1.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian restorationist church that is considered by its members to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations, according to the church, it has over 70,000 missionaries and a membership of over 15 million. It is ranked by the National Council of Churches as the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States and it is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith during the period of religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening. Adherents, often referred to as Latter-day Saints, or, less formally, Mormons, view faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement as fundamental principles of their religion. The church has a canon which includes four scriptural texts, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants. The current president is Thomas S. Monson, individual members of the church believe that they can also receive personal revelation from God in conducting their lives. The president heads a hierarchical structure with various levels reaching down to local congregations, Bishops, drawn from the laity, lead local congregations. Male members, after reaching age 12, may be ordained to the priesthood, Women do not hold positions within the priesthood, but do occupy leadership roles in some church auxiliary organizations. Both men and women may serve as missionaries, and the church maintains a large missionary program which proselytizes, faithful members adhere to church laws of sexual purity, health, fasting, and Sabbath observance, and contribute ten percent of their income to the church in tithing. The LDS Church was formally organized by Joseph Smith on April 6,1830, Smith intended to establish the New Jerusalem in North America, called Zion. In 1831, the moved to Kirtland, Ohio, and began establishing an outpost in Jackson County, Missouri. However, in 1833, Missouri settlers brutally expelled the Latter Day Saints from Jackson County, the Kirtland era ended in 1838, after a financial scandal rocked the church and caused widespread defections. Smith regrouped with the church in Far West, Missouri. Believing the Saints to be in insurrection, the Missouri governor ordered that the Saints be exterminated or driven from the State, in 1839, the Saints converted a swampland on the banks of the Mississippi River into Nauvoo, Illinois, which became the churchs new headquarters. Nauvoo grew rapidly as missionaries sent to Europe and elsewhere gained new converts who then flooded into Nauvoo, meanwhile, Smith introduced polygamy to his closest associates. He also established ceremonies, which he stated the Lord had revealed to him, to allow people to become gods in the afterlife. He also introduced the church to an accounting of his First Vision. This vision would come to be regarded by the LDS Church as the most important event in history since the resurrection of Jesus
2.
Salt Lake Temple
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The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At 253,015 square feet, it is the largest LDS temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the temple completed by the church, requiring 40 years to complete. The Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of the 10-acre Temple Square in Salt Lake City, in 1912, the first public photographs of the interior were published in the book The House of the Lord, by James E. Talmage. Since then, various photographs have been published, including by Life magazine in 1938, the temple grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction. Due to its location at LDS Church headquarters and its historical significance, the Salt Lake Temple is also the location of the weekly meetings of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As such, there are meeting rooms in the building for these purposes, including the Holy of Holies. The official name of the Salt Lake Temple is also unique, in 1999, as the building of LDS temples accelerated, the church announced a formal naming convention for all existing and future temples. For temples located in the United States and Canada, the name of the temple is generally the city or town in which the temple is located, followed by the name of the state or province. For temples outside of the U. S. and Canada, however, for reasons on which the church did not elaborate, the Salt Lake Temple was made an exception to the new guidelines and was not renamed the Salt Lake City Utah Temple. The temple also includes some elements thought to evoke Solomons Temple at Jerusalem and it is oriented towards Jerusalem and the large basin used as a baptismal font is mounted on the backs of twelve oxen, as was the Molten Sea in Solomons Temple. At the east end of the building, the height of the pinnacle to the base of the angel Moroni is 210 feet, or 120 cubits. The temple is located in downtown Salt Lake City, with mountain peaks close by. Nearby, a stream, City Creek, splits and flows both to the west and to the south, flowing into the Jordan River. There is a wall around the 10-acre temple site, the surrounding wall became the first permanent structure on what has become known as Temple Square. The wall is a uniform 15 feet high but varies in appearance because of the southwest slope of the site. The location for the temple was first marked by Mormon prophet Brigham Young, in 1901 the apostle Anthon H. Lund recorded in his journal that it is said that Oliver Cowderys divining rod was used to located the temple site. The temple site was dedicated on February 14,1853 by Heber C, groundbreaking ceremonies were presided over by Young, who laid the cornerstone on April 6 of that year
