John Lowe Butler - Faithful Witness of the Entire Restoration Movement

John Lowe Butler lived a remarkable long life that spanned the entire history of the Restoration. Born April 8, 1808, he converted to the Church in October 1830 and witnessed every major phase of the movement: the Kirtland period, the Missouri tribulations (1838-39), the Nauvoo era where he served as one of Joseph Smith's twelve official bodyguards, the exodus from Nauvoo, service in wilderness expeditions, and finally settlement in Utah in 1852. He endured persecution, poverty, separation from family, dangerous military service, and multiple difficult assignments. Yet the Lord preserved him through all these trials. He served as a bishop in Spanish Fork, Utah, and continued his service until his death in 1860. His long life—spanning 52 years of faithful service through the most turbulent periods of Church history—stands as testimony to the Lord's preservation of a devoted servant.