Matthias Foss Cowley

Wikipedia Biographical Summary:

"...Matthias Foss Cowley (1858-08-25 – 1940-06-16), born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1897 until 1905. The town of Cowley in Wyoming is named after him. He was the father of Apostle Matthew Cowley by Abbie Hyde. His son Samuel P. Cowley, by his wife Luella Parkinson Cowley, was an FBI agent best known for his death at the hands of Lester "Baby Face Nelson" Gillis in 1934...."

SOURCE: Wikipedia contributors, 'Matthias F. Cowley', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 January 2011, 22:30 UTC, <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matthias_F._Cowley&oldid=...> [accessed 10 April 2011]

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He was an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and father to Apostle Matthew Cowley. In a priesthood blessing he was told that his "name corresponds to that of an Apostle of old, and you shall perform a similar mission."

He was the boyhood friend of fellow Apostle John W. Taylor, the two disagreed with leadership decisions on the termination of the practice of plural marriage. They were disfellowshipped from the Twelve and Elder Taylor was excommunicated from the Church, Matthias however was restored to full fellowship twenty-five years later. At the age of seventy-eight he fulfilled a mission for the Church to Europe.