To whom might one compare Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-Day Saints? Reading the new book by Alex Beam, I found myself thinking about Bill Clinton.
They were both men of appetites, especially vis a vis the ladies. Smith resolved this issue in a different manner: plural marriage. Beam even describes one prominent Smith follower who moved his family to a different state, at least partly out of fear that Smith's eye would fall upon a certain attractive daughter.
Both men were skilled at reinvention, at getting (into and) out of scrapes and at subtle adjustments-of-story to accommodate new developments.
Both men were magnetic. Around the time of Smith's death in 1844, the town of Nauvoo had the largest population of anywhere in Illinois, all them Smith followers.
I could go on. In the interview, Alex liked the idea, and now it's coming up on other shows.
