Todd Compton Explained
Todd Merlin Compton (born 1952) is an American historian in the fields of Mormon history and classics. Compton is a respected authority on the plural wives of the LDS Church founder, Joseph Smith.[1]
Biographical background
Compton is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[2] who lived for a number of years in Santa Monica, California. He has served an LDS mission to Ireland.[3] He studied violin with Richard Nibley[2] and has played electric violin with singer-songwriter Mark Davis. In 1982 he completed a master's degree from Brigham Young University. He later received a Ph.D. from UCLA in classics (concentrating on Greek and Indo-European mythology) which he taught for a year at USC.[2] He also taught at UCLA and California State University, Northridge. He has been an independent researcher since 1993, drawing a regular income by working as an ADS specialist for a law office.[2]
Compton began his serious work in Mormon history as a visiting fellow at the Huntington Library studying the journals of Eliza R. Snow. He found that his classics background helped his Mormon history work by teaching him respect for these primary documents.[2] While researching, and trying to note people identified in Snow's journals, Compton found that he needed a good list of Joseph Smith's plural wives. Not finding one, he began researching his own list, which eventually grew into his 1997 book, In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith.
Publications
Compton's notable works include In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith, which was awarded the Best Book Award from both the John Whitmer Historical Association and the Mormon History Association.[4] The Mormon History Association also awarded him the 2002 Best Documentary Award for his and Charles Hatch's book A Widow's Tale: The 1884–1886 Diary of Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, and the 1996 Award of Excellence for his article "A Trajectory of Plurality: An Overview of Joseph Smith's Thirty Three Plural Wives".[5]
Compton has contributed publications to the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), including articles in FARMS Review of Books and Journal of Book of Mormon Studies and as an editor of the 1987 edition of Hugh Nibley's Mormonism and Early Christianity.[6] He has also been published in The Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism, American Journal of Philology, , Sunstone Magazine, Classical Quarterly, and the Journal of Popular Culture.[4]
From 1993–1998, Compton served on the editorial board for the periodical .[7] [8] Starting in 2004, Compton returned to work at Dialogue, this time as the editorial staff's History Editor.[9] [10] Compton has also served on the Board of Editors for the Journal of Mormon History since 2000.[11] [12]
Compton's biography of Jacob Hamblin, A Frontier Life: Jacob Hamblin, Explorer and Indian Missionary, was published by the University of Utah Press in September, 2013. His article, "'In & through the roughefist country it has ever been my lot to travel'": Jacob Hamblin's 1858 Expedition Across the Colorado," (Utah Historical Quarterly, Winter 2012) received the Dale L. Morgan Award from the Utah State Historical Society.
In May 2017, through his company Pahreah Press, Compton published a book on the songwriting of the Beatles, titled Who Wrote the Beatle Songs? A History of Lennon-McCartney.
Works
- Books
- Book: Nibley
, Hugh W. . Hugh Nibley . Todd Compton . Stephen D. Ricks . Stephen D. Ricks . Mormonism and Early Christianity . 1987 . . The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley . 4 . Salt Lake City . 0-87579-127-1 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith . . 1997 . Salt Lake City . 1-56085-085-X .
- Book: Whitney, Helen Mar . Todd M. Compton . Charles M. Hatch . A Widow's Tale: The 1884-1896 Diary of Helen Mar Whitney . . Life Writings of Frontier Women . 6 . 2003 . Logan, Utah . 0-87421-557-9 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . Victim of The Muses: Poet as Scapegoat, Warrior and Hero in Greco-Roman and Indo-European Myth and History . Center for Hellenic Studies, Trustees for Harvard University . 2006 . Washington, D.C. . 0-674-01958-X .
- Book: Gentry, Leland Homer . Todd M. Compton . Fire and Sword: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri, 1836-39 . Greg Kofford Books . 2011 . Salt Lake City, Utah . 978-1-58958-120-3 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . A Frontier Life: Jacob Hamblin, Explorer and Indian Missionary . University of Utah Press . 2013 . Salt Lake City, Utah .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . Who Wrote the Beatle Songs? A History of Lennon-McCartney . Pahreah Press . 2017 . San Jose, California . 978-0-9988997-0-1 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . The Ethics of the Uncanny: An Anthology of Great Ghost Stories . Pahreah Press . 2018 . San Jose, California . 978-0-9988997-3-2 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . In Sacred Loneliness: The Documents . . 2022 . Salt Lake City, Utah .
