Brigham Young was an American religious leader who was the second president of the Mormon Church, more formally known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A very popular leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, he was known by many nicknames including "American Moses”, the "Modern Moses" or the "Mormon Moses" as his followers favorably compared him with the biblical figure. He was also a colonizer and played a significant role in the development of the Western United States. Born into a farming community, he donned many hats as a young man. He learned many skills and worked as a travelling carpenter, joiner, painter, and blacksmith, among other trades. He read the Book of Mormon shortly after its publication in 1830 and was drawn to the movement. He became active in the movement and soon assumed a leadership role in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. When Joseph Smith, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was killed, Young took command of the church. He proceeded to stabilize the Mormon society and was also active in colonizing regions of the American West. A polygamist who had accepted the doctrine of plural marriage, he married more than 50 times.