Mike received a master’s degree in history from the University of Utah, where his advisor was Davis Bitton and his employer was Leonard Arrington, two of MHA’s founders. He earned a doctorate from Yale University, where he wrote a dissertation on the Mormon hierarchy. He then taught history at Brigham Young University, where he quickly became a favorite of students. Mike was a frequent presenter at MHA and other Mormon history conferences.

Mike’s work became foundational to the field. His early articles on post-manifesto plural marriages, the Council of Fifty, and the succession crisis were especially important. He also wrote a biography of J. Reuben Clark that covered his time in the First Presidency, as well as a book that examined the magic culture of early Mormonism. He later expanded on his dissertation and produced two volumes on the Mormon hierarchy, expanded his biography of Clark and monograph on early Mormonism, and produced a ground-breaking and award-winning book on same-sex dynamics within the Mormon tradition. Over a decade later, Signature Books published the final volume in his trilogy on the Mormon hierarchy, focused on wealth and corporate power. Few scholars have matched this output, nor its impact. We hope the historical community will continue to remember and build upon his legacy.

Here is a recent article that focuses on Mike and includes words from several MHA members in his memory: https://www.sltrib.com/…/2…/04/22/historian-d-micheal-quinn/