| John Gould | |
|---|---|
| First Seven Presidents of the Seventy | |
| 6 April 1837 – 3 September 1837 | |
| Called by | Joseph Smith, Jr. |
| End reason | Honorably released due to an excess of Presidents of the Seventy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 May 1808 Upper Canada |
| Died | 9 May 1851 (aged 42) Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States |
John Gould (11 May 1808 – 9 May 1851) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and is recognized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) as the first non-American person to serve as a general authority.
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Born in Upper Canada, Gould was baptized into the Latter Day Saint church sometime before June 1833. In August 1833, he traveled with Orson Hyde from church headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio to assist the Latter Day Saints in Jackson County, Missouri. In 1834, Gould helped Joseph Smith organize Zion's Camp, a larger group of men that traveled to Missouri to render assistance; however, Gould did not participate in Zion's Camp.
Gould was a missionary for the church in 1834 and 1835; he preached primarily in New York with Evan M. Greene. Gould was ordained to the priesthood office of Seventy in 1836 and on 6 April 1837 became one of the seven presidents of the Seventy, a position with church-wide authority. However, on 3 September of that year, Gould was removed from his position when it was discovered that there were eight, not seven, men who had been chosen to be presidents of the Seventy.[1] Joseph Young, one of the other presidents of the Seventy, asked Gould if he would be willing to join the high priests quorum; Gould agreed, and was ordained a high priest.
Gould moved with the majority of Latter Day Saints to Nauvoo, Illinois in 1839. When the Latter Day Saints left Hancock County, due to ill health Gould chose to relocate to Pottawattamie County, Iowa rather than travel west with the Mormon pioneers. Gould died at his home two days shy of his 43rd birthday.
Gould was married to Abigail Harrington and was the father of at least two children.
Gould is mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants, a Latter Day Saint book of scripture. In a revelation given to Joseph Smith, Jr. and Sidney Rigdon on October 12, 1833, Smith and Rigdon were told that Gould and Orson Hyde were safe and would be saved if they kept the commandments of God.[2]