Edward Partridge: The First Bishop — Tarred and Feathered — Responded With Christ-like Forgiveness

Edward Partridge (1793–1840) was called by revelation as the first bishop of the Church (D&C 41) in February 1831 — one of the first offices established in the restored Church. Of him, Joseph Smith wrote that he was 'a pattern of piety, and one of the Lord's great men.'

On July 20, 1833, a mob of 400–500 men gathered in Independence, Missouri, having resolved to drive the Saints from Jackson County. They seized Bishop Partridge and Charles Allen and dragged them to the public square. There, before the assembled mob, Partridge was stripped of his hat, coat, and vest, and then daubed from head to foot with hot tar and covered with feathers.

Edward Partridge wrote of the experience: 'I was at the time filled with the Spirit of God, and endured it with patience and resignation.'

What made his response miraculous was his Christlike composure. Witnesses reported that he did not cry out, did not resist, and did not curse his tormentors. After the ordeal, he walked home. A bystander who saw him pass was so moved by his bearing that it became one of the most-told stories of Missouri persecution.

Three days after being tarred and feathered, Partridge saw mobs again gather on the public square. To prevent further violence and protect the Saints, he and other leaders signed an agreement — a profound sacrifice of personal dignity and property rights — to save others from harm.

Edward Partridge died on May 27, 1840, in Nauvoo. Joseph Smith said at his funeral that he had 'never felt to censure him.' He is the father of Emily and Eliza Partridge.