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Presiding Bishop (LDS Church)
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The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a priesthood calling with church-wide authority. The Presiding Bishop is the highest leadership position within the churchs Aaronic priesthood, upon the Presiding Bishops recommendation, the First Presidency calls two other men to assist the Presiding Bishop as his counselors, together these three compose the churchs Presiding Bishopric. As well as being ordained to the Aaronic priesthood office of bishop, like all other functioning bishops in the church they are ordained high priests in the Melchizedek priesthood. The primary duties of the Presiding Bishopric are to oversee the affairs of the church. The Presiding Bishopric is also responsible for overseeing the churchs Aaronic priesthood, the office of Presiding Bishop shares its origin with that of bishop. Edward Partridge was the first man ordained to the office of bishop in the early Church of Christ on February 4,1831. This office became known as the First Bishop and later the Presiding Bishop to distinguish the calling from subordinate bishops who began to be called in the Nauvoo period. The first person to be referred to as the Presiding Bishop of the church was Newel K. Whitney, since beginning his term of service in 2015, the churchs current Presiding Bishop is Gérald Caussé. According to Orson Pratt and John Taylor, Vinson Knight was made the Presiding Bishop, with Samuel H. Smith and Shadrach Roundy as assistants, in January 19,1841. However, the LDS Church does not include Vinson Knight in its list of presiding bishops but considers Knight the third general bishop of the Church
4.
David O. McKay
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David Oman McKay was an American religious leader and educator who served as the ninth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1951 until his death in 1970. Ordained an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1906, McKay was an authority for nearly 64 years, longer than anyone else in LDS Church history. The third child of David McKay and Jennette Eveline Evans McKay, David was born on his father’s farm in Huntsville, Utah Territory, McKays mother was a Welsh immigrant from Merthyr Tydfil, and his father was a Scottish immigrant from Caithness. In 1880, after McKay’s two older sisters died, his father was called on an LDS mission to his native Scotland, in his fathers absence, McKay had additional family responsibilities and helped his mother. McKays grandmother bequeathed $5,000 to McKays mother upon her death, be used for the education of the children. This money allowed McKay, his brother Thomas McKay, and their two sisters to attend the University of Utah, McKay graduated in 1897 as valedictorian and class president. Immediately afterward, he was called on a mission to Great Britain, like his father, he presided over the Scottish district of the church. Early in his mission, he was impressed by a motto he saw inscribed on a building in Stirling, What Eer Thou Art and this message became a source of inspiration throughout his life. Upon his return in fall 1899, McKay taught at the school level at LDS Weber Stake Academy. He married Emma Ray Riggs in the Salt Lake Temple on January 2,1901 and they eventually had seven children, one dying as a young child. For his first three years at Weber, McKay taught mainly religion and literature classes, on April 17,1902, McKay was appointed principal of Weber, succeeding the founding principal, Louis F. Moench, who had resigned after nine years in the position. One of his first actions as principal was to organize a school paper, McKay also oversaw the inauguration of sports programs at Weber, with mens and womens basketball teams organized during McKays tenure. In 1905, they won their game against the University of Utah. With three vacancies, George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, and McKay were called as apostles in the LDS Churchs April 1906 general conference, McKay was 32 at the time. Prior to this appointment to service, McKay had planned on career in education. Even after his appointment, McKay stayed active in education, continuing as principal of the Weber Stake Academy until 1908, McKay stayed at Weber Stake Academy to see the completion of some new building projects that he had begun. He also served on the Weber schools board of trustees until 1922, McKay enjoyed a long, personal friendship with John F. Fitzpatrick, publisher of the Salt Lake Tribune. They met weekly for breakfast to discuss the betterment of Utah, in October 1906, McKay became an assistant to the superintendent of the Deseret Sunday School Union
5.
