The First Mormon to Run for President

Polygamy in the US could have pleased Obama's father and possibly altered his fortunes. 
In 1844 an opposition Newspaper to Joseph Smith, the "Nauvoo Expositor," exposed Smith's polygamy. Smith had the press destroyed. Since Joseph Smith had violated the freedom of the press, it was one of the charges brought against him when he was arrested. m/r

Mitt Romney is Not the First Mormon to Run for President | History News Network

By Thomas B. Allen  9-24-12

Assassination of Joseph Smith

... [Joseph] Smith spelled out exactly what his policies would be. He called on Congress, for instance, to abolish slavery by paying "every man a reasonable price for his slaves out of the surplus revenue arising from the sale of public lands, and from the deduction of pay from the members of Congress." Congressional pay would be cut to two dollars a day plus board, except on Sundays, which "is more than the farmer gets, and he lives honestly."

...On June 24, [1844] Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, charged with incitement to riot and treason, surrendered and were taken to Carthage, the county seat about 20 miles southeast of Nauvoo. On June 27, they were shot to death by members of a mob that stormed the jail where they were held.

Thus, Joseph Smith became the first presidential candidate assassinated during an election campaign.

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