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Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 6:43 pm
by Cognoscente
Fearing an early death like his father's and convinced of the virtues of life insurance, Salt Lake City's youngest agent repeatedly sought coverage to protect his mother. Nineteenth-century actuarial tables, however, discriminated against slender girths and no company would issue Heber a policy. Determined to gain weight, Heber sought out Dr. Benedict, who had an immediate solution. If Heber would drink four glasses of beer daily, which Dr. Benedict prescribed, within two years he would have the additional twenty pounds necessary for coverage.
At first Heber found beer "bitter and distasteful," like his mother's herbal "kinnikinnick" tea. But he quickly acquired both a business and a personal taste for it. Within a year, he secured the fire insurance business of most Salt Lake City saloons and Utah breweries, an additional ten pounds, and a growing relish for the savor of hops. His daily four-glass limit became five, and occasionally grew to six.
He warred with his acute sense of conscience. Rereading the Word of Wisdom, he resolved to abandon his drinking and place his health and his mother's future with the Lord, "insurance or no insurance." But resolutions were easier made than kept. "I wanted some [beer] so bad that I drank it again," he confessed. Finally, he found strength in the same formula he had used with coffee. By telling himself he was free to take a drink whenever he wished, he overcame his obsession and ceased drinking. Just as quickly, he lost his trade with the saloons and breweries of the territory.
–from
Young Heber J. Grant's Years of Passage
I had never heard this story before in my life. Funny enough, it really only makes Pres. Grant more relatable.
I wish Church culture didn't go so far out of its way to deify leaders and historic figures as to whitewash out any semblance of human frailty.
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 7:50 pm
by Whistler
shoot. there has got to be a safer way to gain weight.
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 10:15 pm
by Portia
And I bet it was none of this 3.2% beer. (Actually, I don't know. Anyone have stats?)
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:35 pm
by TheBlackSheep
What a fantastic story. I have similar thoughts about all the whitewashing. None of these people were perfect. Let's learn what we can learn from their experiences.
Also, four glasses of beer every day? Gees.
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:59 am
by Cognoscente
I was researching Portia's question and didn't find that detail, but I found a lot more interesting information in
Mormonism and Intoxication, Schroeder (1908), a portion of which is available
on Google Books. Take it with a grain of salt, as the author seems to clearly have an agenda, but the source itself is over a hundred years old and seems to have lots of contemporary citations from LDS sources, so take that as you will. Contemporary quotes, including Mrs. Pratt, described Joseph Smith as "a periodical, but not an habitual drunkard"--and this being years after the publication of D&C 89. Granted, the strict proscription against alcohol in the Church wasn't until the early 1930s, but most surprising is the two testimonies that he was intoxicated even during the translation of the BoM(!).
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:48 am
by Portia
(!) indeed.
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:49 am
by Portia
I'm going to be in Trolley Square tonight, so if I have time, I will check out Sam Weller's, which has an excellent selection of books on early Mormons and Utah history.
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:52 am
by Emiliana
That.....is an enormous amount of beer.
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 9:16 am
by Zedability
My pet peeve is when people quote the story about Joseph Smith refusing alcohol for his leg operation as a kid in the context of the Word of Wisdom. That story has nothing to do with the Word of Wisdom.
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 10:25 am
by Whistler
I read a poem that postulated he was making a statement to his sometimes-alcoholic dad ("I don't need whiskey, I just need you").
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:30 pm
by Portia
"I don't need whiskey, I just need you"
Alternatively ...
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:14 pm
by Katya
Whistler wrote:I read a poem that postulated he was making a statement to his sometimes-alcoholic dad ("I don't need whiskey, I just need you").
What poem?
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:41 pm
by Whistler
Katya wrote:Whistler wrote:I read a poem that postulated he was making a statement to his sometimes-alcoholic dad ("I don't need whiskey, I just need you").
What poem?
One of the ones from James Goldberg's collection (I'm pretty sure you know about it).
Re: Heber J Grant's alcohol problems
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 8:14 am
by Portia
Whistler wrote:Katya wrote:Whistler wrote:I read a poem that postulated he was making a statement to his sometimes-alcoholic dad ("I don't need whiskey, I just need you").
What poem?
One of the ones from James Goldberg's collection (I'm pretty sure you know about it).
I'll ask The Boyfriend about that one.