George F. Richards
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George Franklin Richards was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from April 9,1906 until his death. He also served as Acting Presiding Patriarch of the LDS Church from 1937 to 1942, Richards was born in Farmington, Utah Territory, the son of Franklin D. Richards and Nanny Longstroth. Richards father was an apostle of the LDS Church and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Franklin D. Richards also served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1898 to 1899. Richards was baptized by Oliver L. Robinson, who would become his father-in-law. In 1882, Richards married Alice A. Robinson, George and Alice had 15 children. One of the halls in Heritage Halls at Brigham Young University is named for Alice, Richards received a degree in English from the University of Deseret, later the University of Utah. Richards worked for the Utah Central Railway as a clerk from 1881 to 1882, from 1885 to 1888, Richards lived on a farm Fielding in Box Elder County, Utah. In 1888, he moved to Tooele, Utah, where he served on the school board, Richards engaged in farming and the lumber business in Tooele. Initially in Tooele, Richards and his family lived and worked on the ranch of his uncle, in 1896, he bought his own house and farmland in Tooele. From 1899 to 1900, Richards served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives from Tooele County, Richards was ordained an elder in the LDS Church at age fifteen. He received the endowment shortly after this, among various early callings he held were those of home missionary and president of the ward Young Mens Mutual Improvement Association. In 1890, Richards became second counselor in the presidency of the Tooele Utah Stake, in 1893, Richards was ordained a patriarch by Francis M. Lyman. At age 32, Richards was one of the youngest men to have held this office in the church. In 1905, two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles resigned after an argument over LDS Church doctrine, john W. Taylor disagreed with the 1890 Manifesto forbidding plural marriage, Matthias F. Cowley felt that it should apply only to the territory of the United States. In February of the year, apostle Marriner W. Merrill died. On April 8,1906, at the LDS Churchs general conference and he was ordained and set apart the following day, ahead of Orson F. Whitney and David O. McKay. Richards was appointed to the General Boards of the YMMIA and the Religion Classes shortly after his call to the Twelve and he also served as an advisor to the Primary General Board. During his early days in the Twelve, Richards went on tours of missions in the United States as well as visiting many stake conferences
6.
George Albert Smith
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George Albert Smith Sr. was an American religious leader who served as the eighth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, Smith was one of nineteen children of Mormon apostle John Henry Smith and one of his plural wives, Sarah Farr. His grandfather, for whom he was named, was also an LDS Church apostle as well as a cousin of church founder Joseph Smith, in his youth, Smith worked at the Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution factory and traveled throughout Utah as a salesman. Smith attended high school at Brigham Young Academy, graduating in 1884 and he then studied law at University of Deseret for a year. In 1896, he had joined the Republican Party and campaigned for William McKinley and he was appointed as a receiver for the Land Office in Utah in the years 1897 and 1902. While surveying for a railroad as a man, Smiths eyesight was permanently impaired by glare from the sun. After 1903, Smith found his frequent travels debilitating and began to show prominent symptoms of physical weakness and he was eventually diagnosed with lupus erythematosus, a chronic debilitating autoimmune disease. Smith was known for his patriotism and joined various American patriotic groups and he was also an ardent supporter of the Boy Scouts. In 1934, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America awarded him the prestigious Silver Buffalo Award, Smith was an avid genealogist and family historian and was named national vice president of the Sons of the American Revolution in 1922. On May 25,1892, Smith married Lucy Emily Woodruff, the couple later had three children. Lucy had spent much of her growing up in the household of her grandfather. Smiths son, George Albert Smith, Jr. became a professor at Harvard Business School, just prior to his marriage to Lucy, Smith served as a Mutual Improvement Association missionary throughout many areas in Southern Utah. Smith and his new wife, Lucy, were missionaries in the LDS Churchs Southern States Mission, golden Kimball as their president, from 1892 to 1894. Smith was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1903, from 1920 until 1923 Smith served as president of the churchs British and European missions. In this capacity, he preached in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, from 1921 to 1935, Smith was the general superintendent of the churchs Young Mens Mutual Improvement Association. In 1935 he was succeeded in this position by Albert E. Bowen, with the death of quorum president Rudger Clawson in 1943, Smith was sustained as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and served in the position for two years. With the death of Heber J. Grant, Smith became president of the church on May 21,1945, when World War II ended, Smith helped send supplies to Europe and was also known for his efforts to revitalize missionary work. He publicly denounced the activities and political influence of the American Ku Klux Klan, Smith dedicated the Idaho Falls Temple on September 23,1945
7.
