Brigham Young Organizes the Young Women (1869)

Founded in 1869, the Young Women organization was originally known as the Young Ladies' Department of the Cooperative Retrenchment Association. Brigham Young, the second President and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called together daughters and their mothers for a special meeting in the parlor.

Following family prayer, President Young addressed his family. Among other things, he said:

"I desire them to retrench from extravagance in dress, in eating and even in speech. The time has come when the sisters must agree . . . to set an example worthy of imitation before the people of the world. . . . There is need for the young daughters of Israel to get a living testimony of the truth. . . . We are about to organize a retrenchment Association, which I want you all to join, and I want you to vote to retrench in . . . everything that is not good and beautiful, not to make yourselves unhappy, but to live so you may be truly happy in this life and in the life to come " (in Janet Peterson and LaRene Gaunt, Keepers of the Flame [1993], xi).

First Young Women General Presidency Organized (1880)

From 1869 to 1880, the new Young Women organization functioned at the local level, without a general presidency. Ella Young Empey was the first president at the local level, and other local associations were also organized.

In 1877, the organization's name was changed to Young Ladies' National Mutual Improvement Association (abbreviated YLMIA) as a companion name to the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA), which had been founded in 1875.

On June 19, 1880, the first general presidency of the YLMIA was organized under the direction of President John Taylor, with Elmina Shepard Taylor as general president. Click on the links below for information about each general president and notable events in Young Women history.