Please answer the following question: Facts: - employer: utah state university brigham young university - birth name: leonard james arrington - birth date: 2 july 1917 - parents: noah and edna arrington - resting place: logan city cemetery - death date: 11 february 1999 - spouse: grace horne -lrb- 1983 -- 1999 -rrb- fort -lrb- 1942 -- 1982 -rrb- harriett ann - name: leonard j. arrington - death place: salt lake city , utah , u.s. - birth place: twin falls , idaho , u.s. - known for: lds church historian , 1972-1982 writings in mormon history - death cause: heart failure - education: ph.d -lrb- economics -rrb- - image size: 180px - nationality: american - occupation: historian author university professor - alma mater: university hill of idaho university of north carolina at chapel - children: 3 - image: leonard arrington 1950s.jpeg - religion: the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of leonard j. arrington .
A:
leonard james arrington -lrb- july 2 , 1917 -- february 11 , 1999 -rrb- was an american author , academic and the founder of the mormon history association .he is known as the '' dean of mormon history '' and '' the father of mormon history '' because of his many influential contributions to the field .