Amy B. Lyman

Amy Brown Lyman (February 7, 1872 – December 5, 1959) was the eighth general president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1940 to 1945.

Born in Pleasant Grove, Utah Territory, Amy Cassandra Brown was the 23rd of 25 children born to her polygamist father, John Brown. John Brown was a leader of the Mississippi Saints, a group of Mormons from Mississippi who knowing that Brigham Young and the rest of the Quorum of the 12 had began the exodus of the Mormons from Nauvoo early in 1846 decided that the best way to join up with the main body of the LDS Church was to go west and meet in the mountains. They spent the winter in Pueblo, Colorado where they were joined by the Mormon Battallion sick detachment, and then traveled north to meet up with the advanced company under Brigham Young.

Amy Brown attended high school at Brigham Young Academy (BYA).^[1] It was here she met Richard Lyman. For part of her time at BYA Amy lived in the home of Karl G. and Anna Meith Maeser.

Amy and Richard's plans to marry were postponed because the University of Michigan did not allow married students at the time and that was where Richard was studying. Amy worked as a teacher at BYA from 1888-1894.^[2] Amy and Richard's marriage in 1896 in the Salt Lake Temple was performed by Joseph F. Smith. After this Amy went with Richard as he studied at Cornell University and the University of Chicago. While in Chicago Amy became involved in Settlement House programs and associated with Jane Addams.

Lyman founded and headed the LDS Church's social welfare department for 16 years. She also served a term as a member of the Utah House of Representatives. Prior to the Second World War, Lyman accompanied her husband, Richard R. Lyman, to England where he presided over the European Mission of the church.

From 1928 to 1939, Lyman was the first counselor to president Louise Y. Robison in the Relief Society general presidency. In 1940, Lyman succeeded Robison as president and, in turn, was succeeded by her own second counselor, Belle S. Spafford.

Lyman served until 1945, when she requested to be released due to her marital problems resulting from her husband's infidelity. Lyman's husband Richard was an apostle of the LDS Church. In 1943, while she was serving as Relief Society president, Richard was excommunicated for cohabiting with another woman. Richard Lyman is the most recent apostle to have been excommunicated from the church.

See also

• LDS Family Services

References

• Amy Brown Lyman (1945). In Retrospect: Autobiography of Amy Brown Lyman (Salt Lake City: General Board of Relief Society).
• Nola Redd, Relief Society Presidents: Amy Brown Lyman
• Richard S, Van Waggoner and Steven C. Walker. A Book of Mormons bio of Amy Brown Lyman
• Amy B. Lyman at Find a Grave

1. ^ Francis M. Gibbons. George Albert Smith: Kind and Caring Christian, Prophet of God. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1990) p. 5
2. ^ Ernest L. Wilkinson. Brigham Young University: The First 100 Years. (Provo: BYU Press, 1975) Vol. 1, p. 579