Since the beginning of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leaders have worked closely with governments of nations, advocating for religious freedom and striving to help Latter-day Saints in all lands.
In honor of America’s Independence Day, July 4, below is a list of Latter-day Saint monuments and moments in the nation’s capital and beyond.
Latter-day Saint monuments
Washington Monument Deseret commemorative stone
Emily Utt, historic sites curator for the Church History Department spoke with the Church News in 2022 about the Washington Monument.
“Washington, D.C., actually has lots of really great connections to the Church,” she said. “There are pieces of Utah literally embedded in the monuments of Washington, D.C.”
She explained that during construction of the monument, states, territories and other groups were invited to each give a piece of stone to go inside.
At the time, Latter-day Saints referred to the area that is now Utah as “Deseret.” It didn’t have marble or other traditional stone used to build the monument. A different solution had to be found.
“Brigham Young decided to send a piece of stone from the same quarry that would eventually build the Manti Temple,” Utt said.
Brigham Young, who was the governor of the territory in addition to his role as President of the Church, didn’t just send the stone to Washington, D.C., though.
“On that piece of stone, he wrote, ‘Holiness to the Lord,’ so inside the Washington Monument is a little piece of holiness, a little piece of the temple and a little piece of Utah.”
After William Ward carved the words into it, the next step was getting the stone, which was 3 feet long, 2 feet wide and 6.5 inches thick, to the East Coast.
The golden spike — ceremonially connecting the rail tracks that would connect the eastern and western parts of the country — wouldn’t be driven in Utah for 15 years. That meant the piece of stone had to be taken by missionaries and a team of oxen back to Washington. It arrived in September 1853 after a summer-long journey.
Nauvoo Temple sunstone in the Smithsonian
The Church History website says, “To early Church members, the sun breaking through clouds symbolized the dawning of the Restoration and the coming of gospel light to illuminate a dark earth.”
The walls of the original Nauvoo Temple featured 30 sunstones, of which only two complete stones are now known to exist.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History purchased one of the stones in 1989 for $100,000.
First edition Book of Mormon in Library of Congress
On display in the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., sits a first-edition copy of the Book of Mormon.
According to a blog post by the Library of Congress, “early imprints from [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] are some of the division’s most requested items — particularly the first edition of the Book of Mormon."
During Abraham Lincoln’s tenure as president of the United States, “curators in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress found in the borrowing records of the Library, that on Monday, November 18th 1861, and later on Friday, November 22nd, several books on the subject of Mormonism — including the Book of Mormon — were loaned to the ‘President of the U. States.’”
While it’s unknown if it was Lincoln or one of his staff members who checked those books out, the blog post from the Library of Congress says the “Utah War had occurred only three years before, Utah was just obtaining telegraph service and a second push for Utah statehood was imminent. It is of little wonder why someone in the White House — if not the president himself — might have been interested in learning more."
While you can’t check the book out, the Library of Congress has digitized it for all to view online.
Brigham Young in the Capitol Building Statuary hall
Each state has the opportunity to donate two statues to the United States Capitol building to honor people notable to the state’s history.
Brigham Young, Utah’s first governor and the second President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is one of Utah’s statues and sits in the corner of Statuary Hall inside the Capitol building.
Martha Hughes Cannon in the Capitol Building Emancipation hall
A statue of Martha Hughes Cannon, state senator, physician, women’s rights suffragist and Latter-day Saint, is Utah’s second statue.
At the unveiling of the statue, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson said: “Our global initiative in 2024 and moving forward is to bless the lives of women and children and improve their well-being. Martha Hughes Cannon seemed to have a vision for that in the late 1800s.”
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who attended the unveiling, said: “The life and accomplishments of this faithful sister remind everyone of the power of putting the Lord first in all things. Her statue — in such an important place — will serve as a fitting representation not only of the State of Utah but also her deep faith and the devoted lives of millions of people like her around the world.”
Joseph Smith in the National Portrait Gallery
The mission of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery is “to tell the story of America by portraying the people who shape the nation’s history, development and culture.”
According to a book by BYU’s Religious Studies Center, a copy of this painting of Joseph Smith was included at the beginning of the gallery in 1968.
Latter-day Saints buried at Arlington Cemetery
According to the National Cemetery Administration, “an emblem of belief for inscription on a government headstone or marker is an emblem or symbol that represents the sincerely held belief of the decedent that constituted a religion or the functional equivalent of religion and was believed and/or accepted as true by that individual during his or her life.”
Latter-day Saints buried in a national cemetery can choose to have a small symbol depicting the angel Moroni placed on their headstones.
Washington D.C. Temple
Visible from the oft-traveled Capitol Beltway, the Washington D.C. Temple in suburban Kensington, Maryland, stands as a prominent monument for drivers.
President Russell M. Nelson traveled to the nation’s capital to rededicate this temple in 2022.
“Today, we are ever grateful for the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the inspired Constitution of the United States of America,” the Prophet prayed. “We are grateful for that Constitution and for the leaders of this great nation, past, present and future. Please bless them with a desire to do what is right.”
Latter-day Saint moments
The Church’s relationship with the United States began with Joseph Smith and has continued until today. While politically neutral, the Church has continually invited Latter-day Saints to participate in elections and civic affairs. The First Presidency often sends a letter of congratulations to the U.S. president-elect, inviting Latter-day Saints to pray for him.
In winter 1839, the Prophet Joseph Smith visited the White House, meeting President Martin Van Buren, seeking help for the Saints in Missouri.
Joseph Smith was eventually martyred; many consider him to be the first presidential candidate to be assassinated.
In 1877, President Wilford Woodruff had a vision of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He thereafter did vicarious temple work for them, performing baptisms, endowments and ordaining them to the offices of elder and high priest.
In 1903, Elder Reed Smoot, an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was elected to the United States Senate. Many senators didn’t believe a Latter-day Saint Apostle should serve in Congress. After four years of debate, the Senate voted to allow him to keep his seat.
From 1953 to 1961, then-Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles served in President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential Cabinet as secretary of agriculture.
Since 1873, dozens of apostles and prophets have attended presidential inaugurations in Washington D.C.
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has sung for a number of presidents of the United States. For example, it sang at the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan.
Other presidents of the United States have met with Church leaders in Washington, D.C., and at Church headquarters in Salt Lake City. Most recently President Donald Trump in 2017 and President Barack Obama in 2015.
Some photos of Latter-day Saint leaders and presidents of the United States
