Author speaks on Lincoln, Mormons

Abraham Lincoln's faith and reliance on God is surprising, says a Utah author of a new book on the 16th U.S. president.

Speaking to the Rotary Club of Salt Lake City on Tuesday afternoon, Ron L. Andersen, author of "Abraham Lincoln — God's Humble Instrument," said Lincoln "read the Holy Bible more than anything."

The 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth is Feb. 12.

Andersen also addressed the esteemed president's Utah connections, starting first on his interaction with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Illinois.

The Mormons were Illinois' largest voting bloc in 1840 and didn't support Lincoln on a ballot for state delegate, so he wasn't elected early on, he said.

Andersen said Lincoln was never a man to be resentful or want to get even. Later, he voted for the Nauvoo Charter, a benefit to LDS Church members there.

Did Joseph Smith and Lincoln ever meet?

"It appears the answer is no," Andersen said, even though Lincoln's law office was on the third story of the same building where Joseph Smith stood trial in Springfield.

How did Lincoln feel about polygamy? Even though his political party, the Republicans, supported abolishing the "twin relics of barbarism — slavery and polygamy," there is no record of him speaking against polygamy," Andersen said.

Brigham Young initially said in the early 1860s that Lincoln was as "weak as water," but he and other Utahns began to favor him as his presidency continued.

Lincoln eventually sent a message to Brigham Young declaring, "If he will leave me alone, I will leave him alone."

When there were problems in Wyoming with Indians cutting telegraph lines, Lincoln wrote to the LDS Church leader directly for assistance, bypassing the official governor of the territory.

On March 4, 1865, a mile-long parade was held in Salt Lake City to celebrate Lincoln's re-election. Andersen said that event was significant because it brought all different types of people in the area together, including federal soldiers.

Five weeks later, an event was held in the unfinished Salt Lake Tabernacle to mourn Lincoln's death.

"Read a book and remember him," Andersen told Rotary members. He stressed Lincoln did more than end slavery and civil war, he also saved the U.S. Constitution and promoted religious tolerance.

Andersen, who works for the LDS Church, said he is not a historian, just a hobbyist who has studied Lincoln's life.

He will address the BYU Management Society Feb. 12 at a noon luncheon at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

Also that night, Provo will host an "Evening of Honor for Lincoln" at 7 p.m. at the Provo City Library.

E-MAIL: lynn@desnews.com