Did members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ever practice polygamy?
Yes. The practice is referred to as “plural marriage.” It occurs when one man is married to more than one wife (technically called “polygyny”). Joseph Smith introduced plural marriage in the 1840s. In 1852, Church leaders announced to the world that plural marriages were being allowed. In 1890 the practice was generally discontinued. However, between 1890 and 1904, around 300 plural marriages were secretly performed. Since 1904, individuals entering into polygamous unions are excommunicated. (See Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 3:1091-1095.) 3. How many Church members were involved? “The exact percentage of Latter-day Saints who participated in the practice [of plural marriage] is not known, but studies suggest a maximum of from 20% to 25% of LDS adults were members of polygamous households. At its height, plural marriage probably involved only a third of the women reaching marriageable agethough among Church leadership plural marriage was the norm for a time.” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 3
