1.
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
2.
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
3.
Anthon H. Lund
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Anthon Henrik Lund was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a prominent Utah leader. Lund was born in Aalborg, Denmark, to unmarried parents, lunds mother died when he was less than four years old. At that time, his father was serving in the war over Schleswig-Holstein, Lund was baptized a member of the LDS Church at age 12, after his baptism, he assisted the missionaries and fulfilled his duties as first a teacher and then a priest by preaching with them. In 1862, Lund immigrated with his grandmother to the United States and he arrived in Utah Territory in September and settled in Sanpete County, following the tradition of many Scandinavian immigrants. In 1864, Lund was a teamster in a Down and Back Mormon pioneer company, the next winter, he served as a school teacher. In 1865, he responded to Brigham Youngs request that men come to Salt Lake City, in 1866, Lund became the telegraph operator for the Mount Pleasant station, where he was ordained as a seventy by Peter Madsen Peel. From 1884 to 1885, Lund served as president of the Scandinavian Mission of the church, Lund served in the Utah Territorial Legislature. He introduced the legislation resulted in the founding of Utah State Agricultural College. Lund served on the Utah Capitol Grounds Committee when it was formed in 1888, Lund became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 7,1889. Church president John Taylor had died two years earlier, Lund was ordained along with two other apostles, Marriner W. Merrill and Abraham H. Cannon. At the time of his ordination, Lund was the only monogamist in the Quorum of the Twelve and his wife was Sarah Ann Peterson, who he had married in 1870. In 1891, Lund became the president of the Manti Temple, from 1893 until 1896, Lund was the president of the European Mission. He made a journey to the Ottoman Empire in 1897, where he organized the Turkish Mission, in 1899, Lund laid and dedicated the southeast cornerstone of the Sanpete Stake Academy. That same year, Lund delivered a General Conference sermon in which he emphasized that it was no longer church policy to members of the church to emigrate to the western United States. In 1900, Lund became the superintendent of church religion classes, Church president Joseph F. Smith selected Lund as second counselor in the First Presidency on October 17,1901. He served in that position until April 7,1910, when Smith called him as first counselor, to replace John R. Winder, Lund assumed a myriad of duties, including heading various church agencies and again serving as a temple president. Lund also served as a member of several writing committees to revise the standard works. He participated in numerous businesses in Utah, including the Hotel Utah, the Amalgamated Sugar Company, Lund was the first member of the First Presidency whose native language was not English
4.
Anthony W. Ivins
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Anthony Woodward Ivins was an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was a member of the churchs First Presidency from 1921 until his death. Ivins was born in Toms River, New Jersey, when Ivins was still an infant, his parents migrated to Utah Territory. In 1861 they moved in St. George, Utah, as part of the settling party for that city. Ivins was a cousin of Heber J. Grant, Ivinss father, in 1878, Ivins married Elizabeth A. Snow, a daughter of Erastus Snow, an apostle, they had nine children. His son Antoine R. Ivins also served as an authority of the LDS Church. On his return to St. George from an 1877 mission and he later served on the St. George city council and as a prosecuting attorney for Washington County, Utah. Ivins was an member of the Democratic Party. In 1875, Ivins was part of a mission that found many sites in New Mexico. In 1877, he served a mission to New Mexico, where he focused much of his attention on the Native Americans, in the years immediately after his marriage, he served as a member of the stake high council in St. George. In 1882, Ivins was called on a mission to Mexico City and he served as the first stake president in Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua, the Juárez Stake was the first stake in Mexico. Ivins served in this position until his call to the Quorum of the Twelve in 1907, Ivins was ordained an apostle and joined the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 6,1907, after the death of George Teasdale. From 1918 to 1921, Ivins was the superintendent of the Young Mens Mutual Improvement Association, in 1921, Ivins was called as second counselor to Heber J. Grant in the First Presidency, and was replaced in the Quorum of the Twelve by Alonzo A. Hinckley. In 1925, Ivins became the first counselor to Grant in the First Presidency, Ivins died in Salt Lake City of a coronary occlusion. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery, the small city of Ivins, Utah, is named after him. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Young Womens Mutual Improvement Association General Board
5.
