Richard L. Bushman is generally considered the finest LDS Historian of our age. His biography of Joseph Smith, Rough Stone Rolling, helped usher in a new and exciting era of Mormon history.
As Gouverneur Morris Professor of History at Columbia University, Richard Bushman has taught and written widely on topics of American history. His contributions to scholarship are too numerous to mention, but include the prestigious Bancroft Prize for his book From Puritan to Yankee.
Along with his academic and civic life, he has served the LDS church as Institute Instructor, Bishop, Stake President and Stake Patriarch. He and wife Claudia (herself a noted historian) have also played a pivotal role in establishing a Mormon Arts Center in New York City. He is also one of three General Editors of the Joseph Smith Papers.
As part of our collaboration with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute, we are featuring some classic episodes from the MI Podcast library. This rich and very personal conversation with Richard Bushman certainly qualifies as a “classic.” You may have enjoyed it before. It’s well worth listening to again!