A self-declared Messiah and leader of a schismatic Latter Day Saint sect, known for his extraordinary claims and tragic demise.
Arnold Potter, born on January 11, 1804, in Herkimer County, New York, and died on April 2, 1872, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, was a self-declared Messiah within the Latter Day Saint movement. He founded the ‘Church of the Potter Christ’ and was known as Potter Christ.
Early Life and Involvement with Latter Day Saints
Potter married Almira Smith at the age of 19 and moved with his family to Switzerland County, Indiana, by 1835. On November 10, 1839, he and his family were baptized by missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In 1840, the family moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, to join the main gathering of Latter Day Saints. Here, Potter received the Melchizedek priesthood and was ordained as an elder by Joseph Smith.
Journey to Messiah Claim
After traveling to the Salt Lake Valley as a Mormon pioneer in 1848, Potter moved to San Bernardino, California, by 1856. It was during a missionary trip to Australia in 1856 that Potter claimed to have undergone a “purifying, quickening change,” whereby his spiritual body, called “Christ,” entered into him, making him “Potter Christ, Son of the living God.” He wrote a book during his time in Australia, which he claimed was dictated to him by angels and described as the book from which all people would be judged at the Final Judgment.
Church of the Potter Christ
Upon returning to California in October 1857, Potter began to gather followers. He and some of his followers eventually moved to Saint Marys in northwest Mills County, Iowa, with the intention of settling near Independence, Missouri, a significant location for Latter Day Saints. After Saint Marys was destroyed by flooding in 1865, they relocated to Council Bluffs, Iowa.
In Council Bluffs, Potter became a local oddity, wandering the streets in a long white robe and holding enthusiastic prayer meetings that often culminated in new revelations from God. His followers, described as “few but devout,” wore distinctive attire, with the men in black robes and the women eschewing normal grooming practices.
Tragic End
In 1872, Potter announced that the time had come for his ascent into heaven. He led his disciples to the edge of the bluffs, where he attempted to ascend by leaping off, only to fall to his death. His body was collected and buried by his followers.
image via owlcation
