Wilford Woodruff, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wrote the first draft of a manifesto that officially disavowed the future practice of plural marriage.

Wilford Woodruff

4th President of the LDS Church from 1889-98

Wilford Woodruff Sr. was an American religious leader who served as the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death. He ended the public practice of plural marriage among members of the LDS Church in 1890.

President of the Church (LDS Church)

Highest office of the LDS church

The president of the church is the highest office of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the office originally held by Joseph Smith, the church's founder. The church's president is its leader and is head of the First Presidency, its highest governing body.…

1890 Manifesto

Mormon anti-polygamy statement

The 1890 Manifesto is a statement which officially advised against any future plural marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Issued by Church President Wilford Woodruff in September 1890, the Manifesto was a response to mounting anti-polygamy pressure from…

Mormonism and polygamy

Polygamy was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890 by between 20 and 30 percent of Latter-day Saint families. Polygamy among Latter-day Saints has been…