- Chapters
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . Apostasy . . 1 . Daniel H. Ludlow . Daniel H. Ludlow . . New York . 1992 . 0-02-879600-4 . 56–58 . http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Apostasy .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . Symbolism . . 3 . Daniel H. Ludlow . Daniel H. Ludlow . . New York . 1992 . 0-02-879602-0 . 1428–30 . http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Symbolism .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . Fawn Brodie on Joseph Smith's Plural Wives and Polygamy: A Critical View . Reconsidering 'No Man Knows My History': Fawn M. Brodie and Joseph Smith in Retrospect . registration . Newell G. Bringhurst . . Logan . 1996 . 0-87421-214-6 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . Foreword . Joseph Smith's Quorum of the Anointed, 1842-1845 . Devery S. . Anderson . Gary James . Bergera . . 2005 . Salt Lake City . 1-56085-186-4 . 57965858 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . Plural Accidents: Writing In Sacred Loneliness . Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books . Joseph W. Geisner . . Salt Lake City . 2020 . 9781560852810 .
- Articles and papers
- Compton, Todd M. . The Homeric roots of Virgil's Elysium, and Notes on the manuscript Montpellier 360 of Sallust . . Provo, UT . 1982 . Master's thesis .
- Compton, Todd M. . The Exile of the Poet: Bardic Expulsion and Death in the Archaic Greek and Indo-European Traditions . . 1988 . Doctoral thesis .
- 10.1111/j.0022-3840.1988.2202_99.x . Compton, Todd M. . McCartney or Lennon?: Beatle Myths and the Composing of the Lennon-McCartney Songs . . 22 . 2 . 1988 . 99–131 .
- 10.1017/S0009838800043160 . Compton, Todd M. . What Are the Tornoi in Philebus 51C? . The Classical Quarterly . 40 . 2 . 1990 . 549–552 . 639118 . 170703800 .
- Compton, Todd M. . The Trial of the Satirist: Poetic Vitae (Aesop, Archilochus, Homer) as Background for Plato's Apology . . 111 . 3 . Autumn 1990 . 330–347 . 10.2307/295155 . 295155 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . The Handclasp and Embrace as Tokens of Recognition . By Study and Also by Faith, Volume 1: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday . . . Salt Lake City . 1990 . 611–42 . 0-87579-339-8 .
- Compton, Todd M. . Counter-Hierarchical Revelation . . 15 . 2 . June 1991 . 34–41 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . Non-Hierarchical Revelation . Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism . Maxine Hanks . . Salt Lake City . 1992 . 1-56085-014-0 .
- Compton, Todd M. . The Spirituality of the Outcast in the Book of Mormon . . 2 . 1 . Spring 1993 . 139–60 . 10.2307/44758643 . 44758643 . 193680485 .
- Compton, Todd M. . Fanny Alger Smith Custer, Mormonism's First Plural Wife? . . 22 . 1 . Spring 1996 . 172–205 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081221184953/http://content.lib.utah.edu/u/?%2Fjmh%2C18163 . 2008-12-21.
- Compton, Todd M. . A Trajectory of Plurality: An Overview of Joseph Smith's Thirty-three Plural Wives . . 29 . 2 . Summer 1996 . 1–38 . 10.2307/45226184 . 45226184 . 254388739 . free .
- Compton, Todd M. . Christian Scholarship and the Book of Mormon . . 20 . 3 . September 1996 . 74–81 .
- Compton, Todd M. . Heaven and Hell: The Parable of the Loving Father and the Judgmental Son . . 29 . 4 . Winter 1996 . 31–44 . 10.2307/45228290 . 45228290 . 254386966 . free .
- Compton, Todd M. . In Sacred Loneliness: An Introduction and Some RLDS Portraits . . 19 . 1999 . 62–78 .
- Compton, Todd M. . Thoughts on the Possibility of an Open Temple . . 23 . 1 . March 1999 . 42–9 .
- Compton, Todd M. . "Remember Me in My Affliction": Louisa Beaman Young and Eliza R. Snow Letters, 1849 . . 25 . 2 . Fall 1999 . 46–69 .
- Compton, Todd M. . Was Jesus a Feminist? . . 32 . 4 . Winter 1999 . 1–17 . 10.2307/45226633 . 45226633 . 254318903 . free .
- Compton, Todd M. . The Spiritual Roots of the Democratic Party: Why I Am a Mormon Democrat . Sunstone Symposium . Summer 2001 .
- Compton, Todd M. . John Willard Young, Brigham Young, and the Development of Presidential Succession in the LDS Church . . 35 . 4 . Winter 2002 . 111–34 . 10.2307/45226902 . 45226902 . 254404200 .