Harold B. Lee
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Lee was born in Clifton, Idaho to Samuel Lee and Louisa Emeline Bingham and was the second of six children. The Lee family lived the life and Lee and his siblings spent most of their youth doing farm chores. During his childhood, his mother saved him from several near-death experiences, when he was eight, he was sent to get a can of lye from the shelf and spilled the deadly product all over himself. His mother opened a vat of pickled beets and poured cup after cup of the red vinegar all over him, when Harold was a teen, he punctured an artery on a broken bottle. His mother cleaned it, but it became badly infected and she burned a black stocking to ashes and rubbed it in the open wound and it soon healed. Lee was fortunate to receive a good education and he finished eighth grade at a grammar school in Clifton and his parents allowed him to continue his education at Oneida Stake Academy in Preston, Idaho. The first few years, Lee focused on music and played the alto, French, later, he played basketball and was a reporter for the school newspaper. He graduated in the spring of 1916, the summer following his graduation Lee worked to receive his teaching certificate from Albion State Normal School at Albion, Idaho. After two summers of study in 1916 and 1917, Lee passed the states fifteen-subject test to receive his second-, Lee held his first teaching position in the fall of 1916. He taught a class of 25 students, grades one to eight, in Weston and his salary was $60 a month. When he was eighteen, he became principal of a school in Oxford, in September 1920, then church president Heber J. Grant called Lee on a mission to the western states, with headquarters in Denver, Colorado. He was twenty-one and served until December 1922, while on his mission, Lee met a sister missionary from Utah, Fern Lucinda Tanner. They renewed their acquaintance when they returned from their missions and were married on November 14,1923 in the Salt Lake Temple, Fern died in 1962 and on June 17,1963 Lee married Freda Joan Jensen, a former mission companions girlfriend who had never married. She died on July 1,1981, in 1932, at the age of thirty-three, Lee became a community leader when he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Salt Lake City Commission. He was assigned to direct the Department of Streets and Public Improvements, a year later his political career was launched when he was elected to the same position. In subsequent years Utah citizens unsuccessfully sought to persuade him to run for governor or the United States Senate, in 1930, Lee was called as president of the LDS Churchs Pioneer Stake in Salt Lake City. He became the youngest stake president in the church, at that time, the 1929 Great Depression in the United States left more than half of its members without jobs. He established a program to aid members in distress that became a model emulated by the entire LDS Church
8.
