Latter-day Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ�Smith Family Home Evening Lesson

2024�www.JimmySmith.org

Table of Contents�Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

1. Joseph Smith Jr.
2. Brigham Young
3. John Taylor
4. Wilford Woodruff
5. Lorenzo Snow
6. Joseph F. Smith
7. Heber J. Grant
8. George Albert Smith
9. David O. McKay

10. Joseph Fielding Smith
11. Harold B. Lee
12. Spencer W. Kimball
13. Ezra Taft Benson
14. Howard W. Hunter
15. Gordon B. Hinckley
16. Thomas S. Monson
17. Russell M. Nelson

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Intro: Purpose of this Lesson

• Help learn about the lives, character, personality, and teachings of the latter-day presidents of the Church
• See the examples left to us by these men of what it means to be good leaders and better disciples of Christ
• Gain inspiration from their remarkable achievements as we all strive to be better Latter-day Saints and witnesses of Jesus Christ

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1. Joseph Smith Jr.�Born: Dec 23, 1805�President: Apr 6, 1830 - Jun 27, 1844

Biographical Sketch:

1. Born: December 23, 1805, in Sharon, Vermont
2. 1813: He had leg surgery, with no anesthesia, due to a bone infection. Dr. Nathan Smith miraculously saved his leg
3. 1820: Has First Vision at age 14 when God the Father and Jesus Christ appear to him in the Sacred Grove, Palmyra, NY
4. Sep 1823: The angel Moroni appears to Joseph and tells him about the gold plates and the work he is called to do
5. Jan 1827: Joseph marries Emma Hale. They were married 17 years and had 11 children
• Some of their children were adopted, and six of their children died in infancy
6. Sep 1827: Joseph receives the gold plates from Moroni and begins translating them into the Book of Mormon
7. Nov 1827, Joseph’s oldest brother Alvin died of mercury poisoning, administered for a stomachache
8. In 1828, Martin Harris served as Book of Mormon scribe but then loses first 116 pages translated
9. Apr – Jun 1829: Most Book of Mormon translated with Oliver Cowdery as scribe
10. 1831, Joseph and most Church members move to Kirtland, Ohio to flee persecution
11. Also in 1831, some missionaries and members go to Independence, Missouri where Zion is revealed to be built
12. Feb 1832: Vision given to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon of three Degrees of Glory (D&C 76)
13. Mar 1832: A mob beats Joseph and Sidney unconscious, tarred and feathered them, and left them for dead
14. In summer 1834, he organized Zion's Camp, a group of brethren to march to the aid of persecuted Missouri Saints
15. 1837, he created the Kirtland Safety Society, a quasi-bank. It failed within a month, leaving many members in debt.
16. Jan 1838: Most Saints leave Kirtland Ohio due to persecution and flee to various settlements in Missouri
17. Dec 1838: Joseph was put in Liberty Jail, the Missouri Extermination Order is issued, and the Saints flee to Illinois
18. 1839, Joseph is released from jail and the Saints begin to build the city of Nauvoo, Illinois
19. In Dec 1839, Joseph is in Washington DC to petition Congress and President for relief of the Saints losses in Missouri
20. Early 1840s: Joseph started to teach his close associates about the principle and practice of plural marriage
21. Early 1844: Since government was not helping persecuted Saints, Joseph launched a campaign to run for U.S. President
22. June 10, 1844: Nauvoo Expositor, anti-Mormon newspaper, has printing press destroyed by order of Mayor J. Smith
23. June 27, 1844: Joseph and Hyrum Smith, in jail in Carthage Illinois awaiting trial, are murdered by a mob

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1. Joseph Smith Jr.�Born: Dec 23, 1805�President: Apr 6, 1830 - Jun 27, 1844

Developments in Church Administration:

• May 15, 1829. John the Baptist confers the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph and Oliver Cowdery
• A short time later, Peter, James, and John confer the Melchizedek Priesthood upon them
• March 1830: The Book of Mormon is printed and made available to the public
• April 6, 1830. Joseph organizes The Church of Christ on the earth and first meeting is held.
• Joseph Smith is sustained as prophet, seer, apostle of Jesus Christ and “first elder” of the Church
• In 1838, the name was changed to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Feb 1831: Edward Partridge is called as the first bishop in the Church
• Nov 1831: First edition of the Doctrine and Covenants published (called “Book of Commandments”)
• 1832: Joseph selected two men to be his counselors in the First Presidency of the high priesthood
• Feb 1833: The Word of Wisdom, law of physical health and diet (no ‘hot’ drinks or alcohol) is revealed
• 1835: Joseph asked the 3 Witnesses to choose 12 men to form a Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
• 1836: Kirtland Temple is dedicated. Jesus Christ appears to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery there.
• Other Heavenly messengers, like Moses and Elijah, also appeared and bestowed priesthood keys
• 1840: Joseph introduced baptism for the dead (first practiced in the Mississippi River)
• 1841: Construction began on the Nauvoo Temple
• Mar 1842: Joseph organized the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo with Emma Smith as president
• Also Mar 1842: The Church published the 13 Articles of Faith and the Book of Abraham (PoGP)
• May 1842: Joseph presented first endowment ceremony on the upper floor of the Red Brick Store
• Apr 1844: Joseph delivered famous King Follett discourse, giving deep insights into the nature of God

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1. Joseph Smith Jr.�Born: Dec 23, 1805�President: Apr 6, 1830 - Jun 27, 1844

Notable Teachings:

1. “I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”
2. “This is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father.”
3. John Taylor reported: “A gentleman …asked Joseph Smith how it was that he was enabled to govern so many people, and to preserve such perfect order. …[Joseph] Smith replied, ‘I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.’”
4. “A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the Spirit of Revelation. For instance, when you feel pure Intelligence flowing unto you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas that by noticing it you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon.”
5. “This first comforter, or Holy Ghost, has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is …powerful in expanding the mind [and] enlightening the understanding.”
6. “God hath not revealed any thing to Joseph, but what he will make known unto the Twelve & even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them.”
7. “I believe that God is eternal. That He had no beginning, and can have no end. Eternity means that which is without beginning or end. I believe that the soul is eternal; and had no beginning; it can have no end. …Everything which had a beginning must have an ending.”
8. “When the Lord has thoroughly proved him and finds that the man is determined to serve him at all hazard, then the man will find his calling and election made sure. Then it will be his privilege to receive the Other Comforter.”
9. “A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”

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2. Brigham Young. �Born: Jun 1, 1801�President: Dec 27, 1847 - Aug 29, 1877

Biographical Sketch:

