ORSON PRATT PIONEER A N D PROSELYTER B Y T . EDGAR LYON*
/ ^ \ N September 19, 1811, Orson Pratt was born at Hartford, ^ ^ Washington County, New York. He was converted to the Mormon faith by his brother, Parley P. Pratt, and was baptized into the Church on his nineteenth birthday. From then until his death at Salt Lake City, fifty years later (October 3, 1881), he was one of the most energetic missionaries, theologians, and writers that the Latter-day Saint Church has produced. The varied activities of this talented man can be grouped under eight headings: 1. Proselyting. 2. Developing Latter-day Saint doctrines. He was foremost in formulating: a. The "Gathering," b. Plural marriage, c. Pre-existence, d. Eternal progression. 3. Developing a basic "Mormon" philosophy. 4. Pioneering in the West. 5. Scientific speculations. 6. Educational endeavors among the L.D.S. people. 7. Legislative interests. 8. Historical activities. This paper will be limited to portions of three of these areas, namely: his pioneering, the doctrine of "Gathering," and proselyting. *Mr. Lyon is associate director of the L.D.S. Institute of Religion at the University of Utah. His Master's Thesis at the University of Chicago concerned itself with the life of Orson Pratt. He is currently completing his Ph.D. in history at the University of Utah. [See Philip A. M. Taylor, "Mormons and Gentiles on the Atlantic," pp. 195-214, for a parallel and complementary discussion of British Mormon proselyting and emigration.—Editor's note.]
