He was a church leader in his own right, named an apostle of the church in his mid-twenties. He also served as teacher, county clerk, newspaper editor, and missionary, among many other things.
He was a staunch believer in the doctrine of plural marriage, and had six wives and thirty-six children. He would not give it up and was excommunicated for it. He died of cancer at his home in Forest Dale, Salt Lake County, Utah October 16, 1916, at 56 years of age.