Joseph Franklin Rutherford (November 8, 1869 – January 8, 1942) was raised by a Baptist farm family in Missouri. He was the second president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, or the third, or the first. Depending on whom you ask. We’ll call him the second…

Rutherford began a career in law, against the wishes of his family. He served as a court stenographer, trial lawyer, and prosecutor, and was appointed a “special judge” along the way, in the 14th Judicial District of Missouri, in the late 1890’s. Hence the title “judge” is appended to his name in the history books. The meaning of the word “special” notwithstanding, this was a very ordinary title for those who did substitute fill-in work on the bench. Nevertheless, the title of “Judge” stuck throughout his career, giving the man an aura of importance.

One day, as is the case for so many of us, some “Russellites” came calling. This was 1894, and Rutherford was intrigued enough over time with these folks as to purchase the first three volumes of Russell's Millennial Dawn series (later Studies in the Scriptures).

Rutherford was impressed by Russell's sincerity and his sentiments towards religion, which were largely his own. He and his wife began holding Bible classes in their home. He joined the Bible Student movement, and was baptized, in 1906. Soon his legal talents were called upon, and he became the legal counsel for the Watch Tower Society in 1907.

The rise to power

By 1916 he had become one of the seven directors of the Watch Tower Society; when Russell died later that year, he was part of a three-man executive committee.

Russell’s death instigated some of the worst instincts of man’s lust for power. One thinks of the Popes and their claim to the throne of Rome …totally human activities having nothing to do with the Kingdom of God.

Here in this early JW history, there was much jockeying for the vacated office of the presidency. To be fair, at least one man, an aide to the executive committee, a Mr. Macmillan, said, "Rutherford did not know what was going on. He certainly didn't do any electioneering or canvassing for votes, but I guess he was doing some worrying, knowing if he was elected he would have a big job on his hands ... There is no doubt in our minds that the Lord's will was done in this choice. It is certain that Rutherford himself had nothing to do with it."

Give him the benefit of the doubt? Another image comes to mind of a certain Saul, of Old Testament times, shy and humble and cautious at first, then a near-monster of a man when royalty shaped him. This transformation seems to have been Rutherford’s, by accounts available to us now.

On January 6, 1917, Rutherford, aged 47, was elected President of the Watch Tower Society. No one opposed him. He was the natural, obvious, choice. At first.

But soon the honeymoon ended. Four members of the board of directors, left in place by Russell, accused him of being way too authoritative, even autocratic. They tried early on to reduce his powers. A power struggle ensued which was responsible for thousands of defections from the movement.

Rutherford’s view is that these men simply wanted the power for themselves, and tried to take over. But there were reasons they did not like the direction the “Judge” was headed.

Go directly to jail

His writing skills were immense, even more so than his predecessor. One of his first best-sellers was a book called The Finished Mystery. It contained anti-establishment sentiments that were so strong that Rutherford and those around him were accused by the U.S. government of sedition, and sent to jail!

They were “charged under the 1917 Espionage Act of attempting to cause insubordination, disloyalty, refusal of duty in the armed forces and obstructing the recruitment and enlistment service of the U.S. while it was at war, and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.”

It was not the first or last time that people of this movement would darken the doors of penal institutions. Not only for anti-government propaganda.

In the book he claimed that the world’s religions and the governments of the “beast”could not demand our loyalty. Patriotism was therefore a delusion to him. Canada banned the book altogether.

During this period, Rutherford gave a talk entitled "The World Has Ended—Millions Now Living May Never Die". Later the “may” became “will” and the talk became a book. He was convinced that there would be coming soon a general resurrection of Old Testament saints!

Recall, these were the War years. WWI was nearing an end, and spies and traitors were certainly present. One couldn’t be too careful.

From the “Movement’s” point of view, it was a great way to become a martyr for the cause. Indeed, his power expanded at the end of the jail sentence, which turned out to be only a matter of months after all. By May, 1920, all charges were dropped.

The martyr emerges

After his release, Rutherford began in earnest to change the shape of the Movement, both in organization and in doctrine. It is this transformation of things that causes people in the movement today to deny Russell’s part in the history of their group altogether. Russell’s reputation had become a serious problem. It was clear he did not have the character that people expected of one who would speak for God. And Rutherford opposed much of what Russell had proclaimed. But not all. Many of the basics remained.

It was in May of 1919 that another major publication was announced. It would be the forerunner of the current Awake magazine, called The Golden Age.

Shortly thereafter, the “Bible Students” were told they must distribute this periodical door-to-door.

Then came the expansion of the Society's printing facilities, and the revival of the selling of books and Bibles. Rutherford’s own publications reached a total printing of 36 million copies. He was truly prolific, even more so than Russell. He wrote twenty-one books and was credited by the Society in 1942 with the distribution of almost 400 million books and booklets.

But the noose around “God’s People” was tightening. In 1920 all preaching activity had to be reported to him. Branch offices were re-organized according to his liking.

He demanded of the huge crowds that came to his meetings, that they must take the message far and wide, that they must become publicity agents to fulfill Jesus’ commission. Door to door was to be the method.

In 1925 he actually gained full control over what doctrines would be taught in Watch Tower Society publications.

He had been trying to publish a document called "Birth of the Nation", which marked clear divisions between Russell and himself. He was opposed. Rutherford later claimed that Satan had "tried to prevent the publication of that article ... but failed in that effort". In 1927, as reported above, the Watch Tower Society ceased the printing of Russell's Studies in the Scriptures.

Next, 1924, come 15-minute radio broadcasts. On 480 stations. Eventually, NBC and BBC would ban his broadcasts due to his incessant attacks on the clergy, whom he especially hated.

1931. At a Bible Student assembly in Columbus, Ohio, Rutherford proposed a new name for the organization, “Jehovah's Witnesses”, to differentiate them from the other groups that had split off in favor of Russell's teachings. (And hopefully to escape the label forever of “Russellite.”) For some the escape was and is very important. To this day, the modern “Witness” is not high in his regard for Russell. But many are still called “Russellite” in spite of their aversion to him. I have used the term myself on occasion. History demands that Russell’s influence was monumental.

Rutherford’s chosen name for his flock presumably comes from Isaiah 43:10 , “You are My witnesses,” a passage spoken by God Himself to the people of Israel, His witnesses of His great works through the years. Israel indeed has witnessed, through Moses, the miracles of the Exodus and the trip through the wilderness. Through the other prophets, Israel is a witness of the rise of a nation in the middle of nowhere that exists to this day. Israel is witness to the coming of Messiah and the beginning of the Church.

Israel has seen it all. That’s what “witnesses” do. They see things and report what they see. How this passage could apply to a 19th-century cult which has re-written the Scriptures, and has seen nothing, is hard to say.