William Law

Biography Law was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, to Richard Law and Ann Hunter as the youngest of five children. His older brother was Wilson Law. The Law family moved to the United States around 1820. Law eventually ended up in Churchville, Upper Canada, and at the age of 24 married Jane Silverthorn, who was 19 years old. Law and Silverthorn had eight children: two daughters and six sons. He was also a member of the Nauvoo city council. Law and his wife confirmed these rumors were partly true.

However, according to Alexander Neibaur, Jane Law had actually asked to be sealed to Smith after he had refused to seal her to William. According to the rumor, Smith had denied the couple because William was guilty of adultery (William had confessed his actions to Smith), though he did not tell Jane his reasons. In committing the sin, Law felt like he had transgressed against his own soul.

Years later, according to Ann Eliza Young (nineteenth wife of Brigham Young and later a critic of polygamy and Mormonism), Jane stated Smith visited her at night. He knew Law would not be home and proposed to her, suggesting it was God's will that she enter into a polyandrous marriage with him. Young's account states that Jane Law stated that Smith had "asked her to give him half her love; she was at liberty to keep the other half for her husband." She refused Smith's request to marry him as a polyandrous plural wife. In contrast to her claim, Smith stated Jane had "thrown her arms around his neck" and requested to be sealed to Smith if she could not be sealed to William Law. Smith turned down the request. It was destroyed later that day.

Smith was later arrested and taken to nearby Carthage, Illinois, on charges relating to the destruction of the Expositor. On June 27, 1844, Smith was killed by a mob.

For many years, Law was accused of being a member or a leader of the mob that killed Smith. Law denied that he was in Carthage, and stated in his diary that he had been there earlier in the day.

Law expressed outrage and remorse at Smith's death in his private journal.

In 1887, Law agreed to be interviewed reflecting on his experience with Mormonism. This interview, along with three letters by Law, were published in the Salt Lake Tribune.

William Law died in 1892 at the age of 82 in Shullsburg, Lafayette County, Wisconsin. His later years were marked by a return to private life, distancing himself from the religious controversies that had once defined his public persona.