Author Rutherford Joseph Franklin

inion that his four opposers were not legally directors and replaced them with four new sympathetic directors.[1][2] Twelve legal opinions subsequently obtained by the four ousted directors claimed Rutherford's actions were "wholly unlawful". The leadership crisis divided the Bible Student community and helped contribute to the loss of one-seventh of the Watch Tower adherents by 1919. He and six other Watch Tower executives were jailed in 1918 after charges were laid over the publication of The Finished Mystery, a book deemed "seditious" for its anti-war comments.[3] Rutherford introduced many organizational and doctrinal changes that helped shape the beliefs and practices of today's Jehovah's Witnesses.[4][5] He imposed a centralized administrative structure on the worldwide Bible Student movement he later called a theocracy, required all members of the religion to distribute literature and preach door to door and provide regular reports of their activity[6][7] and instituted public speaking training programs as part of their weekly worship meetings. He established 1914 as the date of Christ's invisible return, formulated the current Witness concept of Armageddon as God's war on the wicked and reinforced the belief that the start of Christ's millennial reign was imminent. He directed that adherents not celebrate customs such as Christmas and birthdays, salute national flags or sing national anthems and in his last years directed that hymns not be sung at meetings. He introduced the name "Jehovah's witnesses" in 1931 and coined the name "Kingdom Hall" for houses of worship in 1935.[8] He wrote 21 books and was credited by the Society in 1942 with having put almost 400 million books and booklets in the hands of individuals.[9] The number of adherents more than tripled during Rutherford's 25 years as president.[10][11] Authors William Whalen and James Penton have claimed that Rutherford was to Russell what Brigham Young was to Mormon prophet Joseph Smith. Penton contends that both Russell and Smith were able religious leaders but naive visionaries, while Rutherford and Young were "hard-bitten pragmatists who gave a degree of permamency to the movements they dominated".[12] Rutherford was born in Boonville, Missouri on November 8, 1869 to a Baptist farm family and raised in near poverty.[13] Rutherford developed an interest in law from the age of 16.[14] Although his father discouraged this interest, he allowed Rutherford to go to college provided he could pay for a laborer to take his place on the family farm. Rutherford took out a loan[15] and helped to pay for his law studies by working as a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman and court stenographer.[16] He spent two years as a judge's intern, became an official court reporter at age 20 and was admitted to the Missouri bar in May 1892 at age 22.[17] He became a trial lawyer for a law firm[18] and later served for four years in Boonville as a public prosecutor. He campaigned briefly for Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan.[19] He was appointed a Special Judge[20] in the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri,[21][22] sitting as a substitute judge at least once when a regular judge was unable to hold court.[23] His appointment earned him the sobriquet "Judge" Rutherford. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1909 and admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court the same year.[24] In 1894 Rutherford bought three volumes of Charles Taze Russell's Millennial Dawn series of Bible studies from two colporteurs (Watch Tower Society preachers) who visited his office. Rutherford, who viewed all religions as insincere, shallow and hypocritical, was struck by Russell's sincerity and his sentiments towards religion, which mirrored his own view.[25][26] Rutherford immediately wrote to the Watch Tower Society to tell them he and his wife found the books a godsend.[27] He was baptized 12 years later and he and his wife began holding Bible classes in their home.[28] The following year, 1907, he became legal counsel for the Watch Tower Society at its Pittsburgh headquarters to handle its court cases, and from around that time began to give public talks as a "pilgrim" representative (travelling overseer) of the Society.[29] As Russell's health deteriorated, Rutherford represented him on trips to Europe[30] and in April 1915 he deputised for him at a major debate with Baptist preacher J.H. Troy over four nights in Los Angeles before an audience of 12,000,[31][32][33] debating such subjects as the state of the dead, hellfire and Christ's Second Coming.[34] Rutherford wrote a pamphlet, A Great Battle in the Ecclestiastical Heavens, in defence of Russell[35] and served as chairman of the Bible Students' Los Angeles convention in September 1916. By 1916 Rutherford had become one of the seven directors of the Watch Tower Society and when Russell died on October 13, 1916 he was chosen – with Vice-President Alfred I. Ritchie and Secretary-Treasurer William E. Van Amburgh – to form a three-man executive committee to run the Pennsylvania corporation until a new president was elected at the annual general meeting the following January.