“An orator, jurist, statesman, soldier and a Christian … a lawyer for over 50 years and a life without reproach,” reads in part the inscription on a gravesite monument dedicated to revered Missourian General Alexander W. Doniphan.
On October 22, members of the community of Liberty, Missouri, gathered at a symposium and award banquet to remember and honor the life of Doniphan. Dr. Susan Easton Black, emeritus professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University, was awarded the 2016 Alexander W. Doniphan Community Service & Leadership Award at a banquet held that evening.
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Though General Doniphan has been gone for more than 100 years, his name is often on the lips of the communities in which he served, as both a local school and highway bear his name. General Doniphan is remembered as a war hero and a leader in statesmanship, business and education. However, it was his refusal to carry out a direct order by General Samuel Lucas to execute Joseph Smith and other prisoners that has endeared him to members of the Church. Doniphan, a bold defense lawyer only 30 years old at the time, replied, “It is cold-blooded murder. I will not obey your order … and if you execute these men, I will hold you responsible before an earthly tribunal, so help me God.”
Symposium guests sat merely a half-mile away from the historic Liberty Jail as Dr. Black gave a presentation on the incarceration of Joseph Smith at that prison. Her remarks focused on the five-day period between March 20 and 25, 1839. It was during this time that Joseph dictated an epistle, portions of which were later canonized in the Church’s Doctrine and Covenants.
Jeremiah J. Morgan, general counsel to the Missouri Supreme Court, spoke to symposium attendants about religious freedom in the current age. He said Alexander Doniphan was “an example for today.” Doniphan, ever a supporter of religious freedom, used the legal and legislative system and his personal influence to stand up for the rights of persons of all faiths.
The Alexander W. Doniphan Community Service and Leadership Foundation bestowed its namesake award to Dr. Black for her achievements in education. The foundation recognizes the honoree as one who exemplifies General Doniphan’s outstanding characteristics.
Dr. Black has been the recipient of numerous academic awards for her research and writing. She has authored, edited and compiled over 120 books and almost 400 articles. For nearly 40 years, Dr. Black taught hundreds of students about the influence of Missouri on Joseph Smith and early Latter-day Saints.