->
| position_or_quorum1 = Founder of the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)]]
| called_by1          = 
| ordination_reason1  = 
| predecessor1        = [[Joseph Smith]]
| successor1          = No successor to date
| start_date1         = {{circa|June 1844}}
| end_date1           = {{end date|1856|07|09}}
| end_reason1         = 
| reorganization1     = 
<!--Political Office Holders  -->
| political_office1   = Member of the [[Michigan House of Representatives]]
| term_start1         = 1853
| term_end1           = {{end date|1856|07|09}}
| president           = 
| office_predecessor1 = 
| office_successor1   = 
| party               = 
| poly_date           = July 13, 1849
| poly_wives          = 5
| list_notes          = Originally, Strang was strenuously opposed to the practice of polygamy;<ref>(August 12, 1847). ''Voree Herald'' as quoted in Fitzpatrick, pp. 74–5. See also Apostle John E. Page at this same source, on his conversations with Strang on the subject.</ref> however, in 1849, Strang reversed course and become one of its strongest advocates. Since many of his early disciples had looked to him as a monogamous counterweight to Brigham Young's polygamous version of Mormonism, Strang's decision to embrace plural marriage proved costly to him and his church.
}}
'''James Jesse Strang''' (March 21, 1813 – July 9, 1856) was an American religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed [[monarch]]. He served as a member of the [[Michigan House of Representatives]] from 1853 until his assassination.

In 1844, he said he had been appointed as the successor of [[Joseph Smith]] as leader of the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)]],{{efn|The Strangites use no hyphen in their church title and capitalize the "D" in "Day", just as was done in Joseph Smith's church.|name=caps}} a faction of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]]. Strang testified that he had possession of a letter from Smith naming him as his successor, and furthermore reported that he had been ordained to the prophetic office by an angel. His followers believe his organization to be the sole legitimate continuation of the [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|Church of Christ]] founded by Smith fourteen years before.

A major contender for leadership of the [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]] during the [[succession crisis (Latter Day Saints)|1844 succession crisis]] after [[Killing of Joseph Smith|Smith's death]], Strang urged other prominent church leaders like [[Brigham Young]] and [[Sidney Rigdon]] to remain in their previous offices and to support his appointment by Smith. Young and the members of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles|Twelve Apostles]] loyal to him rejected Strang's claims, as did Rigdon, who had been a counselor in the [[First Presidency]] to Smith. This divided the Latter Day Saint movement. During his 12 years tenure as [[Prophet, Seer and Revelator]], Strang reigned for six years as the crowned "[[king]]" of an ecclesiastical monarchy that he established on [[Beaver Island (Lake Michigan)|Beaver Island]] in the US state of [[Michigan]]. Building an organization that eventually rivaled Young's in [[Utah]], Strang gained nearly 12,000 adherents at a time when Young was said to have about 50,000.<ref>"[http://www.strangite.org/History.htm History and Succession] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121228100134/http://www.strangite.org/History.htm |date=2012-12-28 }}". ''Strangite.org.'' Retrieved on 2007-10-28.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/search|title=See "Church membership: 1830–2006"}}</ref> After Strang was killed in 1856 most of his followers rallied under [[Joseph Smith III]] and joined the [[Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]] (RLDS). The Strangite church has remained small in comparison to other branches of the Latter-Day Saint movement.

Similar to Joseph Smith, who was alleged by church opponent [[William Marks (Latter Day Saints)|William Marks]] to have been crowned King in [[Nauvoo, Illinois|Nauvoo]] prior to his death,<ref>Statement by Nauvoo Stake President William Marks, ''Zion's Harbinger and Banemeey's Organ'', July 1853, pg. 53.</ref> Strang taught that the chief prophetic office embodied an overtly ''royal'' attribute. Thus, its occupant was to be not only the spiritual leader of his people but their temporal king as well.<ref>Strang 1856, pp. 168–76.</ref><ref name="Strang, the King">"[http://www.mormonbeliefs.com/strang,_the_king.htm Strang, the King] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925012739/http://www.mormonbeliefs.com/strang,_the_king.htm |date=2007-09-25 }}". ''MormonBeliefs.com''. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.</ref> He offered a sophisticated set of teachings that differed in many significant aspects from any other version of Mormonism, including that preached by Smith. Like Smith, Strang published translations of two purportedly ancient lost works: the [[Voree plates|Voree Record]], deciphered from three metal plates reportedly unearthed in response to a vision; and the [[Book of the Law of the Lord]], supposedly transcribed from the [[Laban (Book of Mormon)|Plates of Laban]] mentioned in the [[Book of Mormon]]. These are accepted as scripture by his followers, and the Church of Jesus Christ in Christian Fellowship, but not by any other Latter Day Saint church. Although his long-term doctrinal influence on the Latter Day Saint movement was minimal, several early members of Strang's organization helped to establish the RLDS Church (now known as the [[Community of Christ]]), which became (and remains) the second-largest Latter Day sect. While most of Strang's followers eventually disavowed him due to his eventual advocacy of polygamy, a small but devout remnant carries on his teachings and organization today.

In addition to his ecclesiastical calling, Strang served one full term and part of a second as a member of the [[Michigan House of Representatives]], assisting in the organization of [[Manitou County, Michigan|Manitou County]]. He was also at various times an attorney, educator, temperance lecturer, newspaper editor, [[Baptist]] minister, correspondent for the ''[[New York Tribune]]'', and amateur scientist. His survey of Beaver Island's natural history was published by the [[Smithsonian Institution]] in 1854, remaining the definitive work on that subject for nearly a century,<ref name=Weeks>{{cite web |last=Weeks |first=Robert P. |date=June 1970 |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1970/4/1970_4_4.shtml |title=For His Was the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory&nbsp;... Briefly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122436/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1970/4/1970_4_4.shtml |archive-date=2007-09-29 |magazine=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]] |volume=21 |issue=4}}</ref> while his career in the Michigan legislature was praised even by his enemies.

While Strang's organization is formally known as the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]],{{efn|name=caps}} the term "Strangite" is usually added to the title to avoid confusing them with other Latter Day Saint bodies carrying this or similar names. This follows a typical nineteenth-century usage where followers of Brigham Young were referred to as "Brighamites," while those of Sidney Rigdon were called "Rigdonites," followers of Joseph Smith III were called "Josephites", and disciples of Strang became "Strangites".{{efn|Strangites still use these terms today, as do members of some other Latter Day Saint groups.}}<ref name=Strangite>"[http://www.mormonbeliefs.com/Church%20of%20Jesus%20Christ%20of%20Latter%20Day%20Saints%20(Strangite).htm Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925013040/http://www.mormonbeliefs.com/Church%20of%20Jesus%20Christ%20of%20Latter%20Day%20Saints%20(Strangite).htm |date=2007-09-25 }}". ''MormonBeliefs.com''. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.</ref>