Lorenzo Snow
A transformative LDS Church president who stabilized its finances and emphasized the tangible reality of human divinity during a pivotal era.
1814–1901 (age 87)·American LDS Church leader·Birthday: April 3
Biography
Lorenzo Snow's life was a tapestry of intellectual pursuit, profound faith, and pragmatic leadership. Converted in the 1830s, he served missions across America and Europe, developing a theological focus on the potential of mankind. His presidency, beginning at age 84, confronted a church deep in debt. With the succinct mantra 'The Lord is well pleased,' he championed the law of tithing, a move that pulled the institution from financial crisis into solvency. Snow was a bridge between the pioneer past and the global future, a poet and thinker who taught that humanity could, through covenant, embody a divine nature.
#1 When Lorenzo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1814
Lorenzo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1814Born
1819Started school
1827Became a teenager
1830Could drive
1832Could vote
1835Turned 21
1844Turned 30
1854Turned 40
1864Turned 50
President: Abraham Lincoln
1874Turned 60
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1884Turned 70
President: Chester A. Arthur
1894Turned 80
President: Grover Cleveland
1901Died at 87
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
Key Achievements
- Served as the fifth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to 1901.
- Implemented a renewed emphasis on tithing that resolved the church's significant financial debts.
- Served as the first president of the Salt Lake Temple.
- Was the last LDS Church president born in the 18th century.
Did You Know?
He was a published poet before becoming church president.
Snow was the first LDS Church president to be photographed in color (via photochrom process).
He served a mission to Italy and supervised the translation of the Book of Mormon into Italian.
His sister, Eliza R. Snow, was a prominent poet and leader in the early church.
“As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be.”
