Albert Carrington was born January 8, 1813 at Royalton,
Vermont to Daniel Van Carrington and his wife Isabella Bowman. He grew
up in Royalton and attended Dartmouth College, graduating in 1834. Albert
taught school in Pennsylvania for a period before studying law. He then
moved to Hamilton, Wisconsin, tried his luck at lead mining and married
Rhoda Maria Woods.
Introduced to the Gospel, he was baptized July 18,
1841. He moved his family to Nauvoo, Illinois, just before the martyrdom
of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the
Patriarch Hyrum Smith. With his education,
scholarly background and oratorical skills he soon moved in the higher
circles of Nauvoo society.
Albert and Rhoda lost three of their four children
during the Exodus from Nauvoo. Settling his wife and remaining child in
Iowa temporarily, he pushed on ahead to Utah as part of the Pioneer Company.
Once settled, he returned to Iowa and took his family to Utah.
He was selected by Brigham Young to be part of the
Council of Fifty and became a leader in political and cultural affairs
in Utah, being one of the drafters of the Utah Constitution needed for
the application for statehood. He was also selected to be Speaker of the
House in the Utah Legislature... all the while serving as personal secretary
to President Brigham Young. He also
entered into plural marriage by taking a second wife. He would father fifteen
children by his wives.
Albert served as Mission President to the European
Mission four different times. He was ordained an Apostle July 3, 1870 and
set apart as an Asst. counselor to President Young, May 9, 1874. He was
released, Aug. 29, 1877 at the death of President Young. As a leader of
the Church, Albert was despised by the Salt Lake Tribune which launched
virulent attacks on him in 1874 and again in 1885. The latter attacks proved
true and he was excommunicated November 7, 1885 for "lascivious conduct
and adultery." He suffered two strokes which left him paralyzed the
last four years of his life.
When he pled for clemency citing his health and repentance,
he was allowed to be baptized again on November 1, 1887. He died September
19, 1889 in full fellowship with the Church.
