U.S. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond says Mormons still thank him.
“I’ve had a lot of people who come to Missouri who told me they came back because the Extermination Order is repealed,” Bond said.
Bond was the Missouri governor who eliminated the Extermination Order, which authorized the killing or expulsion of Mormons in that state in the middle of the darkest period in the faith’s history. Now, after 24 years in the U.S. Senate, Bond is leaving government when his term officially ends Monday at 10 a.m. MST.
Sen. Orrin Hatch said Mormons are right to thank Bond. Hatch credits eliminating the Extermination Order with helping create what he called a “robust” Mormon community in the Show-Me State that includes an LDS temple in St. Louis that opened in 1997 and another under construction in Kansas City.
“To me, [the order] was a blight on their legislative record, their gubernatorial record that really needed to be removed and I’m really proud of Kit for moving to get rid of it,” Hatch said.
Read Full Article »