1. Born: Jun 1, 1801, in Whitingham, Vermont
2. As an adult, he moved to NY and worked as a carpenter and operated a sawmill
3. He married Miriam Works and had two daughters, but Miriam died a few short years later of consumption (Tuberculosis, a bacterial infection of the lungs)
4. He was introduced to the Book of Mormon in 1830 and joined the Church in 1832
5. In 1834, he traveled to Missouri with Zion's Camp
• While his new wife, Mary Ann, who was pregnant at the time, stayed behind with his two little girls
6. He was original member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1835
7. In 1836, he worked on building the Kirtland Temple and oversaw the work of others
8. He served 10 separate missions (in Canada, eastern United States, and Great Britain). In GB, his missionary efforts brought around 8,000 new members into the faith
9. In 1838, when Missouri issued the Extermination Order, he led the Saints’ migration to Illinois
10. He was among the first to whom Joseph Smith taught the doctrine of plural marriage
• He had 56 wives and 57 children. In 2016, he was estimated to have 30,000 descendants.
11. Upon the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, as President of the Quorum of the 12, he became leader of the Church and was unanimously sustained by the members
12. In Feb 1846, he led the Church members out of Nauvoo, Illinois to head west
• First across Iowa to Winter Quarters, NE, and eventually to Salt Lake Valley where they settled Utah
13. He served as the first governor of the Utah Territory from 1851 to 1858
14. He prioritized construction of transcontinental railroad which connected Utah with rest of the country
15. He established the University of Deseret, which eventually became University of Utah
16. He established Brigham Young Academy in 1876 in Provo, Utah, which became BYU

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2. Brigham Young�Born: Jun 1, 1801�President: Dec 27, 1847 - Aug 29, 1877

Developments in Church Administration:

• He focused on completing the Nauvoo temple in 1845, and helped about 5,000 members receive their temple endowment in early 1846
• After three years of leading as President of the Quorum of the 12, a new First Presidency was reorganized with him as Church President in 1847
• Just four days after arriving in Salt Lake, he designated the location for the Salt Lake Temple
• While the Salt Lake Temple was not completed in his lifetime, he did see temples built in St. George (1871), Manti (1875), and Logan (1877)
• He also built the Endowment House, a "temporary temple", in 1855 to provide temple ordinances to church members while the others were under construction
• Despite some modern accusations that he ordered the attack, evidence is clear he was not involved in the Mountain Meadows Massacre
• He reorganized the Relief Society for women in 1867 (which had been paused when the Saints left Nauvoo in 1846) and created organizations for young women in 1869 and young men in 1875
• He established the policy of banning people of black African descent from receiving the priesthood and temple ordinances (reversed in 1978)
• During his 30-year presidency, he directed the founding about 400 towns in the Intermountain West by Latter-day Saint settlers
• He established the Perpetual Emigration Fund to help thousands of poor Saints migrate to Utah
• Vast quantities of his sermons in Utah (among other Church leaders) were transcribed by note takers and compiled into 26 volumes called the Journal of Discourses

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2. Brigham Young�Born: Jun 1, 1801�President: Dec 27, 1847 - Aug 29, 1877

Notable Teachings:

• “The worst fear that I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches, for they will become the richest people on this earth.”
• “[Women] ought to have the privilege to study [various] branches of knowledge that they may develop the powers with which they are endowed. We believe that women are useful, not only to sweep houses, wash dishes, make beds, and raise babies, but they should stand behind the counter, study law or physic [medicine], or become good book-keepers . . . In following these things they but answer the design of their creation."
• "Every human being will find that his happiness very greatly depends upon the work he does, and the doing of it well. … Our daily toil, however humble it may be, is our daily duty, and by doing it well we make it a part of our daily worship."
• “I know that the things of this world … make little or no difference in the happiness of an individual.”
• “I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation.”
• "I care nothing about my character in this world. I do not care what men say about me. I want my character to stand fair in the eyes of my Heavenly Father."

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3. John Taylor�Born: Nov 1, 1808 �President: Oct 10, 1880 - Jul 25, 1887

Biographical Sketch:

1. Born: Nov 1, 1808 in Milnthorpe, Westmorland, England
2. He joined the Methodist church at 16 and was appointed a lay preacher a year later
3. His moved with his parents to Ontario Canada in 1832
4. He met Leonora Cannon in Toronto and married her in 1833
5. They met Parley P. Pratt in 1836 were soon baptized into the Church
6. In 1838, he moved his family to Far West, Missouri
7. At age 30, he was ordained an apostle and member of Quorum of the 12
8. In 1839, he served a mission in Great Britain
9. He was editor the Times and Seasons Church newspaper in Nauvoo
10. He was present in 1842 at the organization of the Relief Society
11. He was in Carthage Jail in 1844 when it was stormed by a mob who killed Joseph Smith and left John severely wounded, being hit by bullets in the hand, knee, and hip
12. He had a marvelous singing voice and sang "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" just before the martyrdom
13. When most Saints fled Nauvoo to go west, he went on another mission to England
14. He also supervised missionary work in France and Germany
15. He served in the Utah territorial legislature from 1853 to 1876
16. He assumed leadership of the Church as president of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1877 when Brigham Young died, but was not made Church President until 1880

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3. John Taylor�Born: Nov 1, 1808 �President: Oct 10, 1880 - Jul 25, 1887

Developments in Church Administration:

• He made efforts to further solidify organization in the still young Church
• Instructing bishops to hold weekly priesthood meetings in their wards,
• Stake presidents to hold monthly stake priesthood meetings,
• And holding quarterly stake conferences presided over by an apostle.
• The Primary was first organized under the direction of Pres Taylor in 1878 for more effective teaching of the children in the Church.
• Under Pres. Taylor, the Pearl of Great Price was canonized as one of the Church’s standard works in 1880, joining the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants as official scripture.
• During the later half of the 1800s, the U.S. passed numerous anti-polygamy laws. Pres. Taylor felt the legislation was a violation of freedom of religion in the Constitution and challenged the laws in court.
• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the federal government, allowing the disincorporation of the Church and confiscation of much Church property.
• Under threat of arrest, Pres Taylor went into hiding from 1885 until his death. He felt leaving the public eye would decrease the persecution against the Church. When faced with the choice of obeying God or man regarding plural marriage, he chose to obey God.

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3. John Taylor�Born: Nov 1, 1808 �President: Oct 10, 1880 - Jul 25, 1887

Notable Teachings:

• “God will be on the side of Israel, if Israel will only be on the side of right.”
• “If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty.”
• “We should so live that our love for each other can increase all the time, and not diminish, and have charity in our bosoms so that we may bear with one another’s infirmities, feeling that we are the children of God seeking to carry out his word and will and law. And then treat everybody right.”
• “As American citizens, we shall contend for all our liberties, rights and immunities, guaranteed to us by the Constitution; and no matter what action may be taken by mobocratic influence, by excited and unreasonable men, or by inimical legislation, we shall contend inch by inch for our freedom and rights, as well as the freedom and rights of all American citizens and of all mankind.”
• “I used to think, if I were the Lord, I would not suffer people to be tried as they are. But I have changed my mind on that subject. Now I think I would, if I were the Lord, because it purges out the meanness and corruption that stick around the Saints… I do not desire trials. I do not desire affliction…But if the earthquake bellows, the lightnings flash, the thunders roll, and the powers of darkness are let loose … and my life with theirs is put to the test, let it come, for we are the Saints of the most High God, and all is well, all is peace, all is right.”

