The saintly scoundrel : the life and times of Dr. John Cook Bennett / Andrew F. Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Andrew F., 1946-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bennett, John Cook, 1804-1867.

Bennett, John Cook.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Latter Day Saints--United States--Biography.

Latter Day Saints.

Latter Day Saint churches.

United States.

Ex-church members--United States--Biography.

Ex-church members.

Ex-church members--Mormon Church--Biography.

Ex-church members--Latter Day Saint churches.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--Membership.

Latter Day Saint churches--United States--Membership.

Surgeons--United States--Biography.

Surgeons.

Horticulturists--United States--Biography.

Horticulturists.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xiii, 271 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Urbana : University of Illinois Press, [1997]

Summary:

This is the first biography of one of this nation's most outrageous individuals, a man who was president of the medical departments of two universities and chancellor of two others, a member and officer of at least twenty different agricultural, medical, or social organizations, an itinerant minister in three different denominations, and a lobbyist who successfully ushered bills through legislatures in Ohio, Virginia, Indiana, and Illinois. Bennett's roles ranged from mayor of Nauvoo, confidant of Joseph Smith, and chicken breeder to surgeon, quartermaster general of Illinois, promoter of the tomato, and diploma salesman. His story is brilliantly told by an author who spent nine years uncovering and piecing together the facts. The Saintly Scoundrel reveals Bennett as one of the nineteenth century's most enterprising and entertaining humbugs, truly a man who excelled at promoting beliefs, places, things, and himself, whose ability to abruptly shift positions on people and faiths would dazzle even the most formidable propagandist of the twentieth century.

Contents:

Westward immigrants

The diploma peddler

The getter up of colleges

The tomato campaign

Vagabond interludes

Nauvoo : the saintly city

Smith's exposé of Bennett

Bennett's exposé of Smith

The lecture circuit

Ho for Voree : Bennett's Mormon encore

A fowl ending

In retrospect.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [237]-261) and index.

Local Notes:

Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Sheldon Hackney.

Storage copy inscribed by the author to Sheldon Hackney.

ISBN:

0252022823

OCLC:

34721478