Joseph F. Smith
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Joseph Fielding Smith Sr. was an American religious leader who served as the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was the last president of the LDS Church to have personally known Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Smith was the son of church patriarch Hyrum Smith and his wife, Mary Fielding. In addition to her two children, Mary also raised the six children born to Hyrum and Jerusha, Smith was born in Far West, Missouri, on November 13,1838. Just a few days before he was born, his father had taken prisoner under the auspices of the Missouri Executive Order 44. At point of bayonet, Hyrum was marched to his home in Far West and he was told that his doom was sealed and that he would never see her again. Hyrum was still in custody in Liberty Jail, Missouri, when Smith was born and he was named after his uncle, Joseph Smith, and his mothers brother, Joseph Fielding. Hyrum was later released from custody during a transfer from Liberty Jail and his mother was later able to exchange their property in Illinois for a wagon and team of oxen. Smith and his family, along many other Latter Day Saints. The seven-year-old Smith drove the team of oxen with his family to the Latter Day Saint encampment at Winter Quarters, while at Winter Quarters, Smith and another boy, Thomas Burdick, were out on horseback some distance from the settlement, watching the cattle graze. They saw a band of twenty or thirty American Indians ride into the valley on the side of the cattle. Burdick rode back to camp to get help while Smith rode toward the Indians, Smith was able to turn the herd back toward the settlement, and, coupled with the noise and arrival of the Indians, started a stampede which saved the herd from capture. He was still riding with the herd at full speed when two Indians picked him up off of his horse from either side and dropped him to the ground. A company of men from the encampment then arrived, chased away the fleeing Indians, and recovered the herd, Smith and his family remained at Winter Quarters until the spring of 1848 when Smith drove his mothers wagon across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. After arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in 1848, Smiths mother worked to raise her own children as well as the children of her husbands first wife, Mary Fielding Smith died in 1852, apparently of pneumonia, leaving Smith an orphan at the age of 13. Smith reported that he was devastated by his mothers death, and relied upon the support and help of Brigham Young. Even with the support of his older half-brother John Smith, Smith assumed primary responsibility for his sister, Martha Ann. His leaving school was linked to his resistance of a teachers attempt to whip Martha
6.
John Henry Smith
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John Henry Smith was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a prominent politician in Utah and played an important role in the transition from Utah as a territory to a state of the United States. From 1867 until 1869 Smith served as a counselor in the bishopric of the Provo 4th Ward, in 1874 and 1875, Smith served as a missionary in Europe. He spent most of this mission in England, particularly in, from 1875 to 1880, Smith was the bishop of the Salt Lake 17th Ward. In October 1880, LDS Church president John Taylor called Smith to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, on October 27 of that year, he was ordained an apostle by Wilford Woodruff, who at that time was the quorum president. John Henry Smith served in capacity until his death the next year. Smith was a prominent Republican in Utah politics, in 1882, he was elected a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature. Smith was unanimously elected by the 107 delegates to be the Chair of the Utah Constitutional Convention that was held between March 4 and May 8,1895. Born in Carbunca, Iowa, Smith was the son of Sarah Ann Libby and LDS Church apostle and First Presidency member and he came west to Utah in a company co-lead by his father in 1849, arriving in Salt Lake City on October 27,1849. Smith practiced plural marriage and was the father of 19 children, one of his sons was George Albert Smith, who became an LDS apostle and served as the churchs 8th president. Smith and George Albert Smith are the father and son pair to have been members of the Quorum of the Twelve at the same time. Smith was also the father of Nicholas G. Smith, smiths first wife, Sarah Farr, was the daughter of Lorin Farr, who was mayor of Ogden, Utah. Smiths second wife, Josephine Groesbeck, spent 1888 until 1896 in exile in Manassa, Colorado, Smith died of a pulmonary hemorrhage in Salt Lake City and was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery. Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, vol, white, Jean Bickmore, ed. Church, State, and Politics, The Diaries of John Henry Smith, Signature Books, ISBN 0-941214-85-0
7.
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)
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In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy. Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are apostles, with the calling to be prophets, seers, and revelators, evangelical ambassadors, the jurisdiction of the Twelve was originally limited to areas of the world outside of Zion or its stakes. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles claims a leadership role second only to that of the First Presidency, at the time of the death of Joseph Smith, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was Brigham Young. Young emphasized what he said was Smiths authorization that the Quorum of the Twelve should be the governing body of the church after Smiths death. Church policy decisions are made unanimously, with consultation among the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and where appropriate, effort is made to ensure that the organizations are united in purpose and policy. Each member of the quorum is accepted by the church as an apostle, as well as a prophet, seer, thus, each apostle is considered to hold the rights to use all powers granted by God to the church. Individually and collectively, the Twelve Apostles hold the keys and have conferred the authority to exercise all of the keys upon the President of the Church. Thus, as outlined in the Doctrine and Covenants, only the President of the Church is entitled to revelation or dictate policy for the entire church. A major role of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is to appoint a successor when the President of the Church dies, shortly after this occurs, the apostles meet in a room of the Salt Lake Temple to appoint a successor. Invariably the successor has been the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the apostles lay their hands on his head and ordain him and set him apart as President of the Church. The president then chooses two counselors in the First Presidency, who are high priests, the second most senior surviving apostle becomes the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This has invariably been the most senior member of the quorum who is not a member of the First Presidency, the final decision rests with the President of the Church, but is formally voted on by the Twelve and the counselors in the First Presidency. The chosen man is generally ordained an apostle by the President of the Church, depending on circumstances, this may occur before or after a sustaining vote is held at a church general conference. Any Melchizedek priesthood holder is eligible to be called as an apostle, generally, new apostles have considerable experience in church government and have served faithfully as bishops, stake presidents, mission presidents, or seventies. Some apostles receive assignments to become members of boards of church-owned for-profit corporations, the calling of an apostle is typically a lifetime calling. Pages, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — biographical sketches of all past and present members of the Quorum
8.
