Palmer, Grant H.

Grant H. Palmer (b. 1940) worked for the LDS Church Educational System (CES) for most of his career. He first worked at the Church College in New Zealand before returning to the United States where he directed LDS Institutes of Religion in California. He later moved to Utah where he taught LDS Seminaries at Salt Lake City High School East and Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. After a conflict with CES administrators, he moved on to working as a chaplin for the Salt Lake County Jail with CES backing. He retired from CES in 2002. His first published book, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, was published by Signature Books in 2002. The book questioned some of the basic beliefs of how the LDS Church began and asked if the Book of Mormon was a factual history of the ancient Americas. After two years, local Church authorities took action against Palmer and disfellowshipped him, a punishment just short of excommunication. Palmer published a second book, The Incomparable Jesus in 2005. He also appeared in the 2007 PBS documentary "The Mormons."

From the guide to the Grant H. Palmer papers, 1788-2007, (J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah)