As a missionary he labored principally in the Liverpool office as bookkeeper and emigration clerk, under the presidency of Apostle Brigham Young, Jr. He also visited and spoke at the various conferences and was absent from England touring the continent with Dr. James E. Talmage, who was visiting Europe.
In 1902 Reed Smoot was elected to the United States Seanate from the State of Utah. Before seating the senator-elect the U.S. Senate conducted lengthy hearings into his alleged involvement in plural marriage and into the policy and government of the Church. Few events have had greater impact on the Church and its public image than the highly publicized Smoot Hearings which unleashed intense anti-Mormon sentiment, which had subsided after statehood. Within a year of his election, more than 3,100 petitions arrived in Washington, D.C., Although the proceedings focused on senator-elect Smoot, it soon became apparent that it was the Church that was on trial. The case opened with Church leaders subpoenaed to testify as to the power the Church exerted over its members in general and over General Authorities in particular. President Joseph F. Smith received especially harsh treatment in cross-examination. Some members of the Quorum of the Twelve refused to testify, which increased the hostility of senators already concerned about the Church's motives and conduct.
Reed Smoot died in while on vacation in Florida, as a result of injuries suffered in an accidental fall.
