On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints, was assassinated. In the wake of his death, a number of would-besuccessors emerged. Each of these leaders - part of what I call the second propheticgeneration - established a unique vision of Mormonism. In 1844, Mormonism was in the middle of a major shift in its character. JosephSmith’s death left numerous theological and practical questions unresolved. This thesis argues that, rather than merely a succession struggle of competition and power, a principal function of the second prophetic generation in Mormonism was to respond to Joseph Smith’s innovations and to forge alternate coherent (re-)interpretations of the Mormon faith that could continue into the future without access to the original prophet. Two major issues that required reframing in a post-Smith world were issues ofdomesticity and marriage and hierarchical structure. One or both of these issues areconsidered in the thought of four second-generation prophets: Alpheus Cutler, William Smith, Charles Thompson, and Lyman Wight. Their response to these questions,ultimately, resulted in distinct traditions within the Mormon movement.