Grant H. Palmer photograph collection

Collection

Identifier: P1472

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Grant H. Palmer photograph collection consists of 1 box containing 53 color photographs and slides documenting the publication and promotion of Palmer's 2002 book An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, including photographs taken by George Frey for the Associated Press. These photographs were taken between 2001 and 2005. The collection also includes reproductions of research materials collected by Palmer in the 1970s, including copyrighted material from National Geographic and reproductions of religious artwork.

Dates

1975-2005

Creator

Frey, George (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Grant H. Palmer photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.

Biographical Note

Grant Hart Palmer (1940-2017) was born on August 17, 1940 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Merlin and Elna Hart Palmer. He graduated from Olympus High in 1958 and obtained his BA from the University of Utah. He then obtained a MA in History from Brigham Young University (BYU), where he also did work towards a PhD. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Palmer served an Eastern states mission between 1960 to 1962. In 1964, Grant Palmer married Kathy Dahlin; together they had four children. Kathy Dahlin Palmer died in 1992. Later, Palmer remarried to Connie Christensen.

After graduating from BYU, Palmer began working for the Church Education System (CES) for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a job which he held for the span of thirty-four years (1967-2001). His initial teaching assignment involved instructing college students in European history and religion at the Mormon Church College in New Zealand during the years of 1967-1970. Based upon the strong support of the college's headmaster, Palmer was appointed in 1970 as the Director of the Institutes of Religion for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at the colleges of Whittier and Rio Hondo in California, where he supervised seminary teachers in the church's Whittier stake. In 19734, Palmer took leave from his job to pursue a doctorate in religion and history at BYU; however, after a year and a half of study, Palmer resumed his work for CES and was transferred to Oroville, California, where he was the Director of the L.D.S. Institute of Religion at Butte College and supervisor of seminary teachers at the stake in Chico from 1975 until 1980. Upon returning to Utah in 1980, Palmer commenced the final segment of his teaching career. From 1980 until 1988 he taught seminary classes at East High School in Salt Lake City and at Brighton High School.

While teaching at Brighton High School, Palmer began to articulate questions about Joseph Smith and the origins of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In 1985, Palmer wrote and distributed a manuscript called “New York Mormonism,” which he shared under the pseudonym “Paul Pry, Jr.” In addition to his pseudonymous writing, Palmer shared his questions with other members of the Church. As a result, in 1988 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints placed Palmer on probation for one year and removed him from teaching seminary classes. Beginning in 1988, Palmer began working at the Salt Lake County jail, teaching general Christian lessons and Bible classes and acting as a religious counselor to the inmates. Palmer retired from this position in 2001.

Despite the disciplinary measures that the Church imposed upon him, Palmer considered himself a practitioner of the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In 1990, Palmer decided to refine his manuscript on the Church’s origins for publication. This volume was published in 2002 as An Insider's View of Mormon Origins. Though Palmer stated that his scholarship was objective and corrective rather than a condemnation of the legitimacy and practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, his work caused controversy. Negative reaction to Grant's publication took two forms: attacks on his scholarship and an administrative investigation of his adherence to the Church’s beliefs and practices. According to Palmer, in 2004, the church disfellowed him as a result of his work. Despite the negative administrative response, Palmer’s work found a broad audience, and he was interviewed on both local Utah and national news outlets; was included in the 2007 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) documentary “The Mormons;” and published subsequent articles and opinion pieces in newspapers and journals. In 2010, Palmer’s continued writing led the Church to convene a secondary disciplinary council; rather than undergo this extensive process a second time, Palmer chose to resign his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Grant H. Palmer died on September 25, 2017. (Biographical sketch composed by Roger V. Paxton and updated by Claire Kempa.)

Extent

53 Items (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Grant H. Palmer (1940-2017) was an educator, historian, and author. This collection contains images documenting the publication and promotion of Palmer's 2002 book An Insider's View of Mormon Origins as well as images of Palmer's travels and research.