Brodie, Fawn McKay, 1915-1981

Fawn McKay Brodie was born in Ogden, Utah, on September 15, 1915. Her family were active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with her grandfather serving as president of Brigham Young University and uncle David O. McKay as the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brodie attended Weber College in Ogden from 1930-1932 before finishing a B.A. in English Literature at the University of Utah in 1934. She returned to Weber College to teach English after receiving her degree. Brodie earned an M.A. from the University of Chicago in 1936, the same year she married Bernard Brodie. By this time she had all but given up her faith in the Mormon Church, and undertook a critical study of the history of theBook of Mormon. Brodie completed a critical biography of Joseph Smith in 1944. It was condemned by the Mormon Church and Brodie was excommunicated in 1946. Brodie is also known for several other biographies, including those of Thomas Jefferson, Thaddeus Stevens, Sir Richard Burton, and Richard Nixon. Brodie was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1980 and died on January 10, 1981.

From the description of Letters about "No man knows my history : the life of Joseph Smith," 1947. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 496814884

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