1.
Anthon H. Lund
–
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
2.
George Albert Smith
–
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
3.
First Presidency (LDS Church)
–
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
4.
Heber J. Grant
–
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
5.
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)
–
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
6.
Lorenzo Snow
–
Lorenzo Snow was an American religious leader who served as the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century, Lorenzo had siblings Leonora Abigail Snow, Eliza R. Snow, Percy Amanda Snow, Melissa Snow, Lucius Augustus Snow, and Samuel Pearce Snow. Despite the labor required on the farm, the Snow family valued learning, Snow received his final year of education at Oberlin College, which was founded by two Presbyterian ministers. Snow later made his living as a teacher when not engaged in church service. In 1831, Joseph Smith, the Latter Day Saint prophet, took up residence in Hiram, Ohio, the Snow family was Baptist, but soon took a strong interest in the new religious movement. Snow recorded that he heard the Book of Mormon being read aloud in his home in Mantua, by 1835, Snows mother and his older sister Eliza, had joined the Latter Day Saint church. Eliza soon moved to the headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio. She, in her biography of Snow, claims to have fostered his interest in Mormonism while he was at Oberlin, Eliza invited Snow to visit her and attend a school of Hebrew newly established by the church. During his visit there, in June 1836, Snow was baptized by John F. Boynton, while living in Kirtland in 1837, Snow was called to serve a short mission in Ohio, traveling without purse or scrip. He recorded that relying on the kindness of others for his meals and lodging was difficult for him, when he returned to Kirtland in 1838, Snow found Smiths followers in turmoil over the failure of the Kirtland Safety Society. Snow and the members of his family chose to move to Missouri in the summer of 1838. Snow became seriously ill with a fever, and was nursed for several weeks by his sister Eliza, on his recovery, Snow left for a second mission to Illinois and Kentucky in the fall of 1838. He served there through February 1839, when he learned that the Latter Day Saints had been expelled from their settlements in Missouri and he traveled home by way of his former mission area in Ohio. He was again ill and was cared for by members of the church. He remained in Ohio, preaching and working with church members until the fall of 1839, during the school year of 1839–40, Snow taught in Shalersville, Ohio. He sent money to his family, which had by then settled in Nauvoo, Illinois, shortly after he arrived in Nauvoo, Snow was asked to serve a mission in England. After an unpleasant sea voyage from New York City, Snow met with some of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve who had opened the British Mission in 1839, including Brigham Young, Heber C. Snow worked briefly in the Manchester area, and had success in Birmingham, Snow was assigned to preside over church members in London
7.
Joseph F. Smith
–
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
8.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
–
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
