Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Gordon Bitner Hinckley (born June 23, 1910) has
been President of the Church (Mormonism)|President
of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS
Church"; see also Mormon) since March 1995.  As
president of the Church, he is considered by
faithful members to be a prophet, a
divination|seer, and a revelation|revelator of
God's will on behalf of humanity.

== Life ==

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, he completed high
school there in 1928. After attending the
University of Utah he was called to go on a
mission to London in 1933; an unusual occurrence
for The Great Depression|Depression-era Saints.
Hinckley returned to the United States in 1935 and
soon accepted a job offer to lead the Church's new
public relations department (he had been schooled
as a journalist in college). Hinckley's
responsibilities included developing the Church's
fledgling radio  broadcasts and making use of the
era's new communication technologies. From 1937 he
served on the Sunday School General Board.  On
April 29, 1937, he married Marjorie Pay (November
23, 1911 – April 6, 2004). They had been
married 67 years at the time of her death.

After service in a stake (Mormonism)|stake
presidency, he became a General Authority of the
Church in the now discontinued position of
Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in
1958. In 1961 he himself became an Apostle and
member of that Quorum, the youngest at that time.

In the early 1980s the ill health of both Church
President Spencer W. Kimball and his octogenarian
Counselors Nathan Eldon Tanner|N. Eldon Tanner and
Marion G. Romney led the Church leadership to
resort to the occasional practice of adding an
additional Counselor to the First Presidency, and
Hinckley filled this position on July 23, 1981. On
Tanner's death in 1982, Romney succeeded him as
First Counselor and Hinckley succeeded Romney as
Second Counselor.

By this time, however, Hinckley was largely
shouldering the burdens of the First Presidency
himself. Though nominally he remained Second
Counselor, he was informally referred to in the
press as "acting President of the Church." Kimball
and Romney remained largely out of the public eye
until President Kimball died in November 1985.

Longtime President of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles Ezra Taft Benson became Church President,
and named Hinckley First Counselor. Romney
succeeded Benson as President of the Twelve,
though he never exercised the duties of this
position. Thomas S. Monson became Second
Counselor, and, for a while, all three members of
the First Presidency were able to perform their
duties.

In the early 1990s however, the nonagenarian
Benson developed serious health problems that
removed him from public view, and First Counselor
Hinckley again carried out many of the duties of
the President of the Church until Benson died in
1994. Howard W. Hunter, who had succeeded Romney
as President of the Twelve, became Church
President and confirmed Hinckley and Monson as his
Counselors, Hinckley additionally becoming
President of the Twelve by seniority. And when
Hunter died after a presidency of only nine
months, Hinckley was called to be president of the
Church at the age of 84 (his two predecessors had
both acceded at age 86) after being unanimously
sustained by members of the Quorum of the Twelve.



Vigorous for his age, Hinckley has led the Church
since March 12 1995; he is now the third oldest
president in Church history. (Mrs. Hinckley became
popularly known as the "first lady" until her 2004
death.)

Hinckley is known for his aggressive building of
Temple (Mormonism)|temples. Under his leadership,
the Church has expanded its number of temples from
27 to 119 (as of May 2005, with 10 announced or
under construction). In 2000 alone, more LDS
temples opened (34) than existed at the time of
Hinckley's ordination to the Presidency. Hinckley
has also overseen other building projects like the
LDS Conference Center.

On 23 September 1995 he announced and read The
Family: A Proclamation to the World, a statement
of belief and counsel prepared by the First
Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve.

Hinckley has underscored the sacred nature of the
human body and has encouraged members of the
church to abstain from receiving tattoos. In the
General Relief Society Conference held in
September 2000, he spoke out against the practice
of men wearing earrings or women wearing more than
one pair of earrings . This counsel has had a
marked impact on the behavior and choices of the
general church membership with regard to their
appearance.

On July 22 2005, friends of President Hinckley
performed in a celebration commemorating his 95th
birthday. In addition to the twenty-two thousand
people who attended in person, the event was
broadcast on BYU Television and to meetinghouses
on the Church's closed-circuit satellite system. 
Mike Wallace (journalist)|Mike Wallace, former
host of 60 Minutes, narrated Hinckley's life and
his accomplishments.  Afterward, Hinckley spoke,
thanking everyone for attending, and saying,
"Let's do this again in five years."

==Awards==
On June 23 2004, President George W. Bush awarded
Hinckley the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the
highest civilian honor awarded by the United
States, in a ceremony at the White House.  The
press release put forth by the White House stated:
: "Gordon B. Hinckley ... has inspired millions
and has led efforts to improve humanitarian aid,
disaster relief, and education funding across the
globe."

==Bibliography about Gordon B. Hinckley==
Bergera, Gary James. "'The Challenges of Those
Days:' President Gordon B. Hinckley and the Will
to Believe." Sunstone 137 (May 2005): 38-45.

Dew, Sheri L. Go Forward with Faith: The Biography
of President Gordon B. Hinckley. Salt Lake City,
Utah: Deseret Book, c1996.

==Bibliography by Gordon B. Hinckley==
President Hinckley has written several books,
including:
* Stand a Little Taller (ISBN 1570087679)
* Truth Restored (ISBN 001610164B), about the
restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ through
Joseph Smith, Jr.|Joseph Smith
*Way to Be! (ISBN 0743238303), about the different
virtues he admonished the young people of the
Church to uphold.  These "be's" include being
honest, being smart, and being clean, among
others.
*Standing for Something (ISBN 0812933176), about
ten virtues that he advises all people to
practice.

==References==

*
http://www.lds.org/newsroom/biography/0,15609,3959
-1----37,00.html Official Biography
*
http://www.lds.org/newsroom/showpackage/0,15367,38
99-1---1-120,00.html President Gordon B. Hinckley:
Prophet of God
* http://www.mormon.org Mormon.org official web
site with information about the church
*
http://www.familyforever.com/temples/prophets/gbhi
nckley.htm Hinckley biography
* http://www.lds-mormon.com/60min.shtml Transcript
of Mike Wallace interview of Hinckley for 60
Minutes
*
http://personal.atl.bellsouth.net/w/o/wol3/hinckgb
1.htm Extensive bio of Hinckley

==External links==
start box
succession box |
  title= President of the Church
(Mormonism)|President of the LDS Church |
  years= 1995— |
  before= Howard W. Hunter |
  after= —

succession box |
  title= President of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles |
  years= 1994–1995 |
  before= Howard W. Hunter |
  after= Thomas S. Monson

series box |
 title= Quorum of the Twelve Apostles |
 years= December 2, 1961–February 25, 1994 |
 before=Howard W. Hunter |
 after= N. Eldon Tanner |

end box


----