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4. Wilford Woodruff�Born: Mar 1, 1807 �President: Apr 7, 1889 - Sep 2, 1898

Biographical Sketch:

1. Born: Mar 1, 1807, in Connecticut, USA
2. He attended school until he was 18 years old (unusual at the time)
3. He was operating a flour mill in New York in 1833 when he heard LDS missionaries preach and was baptized into the Church
4. He was a member of Zion's Camp in April 1834
5. In 1835, he volunteered to serve a mission in Arkansas and Tennessee, donating his belongings to the church and preaching w/o "purse or scrip"
6. He was called as member of Quorum of Twelve Apostles in July 1838
7. He served a mission in England from Aug 1839 until Apr 1841
• Upon concluding his mission, he led many converts from England to Nauvoo
8. He was part of the first group that traveled to Salt Lake Valley in 1847
9. In 1848, he and his wife, Phebe, presided over the Eastern States Mission
10. He eventually married 10 wives and had 34 children
11. He worked as Church Historian (or assistant) from 1856 to 1889
12. In 1877, he became the first president of the St. George Temple
13. In 1882, he went into hiding to avoid being arrested for polygamy
14. He served on the Provo City Council, multiple terms in the Utah territorial legislature, and was a member of the Utah Constitutional Convention that petitioned for statehood for Utah

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4. Wilford Woodruff�Born: Mar 1, 1807 �President: Apr 7, 1889 - Sep 2, 1898

Developments in Church Administration:

• He was known for his detailed note taking, abundant letters, and daily journal entries which has provided an important Church history records
• He was manager of the Times and Seasons, the Church’s official newspaper in Nauvoo
• He helped standardize the temple endowment and introduced the practice of endowments for the dead as well as the living
• He ended sealings of members to unrelated priesthood leaders (often prophets) and taught them, rather, to be sealed to their parents (setting in motion the practice continued to this day)
• He implemented the policy allowing widows to be sealed to their deceased husbands, even if they had not accepted the gospel in life (again, though common today, this was new at the time)
• In 1890, he received a revelation ending the practice of plural marriage in the Church known as Official Declaration 1 (aka the “Manifesto”)
• The Church was under intense pressure from the federal government about polygamy, with many top priesthood leaders in hiding and much Church property being confiscated
• His leadership helped de-escalate tensions, allowing the Church to begin transitioning into greater acceptance in American society and leading to more financial stability for the Church
• After 40 years of construction, the Salt Lake Temple was completed and dedicated in 1893 by President Woodruff
• He dedicated the Manti, Utah Temple, organized a Genealogical Society, and emphasized the value of family history and record keeping

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4. Wilford Woodruff�Born: Mar 1, 1807 �President: Apr 7, 1889 - Sep 2, 1898

Notable Teachings:

• “The spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them …We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God …These were the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and they waited on me for two days and two nights ...I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon Brother McAllister to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and fifty other eminent men, making one hundred in all, including John Wesley, Columbus, and others.”
• “We are not teaching polygamy or plural marriage, nor permitting any person to enter into its practice.”
• “The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so He will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty.”
• “Some may say [journal keeping] is a great deal of trouble. But we should not call anything trouble which brings to pass good. I consider that portion of my life which has been spent in keeping journals and writing history to have been very profitably spent.”
• “When we get into the spirit world, and the veil is withdrawn we shall then perhaps understand the whys.”

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5. Lorenzo Snow�Born: Apr 3, 1814 �President: Sep 13, 1898 - Oct 10, 1901

Biographical Sketch:

1. Born: Apr 3, 1814, in Mantua, Ohio. One of seven siblings
2. In 1831, the Saints had begun gathering in Kirtland, Ohio, not far from the Snow farm
3. By 1835, his mother and his older sister, Eliza R. Snow, had joined the Church
4. Lorenzo was baptized in 1836 (age 22)
5. He and his family moved to Missouri 1838 in the aftermath of the failed Kirtland Safety Society when there was a large apostasy from the Church
6. After a mission, he joined his family in Nauvoo, Illinois in May 1840
7. He served a multi-year mission in England and returned home in 1843 on a ship with 250 British converts
8. He fled Nauvoo with his family, wagons, and livestock and crossed the Mississippi River in Feb 1846 when the Saints were driven from Illinois
9. The Snow family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1848
10. He had nine wives and 42 children
11. In 1849, he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
12. After his call to the 12, he left on a mission to Italy and Switzerland (French-speaking)
13. In 1855, he was elected to the Utah territorial legislature
14. In 1864, he was sent on a mission to Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) with Joseph F. Smith
15. In 1871, he went on a trip to the Holy Land with several other church leaders
16. In 1873, he was called as Counselor in the First Presidency
17. In 1885, he was arrested for unlawful cohabitation / polygamy (pardoned in 1894)

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5. Lorenzo Snow�Born: Apr 3, 1814 �President: Sep 13, 1898 - Oct 10, 1901

Developments in Church Administration:

• Lorenzo Snow was the first Church president to immediately reorganize the First Presidency after the death of his predecessor
• Less than two weeks after the death of Woodruff, he was ordained as president
• This practice set a precedent for future transitions of Church leadership
• Previously, there had been multi-year delays in reorganizing the First Presidency
• He clarified that the next president of the church falls on the person who had been in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the longest
• at that time, there were apostles who were not members of the Quorum of the 12
• In 1888, he encouraged members in Rexburg, Idaho to create an academy which evolved in Ricks College and then into Brigham Young University–Idaho
• The Church was in severe financial difficulties when Lorenzo Snow became president and one way to address this was added emphasis on the principle of tithing which started to become a hallmark of church membership
• Was first president of the Salt Lake Temple in 1893 and remained so until his death
• He reaffirmed the Church’s adherence to the 1890 Manifesto, which officially ended the practice of plural marriage
• He sought to repair the Church’s public image and relations with federal government
• His presidency served as a bridge between the pioneer era of the Church and its emergence into the 20th century with a focus on financial stability and spiritual growth, preparing the Church for the challenges and opportunities of the modern era.

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5. Lorenzo Snow�Born: Apr 3, 1814 �President: Sep 13, 1898 - Oct 10, 1901

Notable Teachings:

• “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.”
• “Do not expect to become perfect at once. If you do, you will be disappointed. Be better today than you were yesterday, and be better tomorrow than you are today.”
• “The time has now come for every Latter-day Saint … to do the will of the Lord and to pay his tithing in full. That is the word of the Lord to you, and it will be the word of the Lord to every settlement throughout the land of Zion.”
• “Every trial a man goes through, if he is faithful in that trial and does honor to God and his religion he has espoused, at the end of that trial or affliction that individual is nearer to God, nearer in regard to the increase of faith, wisdom, knowledge and power, and hence is more confident in calling upon the Lord for those things he desires.”
• “We are here that we may be educated in a school of suffering and of fiery trials, which school was necessary for Jesus, our Elder Brother, who, the scriptures tell us, ‘was made perfect through suffering.’ It is necessary that we suffer in all things, that we may be qualified and worthy to rule, and govern all things, even as our Father in Heaven and His eldest son, Jesus.”

