Orson Hyde (January 8, 1805 – November 28, 1878) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a member of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

[6] Hyde joined the local Methodist church in 1827,[4] and then later affiliated with the Reformed Baptist Society (later Disciples of Christ or Campbellites).

[3] When Oliver Cowdery and other Latter Day Saint missionaries preached in Kirtland in late 1830,[7] Hyde spoke publicly against the Book of Mormon.

[citation needed] David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris performed Hyde's ordination.

Marsh then swore out an affidavit before the justice of the peace of Ray County, Missouri saying that the Latter-day Saints there had organized a vigilante group, "who have taken an oath to support the heads of the church in all things that they say or do, whether right or wrong;" that church vigilantes had burned and looted non-Mormon settlements in Daviess County; and that:[11] The plan of said Smith, the prophet, is to take this State, and he professes to his people to intend taking the United States, and ultimately the whole world.

"Bed-bound, sick and isolated, Hyde swore before the same justice on the same day that he either knew Marsh's statements to be true or believed them to be such.

[4]As early as 1832, when he was a newly baptized member of the Church eager to know the will of the Lord, Hyde sought direction from the Prophet.

and be a watchman unto the house of Israel; and by thy hands shall the Most High do a good work, which shall prepare the way, and greatly facilitate the gathering together of that people.”[13] Eight years after receiving this blessing, Orson Hyde had a vision in March 1840 in which the Spirit told him he was to visit the cities of London, Amsterdam, Constantinople, and Jerusalem, and that in Jerusalem he was to declare to those of Judah that they must "gather together," "assemble yourselves," and "go into the defenced cities.

"[14] One month after this vision, on April 6, 1840, Orson Hyde spoke at a general conference for the Church in Nauvoo, Illinois.

[18] His letter of introduction claimed that "The Jewish nations have been scattered abroad among the Gentiles for a long period; and in our estimation, the time of the commencement of their return to the Holy Land has already arrived.

[15] He recorded that before dawn on October 24, 1841, he climbed up the Mount of Olives overlooking the city, then both wrote and recited a prayer, part of which reads:Now, O Lord!

Thy servant has been obedient to the heavenly vision which Thou gavest him in his native land; and under the shadow of Thine outstretched arm, he has safely arrived in this place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the gathering together of Judah's scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets -- for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name.

Everlasting thanks be ascribed unto Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast preserved Thy servant from the dangers of the seas, and from the plague and pestilence which have caused the land to mourn.

The violence of man has also been restrained, and Thy providential care by night and by day has been exercised over Thine unworthy servant.

Accept, therefore, O Lord, the tribute of a grateful heart for all past favors, and be pleased to continue Thy kindness and mercy towards a needy worm of the dust.

[20] Having dedicated Jerusalem for the gathering of the Jews, Hyde departed the mountain after building a small altar with stones.

He traveled back by way of Regensburg, Germany where he spent a number of months working on a Church publication in German.

[4] After Joseph Smith's death in 1844, He oversaw the completion of the Nauvoo Temple, which was dedicated in 1846, just before the church members left for Iowa territory.

As a result of this ruling, John Taylor replaced Hyde as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1875.Bergera, Gary James (1992).

[3] In his Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, Andrew Jenson describes Hyde as "a man of great natural ability, and by industrious application had acquired a good education, which, with his great and varied experience and extended travels, rendered him a powerful instrument in the hands of God for the defense and dissemination of the gospel and the building up of the Latter-day Work.