Jonathan Golden Kimball served as a member of the First Council of the Seventy from 1892 until his death in 1938. He is considered one of the most colorful and beloved of the Church’s general authorities. In the years since his death, “Uncle Golden” has become a near legendary character among church members. Kimball gave hundreds of sermons, sparkling with humor and wit. A tall lean man, his voice was described as high and rasping. He was well known for swearing from the pulpit, sprinkling “damn” and “hells” into his speeches. Although the habit was of concern to other church leaders, and subjected him to counsel from church president Heber J. Grant on many occasions, this common touch made Kimball one of the most beloved leaders in the church’s history. Asked how he could get away with the way he spoke, Kimball is said to have replied: “Hell, they can’t excommunicate me. I repent too damned fast.”