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6. Joseph F. Smith�Born: Nov 13, 1838 �President: Oct 17, 1901 - Nov 19, 1918

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Nov 13, 1838 in Far West, Missouri
• The son of Hyrum Smith, the Prophet Joseph’s brother
• His father, Hyrum, was in custody in Liberty Jail, Missouri, when he was born
• He was nearly six years old when his father and uncle were killed in Carthage, Illinois
• At seven-years-old, he drove a team of oxen with his family across Iowa to Winter Quarters, Nebraska
• At age 10, he drove his mother's wagon across the Rocky Mountains to Salt Lake
• At age 13, his mother, Mary Fielding Smith, died of pneumonia
• At age 15, he was called on his first mission to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) where he served for four years
• In 1860, at 22 years of age, he was sent on a 3-year mission to Great Britain
• His first marriage was to his cousin, Levira Annette Clark Smith
• The marriage was very contentious and ended end divorce after 8 years
• He had five other wives and forty-eight children
• He served many terms in the Utah House of Representatives, Salt Lake City Council, Provo City Council, the Utah Territorial Council, and Utah constitutional convention
• In 1866, at age 28, he was ordained an apostle
• He served as a counselor to the First Presidency under Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow
• In 1874, he left for his second mission to England and to serve as president of the European Mission (he later served a third mission to England)

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6. Joseph F. Smith�Born: Nov 13, 1838 �President: Oct 17, 1901 - Nov 19, 1918

Developments in Church Administration:

• He directed all wards and stakes to set aside one home evening each month for families (the beginning of Family Home Evening)
• He made efforts to improve the church's relationships with the U.S. federal government, including issues around Church property, finances, and getting Reed Smoot seated as the Senator from Utah
• In 1904, he issued a declaration known as the "second manifesto“ that any church officer who performed a plural marriage, as well as the couple, would be excommunicated
• Though first “manifesto” the 1890 had officially ended polygamy in the church, some members and leaders had continued to privately enter new plural marriages
• In 1906, he went on a tour to Europe, becoming the first Church president to travel outside of North America during his presidency
• In 1913, he made Boy Scouts the official youth activity program for the church's young men
• He acquired several Church historic sites (like Joseph Smith’s birthplace) and expanded the church system of education
• Converted Brigham Young Academy to Brigham Young University
• He expanded Church publications such as The Improvement Era magazine and the creation of manuals for teaching, helping to standardize Sunday School programs
• Near the end of his life, Joseph F. Smith received a profound vision regarding the spirit world, particularly the organization of missionary work among the spirits of the dead (later canonized as D&C:138 in 1976)

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6. Joseph F. Smith�Born: Nov 13, 1838 �President: Oct 17, 1901 - Nov 19, 1918

Notable Teachings:

• “My eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them; But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.” (D&C 138)
• “Jesus had not finished his work when his body was slain, neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead; although he had accomplished the purpose for which he then came to the earth, he had not fulfilled all his work. And when will he? Not until he has redeemed and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that have been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time, except the sons of perdition. That is his mission.”
• “We believe in all truth, no matter to what subject it may refer. No sect or religious denomination in the world possesses a single principle of truth that we do not accept or that we will reject. We are willing to receive all truth, from whatever source it may come.”
• “The hand of the Lord may not be visible to all. There may be many who can not discern the workings of God’s will in the progress and development of this great latter-day work, but there are those who see in every hour and in every moment of the existence of the Church, from its beginning until now, the overruling, almighty hand of Him who sent His Only Begotten Son to the world.”

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7. Heber J. Grant �Born: Nov 22, 1856�President: Nov 23, 1918 - May 14, 1945

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Nov 22, 1856, in Salt Lake City, Utah
• His father, Jedediah Grant, a counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency, died of pneumonia when Heber was 9 days old
• His mom, Rachel, who served for many years as ward Relief Society president, became the dominant influence in his life
• Had 12 Children and 3 wives (he was last prophet to practice polygamy)
• Lucy Stringham (m. 1877)​, Hulda Augusta Winters ​(m. 1884)​, Emily Harris Wells ​(m. 1884)​
• He founded the Utah Sugar Company and the Salt Lake Theatre
• In 1880, age 24, he became president of the Tooele Utah Stake
• In 1882, age 26, he was called as an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve
• In 1883, he was called to serve a mission to the Native Americans
• In 1884, he served a term as a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature
• He worked professionally as a cashier and bookkeeper
• People criticized his handwriting, so he practiced until he was good enough to teach penmanship at a local school
• He lost most of his money in the economic Panic of 1893 and never recovered financially
• 1901, he went to Japan to open missionary work and serve as mission president
• 1903, he went to preside over Britain and other European missions of the church
• 1918, His sustaining as church president was delayed by a year due to the world-wide influenza pandemic

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7. Heber J. Grant�Born: Nov 22, 1856�President: Nov 23, 1918 - May 14, 1945

Developments in Church Administration:

• During his presidency, ward and stake youth groups first started making group trips to the temple to do baptisms for the dead
• Delivered the Church’s first radio message to the world in May 1922
• He dedicated the first temples outside of Utah since Nauvoo
• Hawaii, Alberta Canada (the first outside the United States), and Arizona
• He organized the first stakes outside the U.S. Intermountain West
• The first stake in Los Angeles was organized in the 1920s
• He asked apostle LeGrand Richards to move to CA to serve as stake president there
• In the 1930s, stakes were organized in New York and Chicago
• In the 1940s, stakes were organized in Portland, Oregon, & Washington DC
• In 1935, Grant excommunicated members of the church in Short Creek, Arizona, who were practicing plural marriage
• Those excommunicated founded the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of LDS
• Amid Great Depression, he instituted church's welfare program in 1936
• He emphasized Word of Wisdom and made it required to attend temple
• Prior to him, church leaders differed on their stance related to abstinence of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea
• During his administration, position of Assistant to Quorum of the Twelve was created

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7. Heber J. Grant �Born: Nov 22, 1856�President: Nov 23, 1918 - May 14, 1945

Notable Teachings:

• On Church welfare he said, “Our primary purpose was to set up, insofar as it might be possible, a system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of a dole abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self-respect be once more established amongst our people. The aim of the Church is to help the people help themselves.”
• He often quoted the following, often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson: “That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do-not that the nature of the thing is changed, but that our power to do is increased.”
• “If there is any one thing that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means. And if there is any one thing that is grinding and discouraging and disheartening, it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet.”
• “One can never tell what will be the result of faithful service rendered, nor do we know when it will come back to us …The reward may not come at the time, but in dividends later. I believe we will never lose anything in life by giving service, by making sacrifices, and doing the right thing.”
• “There is no other labor in all the world that brings to a human heart, judging from my own personal experience, more joy, peace and serenity than proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

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8. George Albert Smith�Born: Apr 4, 1870 �President: May 21, 1945 - Apr 4, 1951

