Where can I find a list of all members of the governing body throughout history ?

[Jwanon]

Please

[Br. Ice]

You can find a list showing GB members from 1971 onwards here: https://jwtalk.net/topic/52872-will-the-governing-body-get-a-new-member-in-2022/?do=findComment&comment=891858 (it was made by one of the members of the community)

 

Post #72 and 73 are what you want to look at in that thread.

 

Edited October 20, 2022 by Br. Ice

[Jwanon]

Thank you

 

Was there no governing body before 1971 ?

brother Sullivan was the first ?

[pholmes38]

Go to WOL-JW and do a search for the phrase "governing body"

Change the order of results to 'oldest' first.

Then start reading some of the articles from the 50s. You will see how back then, the governing body was equated with the WTBTS.

Then as you move into the 60s you will see how it more clearly becomes equated with just the board of directors of the WTBTS.

Then in the early 70s it became more of a standalone group, more like what we know now, as they eventually resigned as directors.

 

The December 1971 WT is a good read

[jwhess]

6 hours ago, Jwanon said:

Thank you

 

Was there no governing body before 1971 ?

brother Sullivan was the first ?

As Br. Paul mentions, check the WTL or older references for the GB.  The Proclaimers book has good references.

 

From 1884 (our incorporation) until modern time we had Annual Meetings and elected by vote those who would be the Directors of the Watchtower Society. Those references say we "associated" these men with the term "Governing Body".  But do you suppose that Jesus arranged an FDS or GB  of anointed brothers who should be selected to this spiritual office by the campaigning and voting of imperfect men?  It all changed in 1971.

[Jwanon]

It's not that I don't want to read all the articles from the 1880s to the 70s which will take me at least 5months, but....where can I find an already made list of all the directors of the WTBTS ? 😭

[jwhess]

41 minutes ago, Jwanon said:

It's not that I don't want to read all the articles from the 1880s to the 70s which will take me at least 5months, but....where can I find an already made list of all the directors of the WTBTS ? 😭

I am not sure that I have seen a list of ALL of the directors of the WTBTS.  Some of these men were unfaithful and were removed or dismissed. 

 

Using the WTL they list many of them but I can't say ALL of them.

[Tortuga]

I'm curious, why do you want a list of all members of the governing body throughout history?

[Hinata]

56 minutes ago, Jwanon said:

It's not that I don't want to read all the articles from the 1880s to the 70s which will take me at least 5months, but....where can I find an already made list of all the directors of the WTBTS ? 😭

 

The only “list” that I’m aware is the list of the presidents of the Watchtower Society, and there were only three of them. You most likely already know these brothers.

 

1. Charles Taze Russell (1884–1916)

2. Joseph Franklin Rutherford (1917–1942)

3. Nathan Homer Knorr (1942–1971)

 

[Jwanon]

49 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

I'm curious, why do you want a list of all members of the governing body throughout history?

Because I'm curious

 

 

[pholmes38]

1 hour ago, Hinata said:

 

The only “list” that I’m aware is the list of the presidents of the Watchtower Society, and there were only three of them. You most likely already know these brothers.

 

1. Charles Taze Russell (1884–1916)

2. Joseph Franklin Rutherford (1917–1942)

3. Nathan Homer Knorr (1942–1971)

 

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200276161

 

And then Fred Franz, followed by Milton Herschel

 

[carlos]

The Wikipedia article about the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, under the subheading DIRECTORS, contains a list of directors with their dates and references to sources.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watch_Tower_Bible_and_Tract_Society_of_Pennsylvania

 

I don't know if it lists everybody who was ever a director, but it's a quite long list.

[Jwanon]

15 minutes ago, carlos said:

The Wikipedia article about the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, under the subheading DIRECTORS, contains a list of directors with their dates and references to sources.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watch_Tower_Bible_and_Tract_Society_of_Pennsylvania

 

I don't know if it lists everybody who was ever a director, but it's a quite long list.

So all those listed under Directors were the Governing Body up until 1971 ?

[Dages]

45 minutes ago, Jwanon said:

So all those listed under Directors were the Governing Body up until 1971 ?

No, they were THE BODY, they were president of the legal entity. They were part of the GB.

Edited October 20, 2022 by Dages

[carlos]

3 hours ago, Jwanon said:

So all those listed under Directors were the Governing Body up until 1971 ?

In general yes, but I doubt all those people really were an effective part of the governing body. Especially in the oldest time, some must have been more nominal, to meet a legal requirement, than effective.

 

For example, if you look at the least recent directors, there were two women: Maria Russell, who was Russell's wife, and Rose Ball, who was kind of their foster daughter. They both did an important work at Bethel, but I doubt they took part in the decision-making process. At the time there were very few people serving at Bethel, like 10 or 15, so there weren't many to choose from to become directors.  In any case, I think most of the work the governing body carries out today was done by Russell alone at the time. They still didn't have the concept of a governing body as we do today. Russell ended his earthly course in 1916, Jehovah didn't appoint the Faithful and Discreet Slave until 1919.

 

Another curiosity: As far as I know, only one person in that list was of the other sheep: Hayden Covington. When it was understood that only the anointed should be members of the governing body, he resigned, although he stayed at the headquarters as the legal adviser of the organization.

 

 

[jwhess]

4 hours ago, Hinata said:

 

The only “list” that I’m aware is the list of the presidents of the Watchtower Society, and there were only three of them. You most likely already know these brothers.

 

1. Charles Taze Russell (1884–1916)

2. Joseph Franklin Rutherford (1917–1942)

3. Nathan Homer Knorr (1942–1971)

 

There actually were four presidents.  WH Conley was elected in 1881 as President and CT Russell was Sec-Treasurer.

 

 

[Jwanon]

Was Conley a brother ? the information I find about him only refer to him as a philanthropist and businessman

[jwhess]

31 minutes ago, Jwanon said:

Was Conley a brother ? the information I find about him only refer to him as a philanthropist and businessman

Before the formation of the Watchtower Society, people met in groups.  You will recall CT Russell, his father joseph and others gather in Allegheny, PA to study and analyze the Bible (See our "Out of Darkness" video).  That meeting was composed of several sincere men who were spiritual "brothers".  This meeting was held in the home of WH Conley.  He was a prominent proponent of the study arrangement.  When the need arose to organize the work and found the Society, he volunteered, donated a large sum of money and made arrangements for the work to progress.

 

Three years later it was necessary to incorporate the Society and WH Conley  did not have the ability to work full-time on the project.  So he relinquished the presidency to CT Russell who had sold his business.  In a Watchtower published many years later, Brother Conley wrote a letter published in the magazine re-affirming his close ties and agreement with the way the work was being directed by CT Russell.  It would take some searching to go over those early editions to find the issue.  We don't have an index that cited magazines prior to 1931, so I have to search each year one at a time...❤️

Edited October 20, 2022 by jwhess

[jwhess]

I found the Watchtower where Br. Conley wrote to Br. Russell.  It was June 11, 1894.  I think it might have been a “special” issue. Russell says that brother Conley was a member of the early study group. In Allegheny, PA.

 

The article was called  Voice of the Church.  Russell describes Conley as "another brother who was a member of the early Allegheny Bible Class."

That is on page 176 of that WT issue. (but it shows as page 1664 of the multi-volume reprints).

 

I should note that this material was taken from the bottom of one column and the top of the next column.  You might not that the letter just before Conley’s was from CT Russell’s father Joseph Russell. 

 

It is interesting that the previous (multi-page) article was written by CT Russell's wife Maria.  She was an author and editor and a member of the directors at the time.

 

Edited October 20, 2022 by jwhess