Joseph White Musser

Joseph White Musser is often referred to as the father of Mormon fundamentalism, the religious movement that sought to retain the practice of polygamy despite the practice’s disavowal by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Musser’s life epitomizes one of the most significant and complicated moments in twentieth-century Mormon history. His record offers a sympathetic look into lives affected by Mormonism’s transition from a minority faith in the Intermountain West to a well-established American religion. Through his public writing, widely circulated magazine, private correspondence, and sermons, Musser laid the theological foundation for the movement that remains a subject of interest for historians and popular media. Joseph White Musser: A Mormon Fundamentalist explores Musser’s most significant intellectual contributions to three key concepts of Mormon fundamentalism: priesthood, polygamy, and communitarianism.