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Apr 4, 1870, in Salt Lake City, Utah
• His grandfather was George A. Smith, cousin to Joseph Smith
• He attended high school at Brigham Young Academy, graduating in 1884
• His eyesight was permanently impaired by glare from the sun while surveying a railroad
• In 1892, he married Lucy Emily Woodruff, granddaughter of Wilford Woodruff, and they had three children
• He served in the Southern States Mission in 1894
• He worked as a traveling salesman for ZCMI
• He gave many impromptu concerts on his sales trips, playing on the harmonica and guitar
• He served as a member of the Utah National Guard
• He was called as an apostle and member of the Quorum of the 12 in 1903
• He was an avid genealogist and family historian and was named national vice president of the Sons of the American Revolution in 1922
• He was president of the Utah Society for the Sightless, built a new home for the blind, and printed first Braille edition of the Book of Mormon
• He suffered from chronic depression and anxiety throughout his life, which at times could be debilitating and keep him bedridden

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8. George Albert Smith�Born: Apr 4, 1870 �President: May 21, 1945 - Apr 4, 1951

Developments in Church Administration:

• He was an ardent supporter of Boy Scouts and was involved in the 1912 decision for the Church to sponsor Scout units
• In 1907, he negotiated the church's purchase of the Joseph Smith farm in Palmyra, New York
• In 1920, he was president of the church's British and European missions
• He worked tirelessly to convince governments to allow the church to send more missionaries
• In 1928, he purchased the Hill Cumorah for the church
• In 1930, he organized the Utah Pioneer Trails and Landmarks Association.
• They placed more than 100 monuments and markers in the western United States
• During his presidency, the first translation of the temple endowment ceremony was done in Spanish

​

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8. George Albert Smith�Born: Apr 4, 1870 �President: May 21, 1945 - Apr 4, 1951

Notable Teachings:

• “Keep all the good that you have, and let us bring to you more good.”
• “The companionship of the spirit of the Lord is an antidote for weariness, for hunger, for fear, and all those things that sometimes overtake us in life.”
• “You cannot drive people to do things which are right, but you can love them into doing them, if your example is of such a character that they can see you mean what you say.”
• “This life is not given to us as a pastime. There was a solemn purpose in our creation, in the life that God has given to us. Let us study what that purpose is, that we may progress and obtain eternal life.”
• “When I have been tempted sometimes to do a certain thing, I have asked myself, ‘Which side of the line am I on?’ If I determined to be on the safe side, the Lord’s side, I would do the right thing every time. So when temptation comes think prayerfully about your problem and the influence of the Lord will aid you to decide wisely. There is safety for us only on the Lord’s side of the line.”

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9. David O. McKay�Born: Sep 8, 1873�President: Apr 9, 1951 - Jan 18, 1970

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Sep 8, 1873, in Huntsville, Utah
• In 1880, his father was called on a mission for two years to Scotland
• His grandmother bequeathed $5,000 to McKay’s family and directed that "every cent ... be used for the education of the children.“
• This allowed him to attend Univ of Utah where he graduated in 1897 as valedictorian
• He was called on a mission to Great Britain and proselytized in Scotland
• Married Emma Ray Riggs in 1901 and had 7 Children
• After his mission, he taught at the LDS Weber Stake Academy
• In 1902, he was appointed principal of the school
• He inaugurated sports at Weber, including baseball and basketball teams
• He served on UofU board of regents & Weber board of trustees until 1922
• Ordained apostle and member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1906
• November 1918, he became Sunday School superintendent for the Church
• 1920 First Presidency assigned him to make a worldwide tour of all missions
• He was commissioner of Church Education and transitioned BYU into a four-year university
• In 1934, he became a counselor to Heber J. Grant in the First Presidency

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9. David O. McKay�Born: Sep 8, 1873�President: Apr 9, 1951 - Jan 18, 1970

Developments in Church Administration:

• He traveled extensively (Africa, Europe, S America, Asia, Pacific Islands)
• His visits inspired the construction of new missions, temples, and chapels
• Church membership grew dramatically, more than doubling from 1.1 million in 1951 to 2.8 million in 1970, with stakes in many new countries
• Announced 7 new temples and dedicated 5 (50% growth in temples)
• Temples were dedicated in Switzerland (the first in Europe, introduced new translation technology), New Zealand, England, and two in California.
• The Church Educational System (CES) expanded, with Seminary, Institute, and Brigham Young University growing significantly in size and offerings
• Started building Seminaries next to Utah high schools for “release time” seminary
• He modernized the Church’s use of media to share its messages through radio and television programs
• Films like Man’s Search for Happiness (shown at the 1964 World's Fair in NYC)
• Missionaries began proselyting in new countries like South Korea, Philippines, and Nigeria
• Softened the Church's stance on Blacks holding the priesthood and receiving temple ordinances but did not remove the ban
• The Church released it’s first family Home Evening Manual under him

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9. David O. McKay�Born: Sep 8, 1873�President: Apr 9, 1951 - Jan 18, 1970

Notable Teachings:

• On his mission, in Stirling Scotland, he saw inscribed on a building, "What E'er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part". This message became a source of inspiration throughout his life.
• “Throw the responsibility upon every member of the Church ... Every member a missionary!”
• “The poorest shack in which love prevails over a united family is of far greater value to God and future humanity than any other riches. In such a home God can work miracles, and will work miracles.”
• “Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success.”
• “The noblest calling in the world is motherhood. True motherhood is the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of all professions. …a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose immortal souls will exert an influence throughout the ages long after paintings shall have faded, and books and statues shall have decayed or have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God.”
• “True Christianity is love in action. There is no better way to manifest love for God than to show an unselfish love for your fellow men. This is the spirit of missionary work.”

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10. Joseph Fielding Smith�Born: Jul 19, 1876�President: Jan 23, 1970 - Jul 2, 1972

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Jul 19, 1876, in Salt Lake City, Utah
• Son of former church president Joseph F. Smith, and grandson of Hyrum Smith.
• When he was 9, he was left to live with his “aunties” when his parents fled to Hawaii to avoid being arrested from new federal polygamy laws
• He was present inside the Salt Lake Temple for its dedication on April 6, 1893
• In 1899, he was called on a two-year mission to Great Britain
• 11 children with 3 wives (none at same time)
• Louie Emily Shurtliff ​​(m. 1898; died 1908)​
• Ethel Georgina Reynolds ​​(m. 1908; died 1937)​
• Jessie Ella Evans ​​(m. 1938; died 1971)
• After his mission, he began working for the Church, and in 1906, he was given the position of Assistant Church Historian
• He was a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• He served as the secretary and treasurer of the Genealogical Society of Utah
• He was well-known for his opposition to the theory of evolution
• He was called as Apostle and member of the Quorum of Twelve in April 1910
• He was made a counselor in the First Presidency in Oct 1965

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10. Joseph Fielding Smith�Born: Jul 19, 1876�President: Jan 23, 1970 - Jul 2, 1972

Developments in Church Administration:

• Though his presidency was short, only 2.5 years, his leadership reflected his deep doctrinal knowledge, and he helped lead the Church during a period of significant growth and international expansion
• He wrote many influential books like “Doctrines of Salvation” and “Answers to Gospel Questions”
• He was known for his uncompromising defense of Church teachings
• He often addressed contemporary societal issues, reaffirming traditional Church positions on morality, the family, and the Word of Wisdom
• He supported and strengthened the Church’s welfare program, emphasizing the principles of self-reliance and service to those in need
• As president of Salt Lake Temple (1945 - 1949), he recommended to the First Presidency that the temple ceremonies be translated into Spanish
• In 1955 he made an extensive tour of Asia, during which he dedicated Korea and the Philippines for the preaching of the gospel

