A biographical overview of the life of Ezra Taft
Benson,
the thirteenth President and Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ
Following is a brief
summary of some major events in the life of Ezra Taft Benson, the thirteenth
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Ezra Taft Benson was born in
Whitney, Franklin County, Idaho on August
4, 1899. He was the son of Ezra T. Benson and Sarah Dunkley
Benson. He was also a great-grandson of the apostle Ezra T. Benson, one of
the original pioneers who entered the Salt
Lake Valley
with Brigham Young.
- On his birthday in 1907 (age
8), he was baptized in the Logan
River Canal
near Whitney, Idaho.
- He served a mission to Great
Britain from 1921 to 1923 (age 21-24).
- He married Flora Smith Amussen on September
10, 1926 (age 27). Sister Benson died in 1992.
- In 1931 he became the head of
the Department of Agriculture Economics and Marketing for the University
of Idaho in Boise,
Idaho.
- He served in the stake
presidency and as the President of the Boise Stake from 1935 to 1939.
- In 1943 he was appointed executive
secretary of the National Council of Farmers Cooperatives, necessitating a
move to Washington, D.C.
- He served as the first
president of the Washington, D.C.
Stake
- He was ordained an apostle by
Heber J. Grant on October 7, 1943
(age 44).
- He began service as the
President of the European Mission in 1946, and was responsible for the
distribution of tons of needed supplies to Europeans after World War II.
- He served as the U.S.
Secretary of Agriculture from 1953 to 1961, under President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
- He again served as President
of the European Mission from 1964 to 1965.
- He was sustained as President
of the Quorum of the Twelve on December
30, 1973, and served in that capacity for 12 years.
- He was ordained as President
of the Church of Jesus
Christ on November 10, 1985 (age 86). He chose as his
counselors Elders Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson.
- He dedicated the Denver
Colorado and Frankfurt
Germany
temples during his presidency.
- He died on May 30, 1994, having served as President
of the Church for over 8 years.
- He was perhaps the Church's
greatest champion of the Book of Mormon. He said, "There is a power
in the Book of Mormon that will begin to flow into your lives. This is my
prayer, that the Book of Mormon may become the keystone of our
lives."
Click
here to return to the Prophets' Biographies Menu page
Click here to
return to the Prophets Menu page
Click here to
return to the Main Menu page