Review
Title: Mormon Envoy: The Diplomatic Legacy of Dr. John Milton Bernhisel
Author: Bruce W. Worthen
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Genre: Biography
Year Published: 2023
Number of Pages: xii + 288 (index included)
Binding: Hard or Soft Cover
ISBN: (softcover): 9780252086892
Price: (softcover): US $29.95
Reviewed by for the Association of Mormon Letters
The life and times of Dr. John Bernhisel, an important but oft-overlooked figure from early Latter-day Saint history, are now accessible in Bruce Worthen’s Mormon Envoy: The Diplomatic Legacy of Dr. John Milton Bernhisel. From its opening pages, readers are invited to join Bernhisel as he navigates two often disparate worlds: one of normative American society, and the other of the Latter-day Saints. Although perhaps not as well-known or evocative as other early “supporting figures” of the Mormon ensemble, Bernhisel left behind a legacy of compromise and bridge-building, one that Worthen wholeheartedly endorses.
Mormon Envoy follows a roughly historical trajectory, digressing occasionally when reminders or foreshadowing are needed. Its first three chapters deal with Bernhisel’s early life, as well as his interactions with Joseph Smith. Chapters 4 through 6 address Bernhisel’s relationship with Brigham Young and the exodus from Nauvoo to Utah. The majority of the book thereafter (Chapters 7 through 19) concerns Bernhisel’s diplomatic efforts throughout major moments in Latter-day Saint history, including fallout over polygamy, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and the Utah War, and multiple attempts to achieve Utah statehood. The volume’s conclusion (pp. 193–198) offers a synopsis of Bernhisel’s life and achievements, noting (as the rest of Mormon Envoy does) his continued efforts to facilitate peace between “the American Empire” (as Worthen often calls it) and the Latter-day Saints. The book closes with a telling paragraph, part of which reads:
“The Mormons had started out as typical Americans venturing into the West in search of new land and opportunities. Their experience diverged from that of other Americans because their charismatic Prophet had far more ambitious plans. He wanted to create a New Jerusalem in the West where a theocracy would correct the evils of the age while forging the Mormons into a people fit to be caught up into heaven at the world’s end. It was a bold idea, but the frontier could not accommodate such a novel society. The resulting conflicts threatened to destroy the Latter-day Saints as a people—but the wise action of John Bernhisel, their unassuming diplomat, saved them from disaster. As a result, the Mormons reconciled with their country and became typical Americans once again” (p. 198).
It is clear throughout Mormon Envoy that its author, Bruce Worthen, sincerely supports the diplomatic causes of Bernhisel. At times the author’s subjectivity can sound repetitive, frequently using certain talking points and regularly critiquing various other figures in Latter-day Saint history. One of these figures is Brigham Young, who is lambasted for his brash behavior and his frequent destabilization of Bernhisel’s carefully laid plans (for instance, see pp. 4–5). Worthen’s aim, however, is to do full justice to Dr. John M. Bernhisel. Worthen highlights Bernhisel’s influence—either physical or influential—during pivotal moments of Mormon history both before and after the Martyrdom.
Worthen’s approach to biographing Bernhisel’s life is, as he notes, limited by a lack of personal sources: “The historical record contains many of Bernhisel’s discussions with some of the most influential leaders of government and of Mormonism. … Bernhisel could have written the definitive history of the Latter-day Saints, but instead, he chose to write nothing. He left us only with his letters that tell us part of the story—but not all we want to know. Bernhisel was particularly quiet when it came to telling us about himself. His motives are often unclear, and he did not share much of his past with others” (p. 7). Bernhisel’s reticence to air his personal feelings on matters, plus his general lack of journaling, means that the biographer’s craft could be severely limited. Here, though, Worthen’s deep admiration and advocacy for Bernhisel become virtues as he seeks to highlight possible reasons for Bernhisel’s thoughts, words, and actions.
Perhaps the most memorable—and, for me, most intriguing—instance of this phenomenon occurs as Worthen wrestles with Bernhisel’s stance on polygamy. “While Bernhisel had willingly entered into his eight marriages, it is unclear what his understanding of the practice was at the time. … [Bernhisel] fathered only one child with his first wife, Julia Ann Haight Van Orden, [in December 1846]. The doctor’s first child with Elizabeth Barker was born on February 28, 1849, which was more than three years after their marriage and most likely after he and Julia Ann had informally separated. Nor is there any extant record of Bernhisel having children with any of his other wives [after Elizabeth, who bore him nine children in toto]. The pattern suggests the distinct possibility that the doctor was married to only one woman at a time for the sake of fathering children” (p. 112). Worthen suggests that notwithstanding Bernhisel’s devout belief in Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling, he may not have held as strong views about polygamy later in life: “In a letter to Brigham Young of November 8, 1852, the doctor may have been expressing his own doubts when he told the Mormon leader, ‘It seems at present utterly impossible that one in ten thousand will be convinced that the ‘Doctrine’ is at all consistent with chastity or even common morality, much less that it is a pure and righteous one’” (p. 113). Worthen’s suggestions are much stronger at the end of Mormon Envoy: “Bernhisel spent much of his time after leaving Congress providing a measure of support for protecting the legality of polygamy—even though it was a practice that he had abandoned and was clearly against” (pp. 197–198). Worthen offers compelling evidence and historical reconstruction for Bernhisel’s relationship with polygamy, as well as a brief yet helpful appendix charting Bernhisel’s marriages (p. 199).
However one may feel about Worthen’s methods or conclusions, I believe that his willingness to wrestle with Bernhisel’s “polygamy issue” demonstrates a charity for his subject matter that is often underplayed in the academy. Historians strive for objectivity, honesty, and sound methodology as they work in and with the past—but a key ingredient to all these approaches is the willingness to let these historical figures be who they were, and not who we want them to be. All in all, Mormon Envoy offers readers an important look and valuable insights into the life of John M. Bernhisel. Efforts continue to be made to familiarize (and perhaps even popularize) heretofore unsung figures of Latter-day Saint history, and Mormon Envoy is a good step in the right direction.