Jay Smith Grant

Summary

Jay Grant was a Mormon bishop in Los Angeles, California (Adams Ward).

Grant sexually assaulted three young girls, ages 7, 9 and 13. He was convicted in the early 1980s.

An abuse survivor told FLOODLIT:

“Jay S. Grant abused me in 1974 in the Ensign Stake 20th Ward. He had young children come work for him at Grant and Sons Book Binders. We added labels to tapes and other menial jobs for him. I had ‘no memory’ of working for him at this time when I was reintroduced to him by a classmate in 1979. I found letters that my mom had written to friends about me working for Jay Grant in 1974. This triggered the memory of working for him at that time.

“Jay S. Grant abused me again from 1979 to 1981 when he invited me to join Grandpa Grant’s Memory Club.

“Of the 175 members of Grandpa Grant’s Memory Club, three (3) parents, came forward to prosecute Jay S. Grant. The three parents went to Mark E. Petersen as a member of the Quorum of the 12 apostles to have Jay S. Grant excommunicated from the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) Mormon Church. He was excommunicated at that time.”

Grant’s paternal grandfather was a half-brother of Mormon church president Heber Grant. The two possibly knew each other personally; Heber Grant died in 1945, when Jay Grant was 43.

Grant represented the Mormon church on the Southern California Wartime Harvest Council, a food conservation program during World War II.

Grant was elected president of the “M Men” in the Los Angeles Branch, Adams Ward and Los Angeles Stake.

In 1923, Grant began a Mormon mission in the Southern States Mission, and was assigned to work on Ohio. He later became president of the Ohio District. When the mission was divided in 1925, Ohio became part of the Northern States Mission and Grant finished his mission there in 1926.

In 1927, Grant was appointed a member of the Mutual Improvement Association (MIA) board of the Los Angeles Stake.

In 1928, Grant was appointed assistant superintendent and then superintendent of the Sunday School in the Adams Ward.

He then became a bishopric counselor under Brigham J. Peacock.

On March 2, 1941, Grant became bishop of the Adams Ward, a position he held until July 20, 1949.

From 1945 to 1949, Grant was chairman of the Bishops’ Council of the Southern California Region.

On June 13, 1949, Grant was released from that position and appointed Chairman of the Los Angeles Deseret Industries, an organization owned and operated by the Mormon church.

In 1971, Grant’s wife died. Grant did not remarry.

Grant was referred to as “the father of Sunday School library work in the Church,” according to a book he helped compile called “A century of Mormon activities in California.”

For a time, Grant’s family lived in a home nicknamed “Buckingham Palace” on Buckingham Road in Los Angeles.

FLOODLIT believes Grant may have sexually abused dozens of children. We urge you to come forward and share your story with us if you or someone you know was harmed by him. You will remain anonymous.