Mormon Church Finally Admits Founder Joseph Smith Was Polygamist With 40 wives Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints admits its founder was a polygamist, having long glossed over his marital history Emma Hale Smith was the first of 33 wives of Mormon founder Joseph Smith Philip Sherwell 11 Nov 2014 The Mormon founder Joseph Smith married as many as 40 women, including a 14-year-old girl, church leaders have acknowledged for the first time in a surprising revelation about their most important prophet. Although the Mormon church was closely associated with polygamy during its first decades, its teachings had long...