Edmunds-Tucker Act Law and Legal Definition
The Edmunds–Tucker Act of 1887 was passed in response to the dispute between the United States Congress and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) regarding polygamy. This Act prohibited the practice of polygamy and punished it with a fine of from $500 to $800 and imprisonment of up to five years. It dissolved the corporation of the church and directed the confiscation by the federal government of all church properties valued over a limit of $50,000. The Act was enforced by the U.S. marshal and a host of deputies. It is named after its sponsors, Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont and Congressman John Randolph Tucker of Virginia. The Act was repealed in 1978.
