Melvin Russell Ballard Jr. was an American businessman and religious leader who served as the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2018 until his death in 2023. He had been a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since 1985. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Ballard was accepted by church members as a prophet, seer, and revelator. At the time of his death, he was the third most senior apostle in the church.
Ballard speaking at the BYU Church History Symposium in 2012
Ballard with President Bill Clinton and United States Senator Orrin Hatch in 1993
Ballard with his wife, Barbara, in 2017
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Orson Hyde
Brigham Young, Jr.
Image: Joseph Fielding Smith
Image: Spencer W. Kimball 3