[36] He also joined a five-man editorial committee to run The Watchtower from the December 15, 1916 issue. Russell had decreed in his will that after his death the magazine was to be managed by an editorial committee of five[37] and he had named the five men he wished to form the committee. He had placed Rutherford fourth on a second list of five alternate members to fill any vacancies that arose.[38] Bible Student Alexander H. Macmillan, who served as an aide to the executive committee, later wrote that tensions at Watch Tower headquarters mounted as the day for election of the Society's officers approached. He observed: "A few ambitious ones at headquarters were holding caucuses here and there, doing a little electioneering to get their men in. However, Van Amburgh and I held a large number of votes. Many shareholders, knowing of our long association with Russell, sent their proxies to us to be cast for the one whom we thought best fitted for office."[39] Macmillan, who claimed he had declined an offer from an ailing Russell months earlier to accept the position of Society president after his death,[40] agreed with Van Amburgh that Rutherford was the best candidate. He wrote: "Rutherford did not know what was going on. He certainly didn't do any electioneering or canvassing for votes, but I guess he was doing some worrying, knowing if he was elected he would have a big job on his hands ... There is no doubt in our minds that the Lord's will was done in this choice. It is certain that Rutherford himself had nothing to do with it."[41] On January 6, 1917, Rutherford, aged 47, was elected President of the Watch Tower Society, unopposed, at the Pittsburgh convention. Controversy soon followed. Author Tony Wills claims there is evidence that nominations were suspended once Rutherford had been nominated, depriving shareholders of the chance to cast thousands of votes for other candidates[42][43] and within months Rutherford felt the need to defend himself against rumors within the Brooklyn Bethel that he had used "political methods" to secure his election. In the first volley of what became a bitter pamphlet war by opposing sides, Rutherford told Bible Students: "There is no person on earth who can truthfully say that I ever asked them directly or indirectly to vote for me."[44] By June the rumblings surrounding Rutherford's elevation to President were turning into what he called a "storm"[45] that ruptured the Watch Tower Society for the remainder of 1917. The seeds had been sown in January[46] when Bethel pilgrim Paul S.L. Johnson, sent to England following Russell's death with orders to inspect the management and finances of the Society's London corporation,[47] dismissed two managers of the corporation, seized its funds and attempted to reorganize the body. When Rutherford, who was convinced Johnson was insane and suffering religious delusions, ordered his recall to New York in late February, Johnson refused and claimed he was answerable only to the full Board of Directors.[48] When he did finally return to New York and apologise to the Bethel family for his excesses in London,[49] Johnson became caught up in a move against Rutherford by four of the seven Watch Tower Society directors. At issue were new by-laws that had been passed in January by both the Pittsburgh convention and the Board of Directors, stating that the President would be the executive officer and general manager of the Society, giving him full charge of its affairs worldwide.[50] Opinions on the need for the by-laws were sharply divided. Rutherford maintained that Russell, as president, had always acted as the Society's manager, and the January 6 vote by shareholders to approve the by-laws proved they wanted this process to continue under his successor.[51] He explained that it was a matter of efficiency: "The work of the Society peculiarly requires the direction of one mind," he wrote. "There are so many small details that if several persons had to direct them, more than the time would be used in consultation. This was clearly demonstrated by the Executive Committee, and it was found that it took three men two hours a day what one could do in a third of that time."[52] Bible Student Francis McGee, a lawyer and an assistant to the New Jersey Attorney-General, responded: "This is then the crux of the matter. He says he is that one mind."[53] By June four board members – Robert H. Hirsh, Alfred I. Ritchie, Isaac F. Hoskins and James D. Wright – had decided they had erred in endorsing Rutherford's powers of management.[54] They claimed Rutherford had become autocratic, refusing to open the Society's books for scrutiny and denying Johnson a fair hearing over his London actions.[55] They accused Rutherford of having engineered greater powers for himself by drawing up the by-laws which they claimed were in direct conflict with both Russell's will and the Society's charter that stipulated it be controlled by a seven-man board of directors.[56] Rutherford, who said he had "no ambition for earthly power or honor" and had never attempted to gain control of the Society,[57] countered that he had drawn up the by-laws only after being requested by the Executive Committee – Ritchie, Van Amburgh and himself.[58] Ritchie insisted he had known nothing of the proposed resolutions until shown them by Rutherford.[59]