Brigham Young
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Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the second President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877 and he founded Salt Lake City and he served as the first governor of the Utah Territory. Young also led the foundings of the precursors to the University of Utah, Young was dubbed by his followers the Lion of the Lord for his bold personality and was also commonly called Brother Brigham by Latter-day Saints. Young was a polygamist and was involved in controversies regarding black people and the Priesthood, the Utah War, and the Mountain Meadows massacre. Young was born to John Young and Abigail Nabby Howe, a family in Whitingham, Vermont. Young was first married in 1824 to Miriam Angeline Works, though he had converted to the Methodist faith in 1823, Young was drawn to Mormonism after reading the Book of Mormon shortly after its publication in 1830. He officially joined the new church in 1832 and traveled to Upper Canada as a missionary, after his wife died in 1832, Young joined many Mormons in establishing a community in Kirtland, Ohio. In 1844, while in jail awaiting trial for treason charges, Joseph Smith, several claimants to the role of church president emerged during the succession crisis that ensued. Young opposed this reasoning and motion, the majority in attendance were persuaded that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was to lead the church with Young as the Quorums president. Many of Youngs followers would later reminisce that while Young spoke to the congregation, he looked or sounded exactly like Smith, Young was ordained President of the Church in December 1847, three and a half years after Smiths death. Rigdon became the president of a church organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Repeated conflict led Young to relocate his group of Latter-day Saints to the Salt Lake Valley, Young organized the journey that would take the Mormon pioneers to Winter Quarters, Nebraska, in 1846, then to the Salt Lake Valley. By the time Young arrived at the destination, it had come under American control as a result of war with Mexico. Young arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24,1847, Youngs expedition was one of the largest and one of the best organized westward treks. On August 22,29 days after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, after three years of leading the church as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Young reorganized a new First Presidency and was declared president of the church on December 27,1847. As colonizer and founder of Salt Lake City, Young was appointed the territorys first governor, during his time as prophet, Young directed the establishment of settlements throughout present-day Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, California and parts of southern Colorado and northern Mexico. Young was also one of the first to subscribe to Union Pacific stock, Young organized the first legislature and established Fillmore as the territorys first capital. Young organized a Board of Regents to establish a university in the Salt Lake Valley and it was established on February 28,1850, as the University of Deseret, its name was eventually changed to the University of Utah
9.
Heber J. Grant
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Heber Jeddy Grant was an American religious leader who served as the seventh president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Grant worked as a bookkeeper and a cashier, then was called to be an LDS apostle on October 16,1882, after the death of Joseph F. Smith in late 1918, Grant served as LDS church president until his death. The first president born after the exodus to Utah, Grant was also the last LDS Church president to have practiced plural marriage and he had three wives, though by the time he became church president in 1918 only his second wife, Augusta Winters, was still living. In business, Grant helped develop the Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake City, in 1884, he served a term as a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature. Grant was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, the son of Rachel Ridgeway Ivins and his father was a counselor in the First Presidency to Brigham Young. Rachel Grant was a native of New Jersey, where she had converted to the LDS Church at about age 20 and her cousin and later brother-in-law, Israel Ivins, was the first person baptized a Latter-day Saint in New Jersey. Jedediah Grant died when Heber J. Grant was nine days old, after Jedediahs death, Rachel married Jedediahs brother, George Grant, but he fell into alcoholism, so she divorced him. Rachel became the dominant influence in Hebers life and she served for many years as president of the 13th Ward Relief Society in downtown Salt Lake City. Heber J. Grant was known for his determination to achieve goals seemingly beyond his reach, as a child, he wanted to join the baseball team that would win the Utah territorial championship, but others believed him to be too physically awkward to be successful. In response, he purchased a baseball and practiced throwing the ball for hours against his barn to improve, the team he joined later won the championship. In similar fashion, Grant expressed a desire to be a successful bookkeeper and he practiced his writing to the point that he was invited to teach penmanship at one of the local academies. There were no public schools in Salt Lake City when Grant was a child. After working as a bookkeeper in the business in 1877, Grant became an assistant cashier with Zions Savings Bank. Later, Grant became a partner with D. W. Jennings and he later founded an additional insurance agency in Ogden and for a time owned the Ogden Vinegar Works. In the late 1890s, Grant served as the manager for the newly formed official LDS magazine. Grant continued to be involved in business activities after his call as an apostle and he founded many new businesses, including a bank. He was a founder of the Utah Sugar Company and also the founder of the Salt Lake Theatre. Grant lost an amount of money in the panic of 1893
10.
