Dates

• Existence: 1906 - 1977

Biography

Rulon Clark Allred (1906 – 1977) was a naturopathic physician, chiropractor, and leader of the polygamous group the Apostolic United Brethren from 1954 until his murder in 1977.

Rulon Clark Allred was born March 29, 1906, to Byron Harvey Allred Jr and Mary Evelyn Clark in Chihuahua, Old Mexico. He was raised in a polygamous family, but during his teenage years joined mainstream Mormonism through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On June 9, 1926, he married Katherine Lucy Handy in the Salt Lake City temple and moved to California to pursue work in the medical field. While in California, Allred held various positions in the Church including serving in the Stake Genealogical Society and Stake Presidency and planned and participated in many trips to the Mesa Arizona temple to assist with work for the dead. 1n 1933, Rulon’s father wrote a book that defended the practice of polygamy called A Leaf in Review. Rulon wrote many letters to his father asking him to stop his practice and belief in polygamy and in the process was converted to his father’s point of view. Throughout this time Rulon spent years trying to convert Katherine and other church members to his new belief in polygamy. By October 1935, Katherine and Rulon divorce and by May 8, 1940, Rulon was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After his excommunication, Rulon moved to Salt Lake City and joined the United Order Effort, a break off polygamist group. Rulon quickly climbed the ranks by establishing congregations in Mexico and California, and through his work with and relation to Joseph Musser. In 1954 after Joseph Musser’s death, Rulon assumed the role of the leader of the Apostolic United Brethren, a break off from the United Order Effort. As leader and prophet of the Apostolic United Brethren, Rulon was arrested multiple times for his practice of polygamy, established congregations in Arizona, Montana, and Utah, and by the time of his murder Rulon was sealed to at least sixteen women and had forty-eight children. On May 10, 1977, by order of Ervil LeBaron, a rival polygamist leader, Rena Chenoweth and Ramona Marston shot and killed Rulon at his naturopathic clinic in Murray, UT. Rulon’s funeral was held at Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah with over 2600 people in attendance.

Citation:

UPB Files, May 21, 2018 (b. March 29, 1906 to Byron Harvey Allred Jr and Mary Evelyn Clark in Chihuahua, Old Mexico; married Katherine Lucy Handy in Salt Lake City temple June 9, 1926; positions served in Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints including in the Stake Genealogy Society, Stake Presidency, and participation in temple trips to Mesa Arizona temple; tries to convert others including Katherine to his beliefs in polygamy.) Peculiar Prophets: A Biog. Dict. of New Religions, 1999: p. 9-10 (raised in a polygamous family but joined mainstream Mormonism during teenage years; converted to father’s point of view; moved to Salt Lake City after excommunication from Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and joined United Order Effort.) Wikipedia, via WWW, May 21, 2018 (as leader of Apostolic United Brethren, Rulon was arrested multiple times, established congregations in Utah, Montana, and Arizona, and was sealed to at least sixteen women and had forty-eight children.) FindAGrave, via WWW, May 21, 2018 (excommunicated from the Church May 8, 1940; d. May 10, 1977; murdered by Rena Chenoweth and Ramona Marston under orders from Ervil LeBaron; funeral at Bingham HS in South Jordan, UT; 2,600 attended.) MormonFundamentalist.com, via WWW, May 21, 2018 (Byron Allred wrote A Leaf in Review; Rulon while writing letters to his father to convince him to stop his belief in polygamy was converted to his father’s point of view; October 1935 divorce from Katherine; Rulon climbed ranks in United Order Effort; Rulon’s relation to Joseph Musser.)

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