described as high and rasping. He was well known for swearing good naturedly from the pulpit, sprinkling "damns" and "hells" into his speeches. Although the habit was of concern to other church leaders, and subjected him to counsel from church president Heber J. Grant on many occasions, this common touch made Kimball one of the most beloved leaders in the church's history. Asked how he could get away with the way he spoke, Kimball is said to have replied: Hell, they can't excommunicate me. I repent too damned fast. This "folksy" style was backed by intelligence and deep spirituality, and Latter-day Saints would travel long distances to hear him speak at conferences. "J. Golden" stories have become a type of folklore for members of the LDS Church. One of the best known has LDS Church president Grant writing a "clean" radio speech for Kimball and ordering him to read it. However, once on the air, Kimball struggled with Grant's handwriting and finally exclaimed, Hell, Heber, I can't read this damn thing. Most of these stories are apocryphal. Following the death of B. H. Roberts in 1933, Kimball became the senior President of the Seventy. He still held this position when he was killed in 1938, at the age of eighty-five, in a single-vehicle automobile accident in the Nevada desert east of Reno. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery. See also Mormon folklore Notes References Cheney, Thomas E. The Golden Legacy: A Folk History of J. Golden Kimball. Peregrine Smith, 1974, 1979. . Kimball, James. J. Golden Kimball Stories. White Horse Books, 1999. . Richards, Claude. J. Golden Kimball: The Story of a Unique Personality. Deseret News Press, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1932, republished in 2011 by Literary Licensing, LLC. . Fife, Austin and Fife, Alta. Saints of Sage & Saddle. (1956). Kimball, Jonathan Golden. J. Golden Kimball: His Sermons. Latter-day Publishing, 2008. . External links 1853 births 1938 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries American Mormon missionaries in the United States American general authorities (LDS Church) Brigham Young Academy alumni Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Latter Day Saints from Utah Mission presidents (LDS Church) Mormon folklore People from Salt Lake City Presidents of the Seventy (LDS Church) Road incident deaths in Nevada