​

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10. Joseph Fielding Smith�Born: Jul 19, 1876�President: Jan 23, 1970 - Jul 2, 1972

Notable Teachings:

• “The Spirit of God speaking to the spirit of man has power to impart truth with greater effect and understanding than the truth can be imparted by personal contact even with heavenly beings. Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten.”
• “There is no cure for the ills of the world except the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our hope for peace, for temporal and spiritual prosperity, and for an eventual inheritance in the kingdom of God is found only in and through the restored gospel.”
• “To do well those things which God ordained to be the common lot of all man-kind, is the truest greatness. To be a successful father or a successful mother is greater than to be a successful general or a successful statesman.”
• “We believe that worship is far more than prayer and preaching and gospel performance. The supreme act of worship is to keep the commandments, to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God, to do ever those things that please him.”

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11. Harold B. Lee�Born: Mar 28, 1899�President: Jul 7, 1972 - Dec 26, 1973

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Mar 28, 1899, in Clifton, Idaho
• At age 8, he spilled sodium hydroxide on himself causing chemical burns
• Quick action by his mother saved his life (she poured vinegar all over him to neutralize the highly corrosive base, also known as lye, used in soap making)
• In high school, he focused on music (alto, French, and baritone horns) as well as basketball and was a reporter for the school newspaper.
• At age 18, he was a school teacher and principal of a class of 25 students, grades one to eight (salary was $60 a month)
• In 1920, he was called on a mission to western U.S. (Denver, Colorado)
• He married Fern Lucinda Tanner in 1923 and had two children
• In 1930, he was called as president of the Pioneer Stake in Salt Lake City
• In 1932, at age 33, he became a Salt Lake City Commissioner
• In 1936, middle of Great Depression, he became managing director of the Church Welfare Program which was based on his Stake’s program
• Was called as an Apostle and member of Quorum of the Twelve in 1941
• Fern died in 1962, and he remarried in 1963 to Freda Joan Jensen
• He was called into First Presidency with Joseph Fielding Smith in 1970
• He died younger than expected from a sudden pulmonary hemorrhage

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11. Harold B. Lee�Born: Mar 28, 1899�President: Jul 7, 1972 - Dec 26, 1973

Developments in Church Administration:

• Established the Church Correlation Program
• Aimed to unify Church curriculum to be doctrinally consistent and based in the scriptures and aligned with the teachings of the living prophets
• He was a primary architect of the Church’s Welfare Program, which emphasized spiritual self-reliance and temporal preparedness.
• He taught that members should live within their means, avoid debt, and rely on welfare resources only when necessary.
• He encouraged members to take personal responsibility for their spiritual and physical growth and well-being.
• He taught that parents have the primary responsibility for teaching and nurturing their children in the gospel.
• When pressure mounted to rescind the policy of excluding blacks from the priesthood and temple, he advocated no change until a revelation from God was received

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11. Harold B. Lee�Born: Mar 28, 1899�President: Jul 7, 1972 - Dec 26, 1973

Notable Teachings:

• “The most important of the Lord’s work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes.”
• “The most effective teaching in the church is done in the family where the responsibility upon the father and the mother in the home is to teach their children while they’re yet small the basic principles of faith, repentance, belief in the Savior, those early principles of chastity, virtue, honor, and so on.”
• When creating the Church welfare system, God said to him: “You don’t need any other organization. I have given you the greatest organization there is on the face of the earth. Nothing is greater than the priesthood organization. All in the world you need to do is to put the priesthood to work.”
• “The Constitution of the United States is as a tree of liberty under whose cooling branches one might find a haven from the scorching sun of turmoil and oppression and have his rights protected according to just and holy principles.”
• “You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground. … You cannot light a fire in another soul unless it is burning in your own soul.”

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12. Spencer W. Kimball�Born: Mar 28, 1895 �President: Dec 30, 1973 - Nov 5, 1985

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Mar 28, 1895, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and raised in Thatcher, Arizona
• The grandson of early Latter-day Saint apostle Heber C. Kimball
• As a child, suffered typhoid fever and facial paralysis (likely Bell's palsy)
• Though only 5’ 6”, was leading scorer on school basketball team
• As a teen, he worked on a dairy farm milking cows and cleaning stalls
• He was called to serve in the Swiss–German Mission but was reassigned to Independence, Missouri due to the outbreak of WWI
• He was drafted into the Army but never called into active duty
• He married Camilla Eyring ​in 1918
• He was active in many civic organizations and widely known and respected in his Arizona community
• He was called as a stake president in his hometown in 1938
• In 1943, he was called as a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles
• In 1957, he was diagnosed with throat cancer and part of his voice box was removed and his voice remained raspy for the rest of his life
• He received lifesaving open-heart surgery from Russell M. Nelson in 1972

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12. Spencer W. Kimball�Born: Mar 28, 1895 �President: Dec 30, 1973 - Nov 5, 1985

Developments in Church Administration:

• He received the 1978 revelation extending priesthood and temple ordinances to black African members
• The revelation was canonized as Official Declaration 2, but often is simply called the “Revelation on the Priesthood”
• This had profound implications for Church's global growth, particularly in Africa, Brazil, and other regions with racially diverse populations
• He initiated the Church’s Indian Placement Program which helped Native Americans gain education while staying with LDS foster families
• He made a strong emphasis on missionary work
• First church president to state publicly that the church expects all able young men to serve a full-time mission
• He announced 31 new temples (more than doubling the number of temples) and 21 were dedicated under him
• During his presidency, Church membership nearly doubled, from 3.3 million in 1973 to 5.9 million in 1985

​

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12. Spencer W. Kimball�Born: Mar 28, 1895 �President: Dec 30, 1973 - Nov 5, 1985

Notable Teachings:

• “Do It.” (sign he kept on his desk)
• “One of the most serious human defects in all ages is procrastination, an unwillingness to accept personal responsibilities now. … Many have allowed themselves to be diverted and have become … addicts to mental and spiritual indolence and to the pursuit of worldly pleasure.”
• “I wonder if we are doing all we can. …Are we prepared to lengthen our stride?”
• “Every male member of the Church should fill a mission, like he should pay his tithing, …like he should keep his life clean and free from the ugliness of the world and plan a celestial marriage in the temple of the Lord.”
• “The essence of the miracle of forgiveness is that it brings peace to the previously anxious, restless, frustrated, perhaps tormented soul.”
• “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom. The people of the Church need each other’s strength, support, and leadership in a community of believers.”