Seventy (LDS Church)
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Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Latter-day Saints teach that the office of seventy was anciently conferred upon the seventy disciples mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 10, multiple individuals holding the office of seventy are referred to collectively as seventies. In practical terms, the office of seventy is one which has varied widely over the course of history. These presidents, chosen from the first quorum, would appoint, as introduced by Joseph Smith, the apostles and the seventy had authority only outside the main body of Latter Day Saints in Zion, and in the outlying stakes. Members in Zion and the stakes were led by the High Council of Zion, historically, the First Quorum of the Seventy came into being in 1835 when seven men were set apart as the First Seven Presidents of the Seventy. In 1837, six of the seven presidents were released because it was discovered that they had previously been ordained high priests, five of these men were ultimately replaced by others. The other two—Levi W. Hancock and Joseph Young—remained members of the First Seven Presidents for the rest of their lives. In the LDS Church, the quorums of the seventy are directed and supervised hierarchically by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as a body, the seventy in the LDS Church are considered to be equal in priesthood authority with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This presumably means that if the apostles were killed or incapacitated, however, in such circumstances, the seventy would be required to act unanimously. In the LDS Church, members of the First and the Second Quorums of the Seventy are general authorities of the church with responsibilities covering the church as a whole, Members of additional Quorums of the Seventy are called an area seventy. Members of these quorums are ordained to the office of seventy. Area seventies generally have authority only within a unit of the church called an area. By the time Joseph Smith was killed, he had organized four incomplete quorums of seventy. By 1845, there were ten quorums of seventy, the members of the first quorum were thus spread out across the church, making meetings of the first quorum rare. Elders were often ordained to the office of seventy immediately before left on a mission. Quorums were not restricted to geography, so individual quorums were scattered all over the world, in 1883, church president John Taylor localized the quorums of seventy. Each stake was given a quorum of seventy, and seventies in that stake would belong to that quorum. Taylor also prescribed that the president of the first 64 quorums could meet with the seven presidents of the first quorum
11.
First Presidency (LDS Church)
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The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors, the First Presidency currently consists of Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B. The First Presidency is composed of the President of the Church, historically, and as mandated by church scripture, the First Presidency has been composed of the president and two counselors, but circumstances have occasionally required additional counselors. Any high priest of the church is eligible to be called as a counselor in the First Presidency, there have been other cases where counselors have been ordained to the office of apostle but not set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. Other counselors in the First Presidency were never ordained to the office of apostle, whether or not a counselor is an apostle, all members of the First Presidency are sustained by the church as prophets, seers, and revelators. Counselors are formally designated as First Counselor in the First Presidency, additional counselors have been designated in different ways, including Third Counselor in the First Presidency, Assistant Counselor to the President, and simply Counselor in the First Presidency. Counselors serve in the First Presidency until their own deaths, until the death of the president who called them. The death of a church president dissolves the First Presidency, the death or release of a counselor does not dissolve the First Presidency. On the death or release of a first counselor, the second counselor usually succeeds, although these are fairly common occurrences, there are no hard and fast rules about such practices and each president is free to choose the counselors he prefers. Like the church president and President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the First Presidency is the highest ranking priesthood quorum of the church. The counselors assist the president and work closely with him in guiding the entire church. In the case of a president, his counselors may be called upon to perform more of the duties of the First Presidency that would normally be performed by the president. If needed, any number of additional counselors may be called to assist them, all members of the First Presidency are sustained by the membership of the church as prophets, seers, and revelators and given the keys of the kingdom when ordained as an apostle. All members of the First Presidency are also members of the churchs Council on the Disposition of the Tithes, there is no requirement that counselors in the First Presidency be apostles of the church. Brown, First Counselor to David O. McKay, not retained as a counselor by Joseph Fielding Smith Thorpe B, the position is paid employment position and the incumbent is not a member of the First Presidency or a general authority of the church. However, it is common for letters from the office of the First Presidency to private individuals to bear the signature of the secretary as opposed to members of the First Presidency, the First Presidency also employs assistant secretaries and press secretaries. When David O. D. Arthur Haycock also served as secretary to several church presidents in the 20th century. George W. Robinson George Reynolds George F. Gibbs Joseph Anderson Francis M. Gibbons F. Michael Watson Brook P. Hales Council of the Church
