Levi E. Young

Levi Edgar Young (February 2, 1874 – December 13, 1963) was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was one of the seven presidents of the Seventy from 1909 until his death. He has been associated with the release of the 1832 account of Joseph Smith's First Vision, which was previously not widely known. Aside from his service in the Seventy, Young served as president of various LDS Church missions. Young received a master's degree from Columbia University in history and was a professor of history at the University of Utah.

Biography Levi Edgar Young was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory on February 2, 1874, the son of LDS Church general authority Seymour B. Young and Elizabeth Riter. and grandson of Joseph Young. Levi Young graduated from the University of Utah in 1895, and later became a faculty member at the same school, teaching history. He also taught at the Lowell school in Salt Lake City and LDS College. " Of his life spent in both clerical and academic pursuits, J. Golden Kimball, in good humor, said of Young: "That little shrimp. He goes around here carrying water on both shoulders, and he's afraid to lean one way or the other for fear of spilling some of it."

First vision account Young may have publicized the existence of the 1832 account of Joseph Smith's first vision, a major historical document in the LDS Church. The 1832 account was the first account and the only one written in Smith's handwriting. It differs from the other accounts because it emphasizes personal forgiveness and does not mention seeing God the Father. Additionally, it does not mention being bound by Satan or Smith's mission of restoration. The Joseph Smith Papers project confirms that the pages related to the account were later returned to the original letterbook.