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13. Ezra Taft Benson�Born: Aug 4, 1899�President: Nov 10, 1985 - May 30, 1994

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Aug 4, 1899, in Whitney, Idaho
• Great-grandson of Ezra T. Benson, also a member of Quorum of the 12
• When he was 12, his father left to serve a mission in midwestern U.S.
• Served an LDS Church mission in Britain from 1921 to 1923
• Married Flora Amussen in 1926 and they had six children
• Bachelors from BYU, a masters from Iowa State University in agriculture
• After the university, he moved back to Idaho to run his family farm and got involved in government agriculture policy
• He was a critic of FDR’s agricultural policy like paying farmers to destroy crops and kill livestock in order to raise prices
• In 1939, he became president of the Boise Idaho Stake
• In 1940, he moved to Washington, D.C., to run National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
• Became the first president of newly formed stake in Washington, D.C.
• Made apostle and called to the Quorum of the Twelve on October 1943
• Secretary of Agriculture 1953 – 1961 under Pres Dwight D. Eisenhower

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13. Ezra Taft Benson�Born: Aug 4, 1899�President: Nov 10, 1985 - May 30, 1994

Developments in Church Administration:

• Well-known for being anti-communism and for freedom but as Church president, he did not discuss politics and focused on spiritual messages
• He encouraged members to study the Book of Mormon more and “flood the earth” with it
• He was a lifelong supporter of Scouting and was elected to the National Executive Board of Boy Scouts of America in 1949
• His tenure saw significant Church membership growth in Latin America, Africa, and Asia
• He worked to simplify the Church’s structure and teachings
• Announced 9 new temples and 9 were dedicated under him
• During last five years of his life, his health declined significantly, and he gave no talks and made very few public appearances
• During this time, his counselors in First Presidency, Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson, assumed active leadership of Church

​

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13. Ezra Taft Benson�Born: Aug 4, 1899�President: Nov 10, 1985 - May 30, 1994

Notable Teachings:

• “Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us.” (1974)
• “The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.” (1985)
• “The Book of Mormon is the instrument that God designed to “sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out [His] elect.” (Moses 7:62.)…We must flood the earth with the Book of Mormon—and get out from under God’s condemnation for having treated it lightly. (See D&C 84:54–58.)” (1988)
• “Pride is the universal sin, the great vice. The antidote for pride is humility—meekness, submissiveness. …Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion. We must cleanse the inner vessel by conquering pride.” (“Beware of Pride” April 1989)

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14. Howard W. Hunter�Born: Nov 14, 1907�President: Jun 5, 1994 - Mar 3, 1995

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Nov 14, 1907, in Boise, Idaho
• At age four, he was stricken with polio, which afflicted his back so that he was never able to bend over and touch the ground again.
• He was the second person to become an Eagle Scout in the state of Idaho.
• Hunter had a love for music and played the piano, violin, drums, saxophone, clarinet, and trumpet.
• Married Clara May Jeffs in 1931 and they had three boys
• Got degree from Southwestern Law School (Los Angeles, CA) in 1939 and had a successful career as a lawyer
• He was the first president of the church's Pasadena California Stake, where he had also served as a bishop.
• Called as an Apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve in October 1959
• Clara died in 1983, and he married Inis Stanton ​in 1990

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14. Howard W. Hunter�Born: Nov 14, 1907�President: Jun 5, 1994 - Mar 3, 1995

Developments in Church Administration:

• As an apostle, Hunter led church negotiations to acquire land in Jerusalem to build the BYU Jerusalem Center, which he dedicated in 1989.
• He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Brigham Young University and closely involved with the founding of the J. Reuben Clark Law School.
• Improvements were made to security procedures for Apostles after he was involved in a bomb threat.
• While speaking at a CES fireside at BYU in 1993, a man came onto the stage and threatened Pres Hunter with a bomb (that turned out to be fake). Students from the audience, when they realized what was going on, overtook the man, and then security personnel came and took him away, all the while the audience spontaneously sang "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet.“

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14. Howard W. Hunter�Born: Nov 14, 1907�President: Jun 5, 1994 - Mar 3, 1995

Notable Teachings:

• “Whatever Jesus lays his hands upon lives. If Jesus lays his hands upon a marriage, it lives. If he is allowed to lay his hands on the family, it lives.”
• “You should express regularly to your wife and children your reverence and respect for her. Indeed, one of the greatest things a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”
• “If our lives and our faith are centered upon Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, nothing can ever go permanently wrong. On the other hand, if our lives are not centered on the Savior and his teachings, no other success can ever be permanently right.”
• “Being happily and successfully married is generally not so much a matter of marrying the right person as it is being the right person.”
• “Let us be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. …The temple is a place of beauty, it is a place of revelation, it is a place of peace. It is the house of the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord. It should be holy unto us.”

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15. Gordon B. Hinckley�Born: Jun 23, 1910�President: Mar 12, 1995 - Jan 27, 2008

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Jun 23, 1910, in Salt Lake City, Utah
• BA from University of Utah in English literature
• Full-time missionary for the Church in the London-based British Mission from 1933 to 1935.
• Married Marjorie Pay in 1937; Had 5 children.
• Most of his career was working for the Church
• In the 1950s, Hinckley was on committee that pioneered the use of a movie/film to present the temple endowment in multiple languages
• Served as president of the East Millcreek Stake in Utah
• April 6, 1958 called as Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
• Called as Apostle on October 5, 1961
• Counselor in the First Presidency July 23, 1981 where he served under Pres. Spencer W. Kimball, Ezra Taft Benson, and Howard W. Hunter
• Marjorie died in 2004

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15. Gordon B. Hinckley�Born: Jun 23, 1910�President: Mar 12, 1995 - Jan 27, 2008

Developments in Church Administration:

• He introduced a smaller temple design to bring temples to areas with smaller LDS populations.
• Announced 79 new temples, doubling the number in the world
• 77 temples dedicated while he was president
• Built the Conference Center in Salt Lake City with three times the capacity as the Tabernacle (and much more comfortable)
• Made efforts to improve Church Communication and public image by appearing in major news and media programs
• Hinckley established the Perpetual Education Fund in 2001 to provide loans to help members in developing countries gain education, training, improving their economic conditions.
• The Church saw significant membership growth during Hinckley’s presidency, with membership surpassing 13 million by the time of his passing in 2008.
• Pres. Hinckley issued The Family: A Proclamation to the World, introducing it at the General Relief Society Meeting, Sep 1995

​

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15. Gordon B. Hinckley�Born: Jun 23, 1910�President: Mar 12, 1995 - Jan 27, 2008

Notable Teachings:

• “You get the A’s; I will give you the B’s. Be grateful. Be smart. Be clean. Be true. Be humble. Be prayerful.” (Nov 2000)
• “The time has come for us to stand a little taller, to lift our eyes and stretch our minds ... It is a time to do what is right regardless of the consequences that might follow. It is a time to be found keeping the commandments. It is a season to reach out with kindness and love to those in distress and to those who are wandering in darkness and pain. It is a time to be considerate and good, decent and courteous toward one another in all of our relationships. In other words, to become more Christlike.”
• “Be believing. Be happy. Don’t get discouraged. Things will work out.”
• On his mission, “I felt I was wasting my time and [my dad’s] money. … He wrote a very short letter to me which said, ‘Dear Gordon, ... I have only one suggestion: forget yourself and go to work.’ …[I] got on my knees and made a pledge with the Lord. I covenanted that I would try to forget myself and lose myself in His service.”
• “We recognize the good in all people. We recognize the good in all churches, … To people everywhere we simply say, ‘You bring with you all the good that you have and let us add to it. That is the principle on which we work.’"

