Editing Reed Smoot (section)

==Early life, family, and religious activity==
Smoot was born in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah Territory]] on January 10, 1862, the son of [[Abraham O. Smoot]], who served as mayor of the city from 1856 to 1862 and Anne Kristina Morrison Smoot, also known as Anne Kirstine Mauritzen before her marriage. Anne was Abraham Smoot's fifth wife of six plural marriages, and he was the father of 27 children, three of whom he adopted.<ref name="History of Utah: Biographical">{{cite book | last = Whitney | first = Orson Ferguson | title = History of Utah: Biographical | url = https://archive.org/details/historyutahcomp00whitgoog | publisher = G.Q. Cannon | year = 1904 | location = Salt Lake City | pages = [https://archive.org/details/historyutahcomp00whitgoog/page/n113 101] }}</ref>{{rp|99–102}} 

The family moved to [[Provo, Utah]], when Abraham Smoot was called by [[Brigham Young]] as the [[stake president]]. Smoot attended the [[University of Utah]] and graduated from Brigham Young Academy, now [[Brigham Young University]], in 1879. After completing his education, Smoot served as a [[Mormon missionary|missionary]] for the church in England. After returning to Utah, he married Alpha M. Eldredge of Salt Lake City on September 17, 1884. They were the parents of six children.<ref name="Utah History Encyclopedia, Reed Smoot" /> Eldredge died in 1928.<ref>{{cite news|date=November 7, 1928|title=Mrs. Reed Smoot Claimed By Death|pages=31|newspaper=[[The Washington Star|The Washington Evening Star]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-mrs-reed-smoot-claimed-by/170940410/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=April 23, 2025}}</ref> 

Smoot became a successful businessman in the Provo and Salt Lake City areas, with interests including dry goods stores, mining, banking, railroads, lumberyards, raising livestock, coal sales, and manufacturing woolens. Beginning in 1895, he became increasingly involved in the hierarchy of the LDS Church. On April 8, 1900, he was ordained an apostle and member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.<ref name="Utah History Encyclopedia, Reed Smoot" />
[[File:Grantsmootloc2.png|thumb|left|Smoot (right) with [[Heber J. Grant]], president of the LDS Church, c. 1918–1920]]