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
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Apostle (Latter Day Saints)
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‹See Tfd› In the Latter Day Saint movement, an apostle is a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ who is sent to teach the principles of salvation to others. In many Latter Day Saint churches, an apostle is an office of high authority within the church hierarchy. In many churches, apostles may be members of the Quorum of the Twelve, in most Latter Day Saint churches, modern-day apostles are considered to have the same status and authority as the Biblical apostles. In the Latter Day Saint tradition, apostles and prophets are believed to be the foundation of the church, joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were both designated apostles by 1830. Other church members with proselytizing responsibilities were also referred to as apostles, a June 1829 revelation appointed Cowdery and David Whitmer to designate twelve disciples. Subsequently, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was organized February 14,1835, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, apostle is the highest priesthood office of the Melchizedek priesthood. The President of the Church is always an apostle, as are the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in practice, counselors in the First Presidency are almost always apostles as well. There are usually at least twelve apostles in the LDS Church, some apostles have been ordained to that office without being included within the Quorum of the Twelve. Joseph Angell Young was ordained an apostle in 1864 but was never a member of either the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or the First Presidency, joseph F. Smith, Brigham Young, Jr. and Sylvester Q. Cannon had each been ordained as apostles before eventually being called into the Quorum of the Twelve, the next most senior apostle becomes president of the Quorum of the Twelve. Following their calling to the apostleship, members of the Quorum are sustained in general conference as apostles and prophets, seers and this procedure also takes place at other meetings of church members such as ward and stake conferences. Each member of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve is sustained by name, usually, the president of the church ordains a new apostle, although any other apostle may ordain a person to the priesthood office. The calling of an apostle is to be a witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world, particularly of his divinity. Twelve men with this high calling constitute an administrative council in the work of the ministry, when a vacancy occurred with the death of Judas Iscariot, Matthias was divinely appointed to that special office as a member of the council. Today twelve men with this same divine calling and ordination constitute the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The title was applied to others who, though not of the number of the original twelve. Paul repeatedly spoke of himself as an apostle and he applied the titles to James, the Lords brother, and also to Barnabas. Jesus is referred to as an apostle in Heb,3, 1-2, a designation meaning that he is the personal and select representative of the Father
10.
Abraham O. Woodruff
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Abraham Owen Woodruff was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was also the son of LDS Church president Wilford Woodruff and he was ordained an apostle at the relatively young age of 24, but served less than seven years until his death. Woodruff was born just south of Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to Wilford Woodruff and Emma Smith and he attended Latter-day Saints College after he graduated from high school. Upon completion of his studies, Woodruff became employed in a bank at the age of 18, in 1893, at age 21, he was called to the Swiss–German Mission. While on his mission, Woodruff had to endure persecution against the missionaries, to blend in, he dressed and acted like a common worker in the cities, and preached in secret in homes at night. He was released from his mission after three years of service in 1896, after his mission, Woodruff returned to work at the bank. On June 30,1896, he married Helen May Winters, the following October, in General Conference, he was called by his father as an apostle at the age of 24. He was ordained by his father on October 7,1897, like other apostles, he helped establish settlements and stakes throughout the area. Woodruff developed a close and very personal relationship with his father during this time as well, Woodruff took a second wife, Eliza Avery Clark, on November 1,1900, thus practicing plural marriage 10 years after his fathers 1890 Manifesto. It is not known who sealed the marriage or where it was performed and it is possible that the marriage was performed outside of the United States. Woodruff had one child with his second wife, in May 1904, Woodruff was called to visit the Mormon colonies in Mexico with his family. There, his wife, Helen Woodruff, contracted smallpox and died on June 7,1904. Woodruff contracted the disease around the time and died on June 20,1904, in El Paso, Texas, at the age of 31. Woodruff was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery, Latter-day Saint biographical encyclopedia, A compilation of biographical sketches of prominent men and women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah, The Andrew Jenson History Company, Latter-day Saint biographical encyclopedia, A compilation of biographical sketches of prominent men and women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah, The Andrew Jenson History Company, Latter-day Saint biographical encyclopedia, A compilation of biographical sketches of prominent men and women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah, The Andrew Jenson History Company, media related to Abraham O. Woodruff at Wikimedia Commons Grampa Bills G. A. Pages, Abraham O. Woodruff Abraham Owen Woodruffs diary from at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University
