SALT LAKE CITY — Thomas S. Monson has been chosen as the 16th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church said Monday.
Monson, 80, succeeds Gordon B. Hinckley, who died Jan. 27 at age 97. Out of respect for the deceased president, the Mormon church never names a successor until after funeral services. Hinckley was buried Saturday.
The church relies on a pattern of apostolic succession in selecting a new president. Since the early part of the 20th century, the position has always passed to the most-senior member of its Council of Twelve Apostles, the second-tier of church leadership.
Monson was named to the council in October 1963 at the age of 36, after serving as a local church bishop and as director of the church’s Canadian missionary activities in Toronto.
Monson served as counselor to Hinckley and two previous presidents in the church’s highest leadership circle, the First Presidency.
He is the youngest man to hold the presidency since Spencer W. Kimball, who was 78 when named president in 1973. Mormon presidents serve for life.
As president, Monson will shepherd a growing church with 13 million members in 160 countries. Of those, about 5.7 million are in the United States. One-third of church members live in Utah.
Latter-day Saints know Monson as a compassionate storyteller whose folksy parables recount the stories of individuals resolving their struggles through faith.
As a senior church leader, Monson has served as an international envoy for the church and supervised the expansion of humanitarian programs. He’s also known for forming ecumenical partnership with other faiths.
Monson is a cum laude graduate of the University of Utah and holds a master’s degree in business administration from the church-owned Brigham Young University in Provo.
Professionally, he worked for the church’s secular businesses, including the Deseret Morning News and the Deseret News Press. He was also the representative who served on the boards of other church-owned businesses, including KSL-TV and Beneficial Life Insurance Co.
He was a board member for the University of Utah Alumni Association and remains a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, an association he’s held more than 20 years.
A veteran of World War II, Monson served in the Navy.
He has been married to Frances Beverly Johnson since 1948. The couple has three children. eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
