Joseph Franklin Rutherford

Founding Figure

1869 – 1942

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Who was Joseph Franklin Rutherford?

Joseph Franklin Rutherford, also known as "Judge" Rutherford, was the second president of the incorporated Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. He played a primary role in the organization and doctrinal development of Jehovah's Witnesses, which emerged from the Bible Student movement established by Charles Taze Russell.

Rutherford began a career in law, working as a court stenographer, trial lawyer and prosecutor. He developed an interest in the doctrines of Watch Tower Society president Charles Taze Russell, which led to his joining the Bible Student movement and was baptized in 1906. He was appointed the legal counsel for the Watch Tower Society in 1907, as well as a traveling representative prior to his election as president in 1917. His early presidency was marked by a dispute with the Society's board of directors, in which four of its seven members accused him of autocratic behavior and sought to reduce his powers. The resulting leadership crisis divided the Bible Student community and contributed to the loss of one-seventh of adherents by 1919 and thousands more by 1931.

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Born
Nov 8, 1869
Morgan County
Also known as
  • J. F. Rutherford
Spouses
Religion
  • Jehovah's Witnesses
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Died
Jan 8, 1942
San Diego

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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