​

​

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16. Thomas S. Monson�Born: Aug 21, 1927 �President: Feb 3, 2008 - Jan 2, 2018

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Aug 21, 1927, in Salt Lake City, Utah
• Served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1945–1946
• Married Frances Beverly Johnson in 1948. They are the parents of three children
• Received a BS from University of Utah and MBA from Brigham Young University
• Served as a bishop of the Sixth-Seventh Ward in Salt Lake City at age 22
• 1,000 people, including 85 widows whom he visited regularly
• Served in the presidency of the Temple View Stake in Salt Lake City, Utah
• President of the Canadian Mission from 1959 to 1962
• Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1963
• Served on executive board of Boy Scouts of America (1969 to his death)
• In 1985, called to First Presidency. 2^nd Counselor to Ezra Taft Benson
• His wife, Frances, passed away in 2013

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16. Thomas S. Monson�Born: Aug 21, 1927 �President: Feb 3, 2008 - Jan 2, 2018

Developments in Church Administration:

• Continued temple growth by announcing 45 new temples and dedicated 35 temples during his presidency
• Changed Missionary Service Age in 2012 when he announced men could serve starting at 18 (down from 19), and women could begin at 19 (down from 21) leading to a surge of new missionaries
• Focus on Christlike Service:
• He emphasized the importance of serving others with compassion and love and caring for the poor and needy.
• Added 4th point to 3-fold mission of the church: “Caring for those in need”
• The others being Perfect the Saints, Proclaim the Gospel, Redeem the Dead
• He increased humanitarian and welfare efforts, providing more aid for natural disasters, hunger relief, and refugee support
• He saw the Church release its first Spanish version of the Bible in 2009 and first Portuguese version in 2015, with a new English edition in 2013 with updated footnotes and study aids.
• During his tenure, the Church increased its use of digital media, websites, mobile apps, and social media.

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16. Thomas S. Monson�Born: Aug 21, 1927 �President: Feb 3, 2008 - Jan 2, 2018

Notable Teachings:

• “I can’t stress too strongly that decisions determine destiny. You can’t make eternal decisions without eternal consequences. May I provide a simple formula by which you can measure the choices which confront you. It’s easy to remember, sometimes difficult to apply: You can’t be right by doing wrong; you can’t be wrong by doing right. Your personal conscience always warns you as a friend before it punishes you as a judge.” (2005)
• “Exemplify in your lives four tested, specific virtues: an attitude of gratitude, a longing for learning, a devotion to discipline, and a willingness to work.” (Apr 2002)
• “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.” (Oct 2008)
• “Fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith. I declare that God lives and that He hears and answers our prayers. His Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior and our Redeemer. Heaven’s blessings await us.” (Apr 2009)
• During Navy boot camp, “I thought of the words of a rhyme I had learned in Primary years before: Dare to be a Mormon; Dare to stand alone. Dare to have a purpose firm; Dare to make it known.” (Oct 2011)

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17. Russell M. Nelson�Born: Sep 9, 1924 �President: Jan 14, 2018 - Sep 27. 2025

Biographical Sketch:

• Born: Sep 9, 1924, in Salt Lake City, Utah
• Married: Dantzel White in 1945​ with whom he had 10 children
• He graduated from the University of Utah School of Medicine in 1947
• Served from 1951–1953 in U.S. Army Medical Corps during Korean War
• Received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1954 where he was part of team that performed the first human open-heart surgery with a heart-lung machine.
• Worked as professor at U of U School of Medicine and authored numerous medical textbooks
• Called as stake president of the Bonneville Utah Stake in 1964
• In 1971, he was called as Church Sunday School general president
• Performed lifesaving open-heart surgery for the soon to be president of the Church, Spencer W. Kimball, in 1972
• He was called as an apostle and as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve in April 1984
• He was conversant in many languages: Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish
• Wife Dantzel died in 2005, and he married Wendy Watson ​in 2006

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17. Russell M. Nelson�Born: Sep 9, 1924 �President: Jan 14, 2018 - Sep 27. 2025

Developments in Church Administration:

• He discouraged the use of nicknames such as "Mormon" or "LDS" and asked us to use the Church’s full, divinely revealed name
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• He accelerated temple construction
• Under him, the Church has increased the pace of building new temples
• 200 temples, over half of all, have been announced by him
• The traditional home teaching and visiting teaching programs were replaced with a more flexible Ministering program
• The three-hour block of Sunday meetings was reduced to two hours, with a focus on encouraging home-centered, Church-supported gospel study
• All Church lessons and home study were aligned around a common curriculum called "Come, Follow Me”
• Ward-level high priest groups were discontinued, with all Melchizedek priesthood holders combined into a single Elders Quorum in the ward
• The temple endowment and other ordinances were simplified
• He revamped youth programs with a new initiative, replacing Scouting (for young men) and Personal Progress (for young women)
• He expanded and accelerated Church outreach and humanitarian activities, and partnered with diverse religious and civic organizations

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17. Russell M. Nelson�Born: Sep 9, 1924 �President: Jan 14, 2018 - Sep 27. 2025

Notable Teachings:

• “Our Father knows that when we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear, what will help us the very most is to hear His Son. …In those two words—“Hear Him”—God gives us the pattern for success, happiness, and joy in this life. We are to hear the words of the Lord, hearken to them, and heed what He has told us!” (2020)
• “I urge you to get on the covenant path and stay there. …We enter the covenant path by being baptized and making our first covenant with God. …The covenant path is the only path that leads to exaltation and eternal life. …Pure faith keeps us moving forward on the covenant path. …Walking the covenant path, coupled with daily repentance, fuels positive spiritual momentum.” (2022)
• “When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial! When tested by temptation, think celestial! When life or loved ones let you down, think celestial! When someone dies prematurely, think celestial. When someone lingers with a devastating illness, think celestial. When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial!” (2023)

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The End

Latter-day Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ�Smith Family Home Evening Lesson

Appendix 1: Presidents’ Tenure and Temples Announced/Dedicated�

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Appendix 2: What is the Office of President of the Church?

• While we often call the President of the Church, “The Prophet”…
• He is actually one of fifteen people we sustain as “prophets”
• All the members of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles and First Presidency of the Church are sustained as “prophets, seers, and revelators”
• In a revelation on the organization of the priesthood given to Joseph Smith, the Lord said this about the office of President of the Church:
• D&C 107: 65-66 “Wherefore, it must needs be that one be appointed of the High Priesthood to preside over the priesthood, and he shall be called President of the High Priesthood of the Church; Or, in other words, the Presiding High Priest over the High Priesthood of the Church.”
• D&C 107: 91-92 “And again, the duty of the President of the office of the High Priesthood is to preside over the whole church, and to be like unto Moses—Behold, here is wisdom; yea, to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church.”

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