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L. Brent Goates collection of Harold B. Lee papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 9392

Scope and Contents

The L. Brent Goates collection of Harold B. Lee papers contains materials created by Harold B. Lee (1899-1973), an apostle and eleventh president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The collection includes a scrapbook of early family photographs, audio recordings of addresses, copies of printed addresses (some with annotations), handwritten notes for addresses, letters to and from Harold B. Lee, newspaper clippings, research and family history notes, and other loose photographs. Materials are dated 1874 to 1980.

Dates

  • 1874-1980

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Restricted for five years until 2027.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Biographical / Historical

Harold B. Lee (1899-1973) was the eleventh president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Harold Bingham Lee was born in Clifton, Idaho on March 28, 1899 to parents Samuel Marion and Louisa Emily Bingham Lee. He grew up in Idaho, attending Oneida Stake Academy until he was 17. After graduating from the academy, he taught school for four years until he was called to serve a mission in the western United States. After his mission, he was hired as the principal of the Granite School District in 1923. He was appointed a member of the Salt Lake City Commission in December 1932. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints called him to organize the Church Security Welfare Program in 1935. He was called as an apostle in 1941, and served in that position until 1972 when he was called to be the president of the church. He died on December 26, 1973 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He married Fern L. Tanner on November 14, 1923. Together they had two children. After her death in 1962, he married Freda Joan Jensen on June 17, 1963.

Biographical / Historical

L. Brent Goates was born on February 2, 1922 to Lesley and Leda (Kirkham) Goates in Salt Lake City, Utah. He married Helen Lee, daughter of Harold B. Lee, on June 24, 1946, and they had six children. He wrote the definitive biography of Harold B. Lee, the eleventh president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. L. Brent Goates died in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 20, 2016.

Extent

13 boxes (6.5 linear ft.)

4 oversize folders (0.8 linear ft.)

5 folders (0.05 linear ft.)

1 carton (1 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged in nine series: 1. Harold B. Lee correspondence, 1936-1973. 2. Harold B. Lee scrapbooks, 1893-1968. 3. Harold B. Lee photographs, 1945-1973. 4. Harold B. Lee talks, 1928-1973. 5. Harold B. Lee administrative files, 1934-1973. 6. Harold B. Lee portraits, 1945-1973. 7. Harold B. Lee family histories, 1874-1977. 8. Harold B. Lee artifacts, 1970. 9. Harold B. Lee sound recordings, 1961-1980.

Custodial History

The collection was gathered by L. Brent Goates and handed down to his daughter, Jane Reiser. Jane Reiser sold the collection to Moon's Rare Books. L. Tom Perry Special Collections purchased the collection from Moon's Rare Books in 2019.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was purchased from Moon's Rare Books in November 2019.

Appraisal

II B 5, "Utah and the American West"

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital copies of sound recordings available for use in the Reading Room.

Processing Information

Processed; Jamie Wiser; 2021.

  • Photocopies and duplicates of talks given by Harold B. Lee, blank family history pages, and various newspaper clippings.
  • Two portraits for Harold B. Lee.
  • Photocopies and duplicates of letters written by Harold B. Lee, Ogden Temple history, and two editions of Church News.
Title
Register of L. Brent Goates collection of Harold B. Lee papers
Status
In Progress
Author
Jamie Wiser
Date
2021 July 14
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States