Marion Isabelle Sims Spafford ( Smith; October 8, 1895 – February 2, 1982), known as Belle S. Spafford, was the ninth Relief Society General President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from April 6, 1945, until October 3, 1974. She served longer in this capacity than any other woman in the history of the Relief Society. Spafford also served as president of the National Council of Women from 1968 to 1972, traveling and speaking both nationally and internationally in that position.
She served the LDS Church in a variety of other positions and capacities, including as editor of the Relief Society Magazine, founder of the church's social services program, and board of trustees member of the LDS school system. In all of her activities, Spafford consistently spoke of the rights and responsibilities of women.
Biography
Early life
Born on October 8, 1895, in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to John Gibson Smith and Hester (Sims) Smith, Marion Isabelle Sims Smith was the youngest of seven children. Little is known about her childhood, other than her father died before her birth. She attended the Latter-day Saints University and Normal School at the University of Utah. Spafford went on to teach in Salt Lake City schools.
In 1921, she married W. Earl Spafford, whom she met at Brigham Young University (BYU). They had two children, Earl and Mary, and nine grandchildren.
Prior to serving as Relief Society general president, Spafford served on several stake Relief Society boards. She was then appointed to the General Relief Society board and named editor of the Relief Society Magazine, a position she held for eight years. In 1942, Spafford was called as second counselor to Relief Society president Amy B. Lyman, replacing Donna D. Sorensen. She served as second counselor until 1945, when she was appointed Relief Society general president.
General Relief Society Presidency
Spafford served under six LDS Church presidents, from Heber J. Grant to Spencer W. Kimball. During her tenure as Relief Society general president, the organization grew from just over 100,000 members to more than one million, spanning several dozen countries. Spafford oversaw the discontinuance of the Relief Society Magazine in 1970 and promoted the Ensign as the primary magazine for the church's women. Spafford also oversaw the construction of the world headquarters building for the Relief Society.
Spafford was one of the founders of the church's social services program, known today as Family Services. She was also instrumental in organizing the women's musical group the Singing Mothers. Although many wards had their own chorus of women called Singing Mothers since the 1930s, Spafford founded a large chorus from the groups in 1940. The musical group grew to a 300-member chorus that, under the direction of Spafford, performed at the New York World's Fair and toured the United States and Great Britain.
In 1974, after nearly 30 years of service, President Spencer W. Kimball announced the release of Belle Spafford as General Relief Society president.
National Council of Women Presidency
Spafford was a member of the National Council of Women of the United States, holding various positions during her 42-year membership. She served on the board for several years and was unanimously elected president of the organization in 1968. Spafford served for two years as president until 1970, and was the first appointed Mormon Council president. She was also a member of the American Regional Council of the International Council of Women. In the late 1970s, Spafford was a vocal opponent of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
As Relief Society general president and president of the National Council of Women, Spafford spoke at innumerable gatherings, meetings, and forums, including BYU's Education Week. Serving in these positions, she became a notable national and international speaker, speaking as close to home as Idaho and as far away as Paris and Vienna.
1970s Women's Rights Movements
Although she believed that rearing the family was a shared responsibility between men and women, Spafford was cautious in both her words and actions to not fully support or endorse the women's rights movements of the 1970s. In 1972, she stated, "Anything that gets out of control becomes a hazard, whether it's fire, flood, or women's lib". She went on to say that "we want to preserve the nobility, dignity, and femininity of women; there's a danger of some of that being lost. But I think we have too many common-sense women for that to happen."