- Compton, Todd M. . "Kingdom of Priests": Priesthood, Temple, and Women in the Old Testament and in the Restoration . . 36 . 3 . Fall 2003 . 41–59 . 10.2307/45227107 . 45227107 . 254398613 . free .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . The New Mormon Women's History . Excavating Mormon Pasts: The New Historiography of the Last Half Century . Newell G. Bringhurst . Lavina Fielding Anderson . Lavina Fielding Anderson . 2004 . Greg Kofford Books . Salt Lake City . 273–302 . 1-58958-091-5 .
- Compton, Todd M. . Civilizing the Ragged Edge: The Wives of Jacob Hamblin . . Summer 2007 . 33 . 2 . 155–98 .
- Compton, Todd M. . A Playwright with a Passion for Unvarnished Depictions: An Interview with Tom Rogers . . 41 . 1 . Spring 2008 . 67–90 . 10.5406/dialjmormthou.41.1.0067 . 171495284 .
- Compton, Todd M. . Becoming a "Messenger of Peace": Jacob Hamblin in Tooele . . 42 . 1 . Spring 2009 . 1–29 . 10.5406/dialjmormthou.42.1.0001 . 171754115 . free .
- Compton, Todd M. . The Big Washout: The 1862 Flood in Santa Clara . Utah Historical Quarterly . 77 . 2 . Spring 2009 . 108–125 . 10.2307/45063184 . 45063184 . 254443729 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . Early Marriage in the New England and Northeastern States, and in Mormon Polygamy: What Was the Norm? . The Persistence of Polygamy: Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormon Polygamy . Newell G. Bringhurst . Craig L. Foster . . 2010 . Independence, Missouri . 978-1-934901-13-7 .
- Compton, Todd M. . "In & through the roughefist country it has ever been my lot to travel": Jacob Hamblin's 1858 Expedition Across the Colorado . Utah Historical Quarterly . 80 . 1 . Winter 2012 . 4–21 . 10.2307/45063375 . 45063375 . 254434222 .
- Compton, Todd M. . Mitt Romney's Polygamous Heritage . Personal Website . May 2012 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . 'The Lord Alone Knows How Deep the Sorrow Has Been in My Heart' MARY MINERVA DART JUDD (1838-1909) . Women of Faith in the Latter Days, Volume Two, 1821-1845 . Richard E. Turley . Brittany A. Chapman . 2012 . Deseret Book . Salt Lake City . 167–82 .
- Compton, Todd M. . Conquering the Black Ridge: The Communitarian Road in Pioneer Utah . Utah Historical Quarterly . 82 . 3 . Summer 2014 . 220–32 . 10.2307/45063066 . 45063066 . 254438624 .
- Book: Compton, Todd M. . Slickrock Missions: Jacob Hamblin's Communitarian Expeditions across the Colorado . Dixie State University . 2015 . St. George, Utah .
- Compton, Todd M. . Infinite Canons: A Few Axioms and Questions, and in Addition, a Proposed Definition . Personal Website . 2015 .
- Compton, Todd M. . Ganado Mucho and the Mormons: Seeking for Peace in Troubled Times . . 41 . 2021 . 86–110 .
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Comparing Mormon founder, FLDS leader on polygamy . The Salt Lake Tribune . 2020-03-06 . 2020-07-06.
- Smith, Julie M. "An Interview with Todd Compton". http://www.timesandseasons.org/?p=2826. Accessed 1 November 2007.
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- Web site: In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith (publisher's site). Signature Books. 2008-07-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080316161600/http://signaturebooks.com/insacred.htm . 2008-03-16.
- Web site: MHA Awards. Mormon History Association. 2006. 2008-07-14. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120213160031/http://www.mhahome.org/awards/07_Awards.pdf. 2012-02-13.
- Web site: Todd M. Compton. Authors. Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. 2008-07-14.
- Editorial Board. Inside Front Cover b. . 26. 1. Spring 1993. 2008-07-29.
- Editorial Board. Inside Front Cover. . 31. 4. Winter 1998. 2008-07-29.
- Editor. Inside Front Cover. . 37. 1. Spring 2004. 2008-07-29.
- Web site: Editorial Staff. . Dialogue Foundation. 2008-07-29.
- Board of Editors. Journal of Mormon History. 26. 1. Spring 2000. iii. 2008-07-29.
- Web site: Staff of the Journal of Mormon History. Journal of Mormon History. Mormon History Association. 2008-07-29. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080212034906/http://www.mhahome.org/pubs/. 2008-02-12.