John Taylor: Smith ordained Whitmer as his successor in July 1834, in the event of SMITH's own death or apostasy. The Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, Oliver Cowdery , Whitmer, and Martin Harris chose and ordained the first members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1835. Although Whitmer presided over the LDS church in Missouri, he never functioned in the general authority role of presiding over the entire church. David Whitmer was excommunicated on 13 Apr. 1838, and never rejoined the LDS church, even though he took frequent opportunities to reaffirm publicly his testimony of the Book of Mormon. He was president of a "Church of Christ" in 1847-48, and renewed that organization in 1876.
[Source: Quinn, D. Michael, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Appendix 6, Biographical Sketches of General Officers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-47, http://amzn.to/origins-power]
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