Leonard Arrington and the Writing of Mormon History

Leonard Arrington is considered by many the foremost twentieth-century historian of Mormonism. But Arrington’s career was not without controversy. Gregory Prince takes an in-depth look at this respected historian and, in telling his story, gives readers insight into the workings of the LDS Church in the late twentieth century.

In 1972, Arrington was asked to serve as the official church historian, thereby becoming the first-and thus far the only-professional historian to hold that title. While the output of and from that division moved Mormon studies to a new level, the shift of historiography from faith promotion to scholarly research and professional analysis was unacceptable to some powerful senior apostles. In 1980 the History Division was disassembled and moved to Brigham Young University, where Arrington’s broad influence on Mormon history remained strong.

This biography is the first to draw upon the remarkable Arrington diaries (over 20,000 pages) and it is supplemented by Prince’s interviews of more than 100 people who knew or worked with Arrington. The book provides background to continuing LDS struggles with member scholars, while illuminating the life of one prominent intellectual.