FIRST PRESIDENCY -- Counselors Quizzes
QUESTION: Two brethren served as counselors in the
First Presidency, were released from those callings, and then served as 'Counselors
to the Quorum of the Twelve'. Can you name these two brethren?
ANSWER: These two brethren were John W. Young and Daniel H. Wells.
Elders Young and Wells served as counselors in the First Presidency under
Brigham Young, they were released upon the death of President Young, and they
were then set-apart as counselors to the Quorum of the Twelve, serving in that
position until 1891.
QUESTION: Only one brother in this dispensation has served as both
First and Second Counselor to two different Church Presidents. Can you name
this faithful apostle?
ANSWER: Elder J. Reuben Clark, Jr. served as both First and Second
Counselor to President Heber J. Grant, and he then served as both First and
Second Counselor to President David O. McKay.
QUESTION: Seven of our Church Presidents served their entire time as
President of the Church with the same First and Second Counselors (in other
words, there was no change in the First Presidency during the tenure of these
seven Church Presidents). Can you name these seven Prophets?
ANSWER: The seven Church Presidents who had the same counselors during
their entire time as President are President John Taylor (counselors were
Elders George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith), President Wilford Woodruff
(Elders Cannon and Smith), President George Albert Smith (Elders Clark and
McKay), President Joseph Fielding Smith (Elders Lee and Tanner), President
Harold B. Lee (Elders Tanner and Romney), President Ezra Taft Benson (Elders
Hinckley and Monson), and President Howard W. Hunter (Elders Hinckley and
Monson).
QUESTION: One of our church presidents in this dispensation had five
different Second Counselors during his service as president of the church. Can
you name this president (extra credit will be awarded if you can name his five
Second Counselors)?
ANSWER: President Heber J. Grant had five different Second counselors
during his 26 years as President of the Church. In order, these Second
counselors were Charles W. Penrose, Anthony W. Ivins, Charles W. Nibley, J.
Reuben Clark Jr., and David O. McKay.
QUESTION: One of our apostles in this dispensation was sustained
twice as Second Counselor in the First Presidency and three times as First
Counselor in the First Presidency. Can you name this faithful brother?
ANSWER: Elder J. Reuben Clark served as Second Counselor to Presidents
Grant and McKay, and as First Counselor to Presidents Grant, Smith, and McKay.
Elder
QUESTION: Two of our Church Presidents in this dispensation had four
different First Counselors during their service as President of the Church. Can
you name these two Church Presidents?
ANSWER: Presidents Heber J. Grant and David O. McKay each had four
different First Counselors during their service as President. President Grant's
First Counselors were Anthon H. Lund,
Charles W. Penrose, Anthony W. Ivins, and J. Reuben Clark. President McKay's
First Counselors were J. Reuben Clark, Stephen L. Richards, Henry D. Moyle, and
Hugh B. Brown.
QUESTION: Can you name the two brethren who served the longest and
the shortest as Second Counselor in the First Presidency?
ANSWER: Daniel H. Wells served the longest as Second Counselor in the
First Presidency. He served from
QUESTION: Can you name the oldest brother and the youngest brother to
be sustained as Second Counselor in the First Presidency?
ANSWER: Charles W. Penrose is the oldest brother to be sustained as a
Second Counselor in the First Presidency. He was sustained on
QUESTION: Can you name the two brethren who served the longest and
the shortest as First Counselor in the First Presidency?
ANSWER: Heber C. Kimball served the longest as First Counselor in the
First Presidency. He served from
QUESTION: How many apostles have served simultaneously as a counselor
in the First Presidency and as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve?
ANSWER: Six apostles have served concurrently as a counselor in the
First President and as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. The six are Joseph
F. Smith, Brigham Young, Jr, Albert Carrington, George Q. Cannon, Lorenzo Snow,
and Joseph Fielding Smith.
QUESTION: Can you name the oldest and the youngest brethren to be
sustained as First Counselor in the First Presidency?
ANSWER: Charles W. Penrose is the oldest brother to be sustained as a
First Counselor in the First Presidency. He was sustained on
QUESTION: Only four of our Church presidents have utilized assistant
counselors or extra counselors in the First Presidency. Can you name these four
Church presidents (and perhaps some of the assistant counselors)?
ANSWER: The four Church presidents who utilized assistant counselors in
the First Presidency are Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, David O. McKay, and
Spencer W. Kimball. Joseph Smith called his father, Hyrum Smith, William Law,
John C. Bennett and others as assistant counselors. Brigham Young had numerous
assistant counselors, including Joseph F. Smith, Lorenzo Snow, Brigham Young
Jr., Albert Carrington, and George Q. Cannon. President McKay called Hugh B.
Brown, Joseph Fielding Smith, Thorpe B. Isaacson, and Alvin R. Dyer as
assistant counselors. President Kimball utilized Gordon B. Hinckley as an
assistant counselor.
QUESTION: At one point in Church history, the four least-senior
members of the Quorum of the Twelve were all serving as counselors to the First
Presidency. Can you identify this unusual occurrence?
ANSWER: Joseph F. Smith was called as an apostle and as a counselor to
the First Presidency on
QUESTION: Only twice in Church history has the least-senior member of
the Quorum of the Twelve been called to serve in the First Presidency. Can you
identify these two instances?
ANSWER: Albert Carrington was ordained an apostle on
QUESTION: Of the sixteen brethren who have served as Presidents of
the Church in this dispensation, seven have served as a counselor in the First
Presidency before serving as President of the Church. Of these seven, only
three have served as both First and Second Counselor in the First Presidency
before serving as President. Can you name these three brethren?
ANSWER: The three brethren who served as both First and Second Counselor
in the First Presidency before serving as President of the Church are Elders
Joseph F. Smith, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Thomas S. Monson. President Smith served as Second Counselor to
Presidents John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow, and he served as
First Counselor to President Lorenzo Snow.
President Hinckley served as Second Counselor to President Kimball and
as First Counselor to Presidents Benson and Hunter. President Monson served as Second Counselor
to Presidents Benson and Hunter, and as First Counselor to President Hinckley.
QUESTION: One of the apostles of this dispensation served as a
counselor in the First Presidency for the entire time that he was an apostle.
Can you name him?
ANSWER: J Reuben Clark Jr. was sustained as Second Counselor to
President Grant April 6, 1933. At the time he was a High Priest. He was
sustained as First Counselor to President Grant on
QUESTION: Three apostles in this dispensation have served as a
counselor to four different presidents of the Church. Can you name these three
apostles?
ANSWER: The three apostles are George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith, and
Nathan Eldon Tanner. Elders Cannon and Smith both served as a counselor to Presidents
Young,
QUESTION: Twice in the history of the Church, a brother has been
ordained an apostle and sustained as a counselor in the First Presidency on the
same day. Can you name these two brethren?
ANSWER: The two brethren are Jedediah M. Grant and Joseph F. Smith.
Jedediah Grant was ordained an apostle and sustained as Second Counselor to
President Brigham Young on
QUESTION: One of the apostles of this dispensation served as a
counselor in the First Presidency for only four days! Can you name this apostle
and the unusual circumstances of this very brief tenure in the First
Presidency?
ANSWER: When President Wilford Woodruff died in 1898, Lorenzo Snow was
called to be the President of the Church. He called as his counselors in the
First Presidency Elders George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith. Elder Cannon died
on
QUESTION: How many brethren have served as both First and Second
Counselor in the First Presidency? Can you name all of them?
ANSWER: In this dispensation, twelve brethren have served as both First
and Second Counselor in the First Presidency. These brethren are Joseph F.
Smith, Anthon H. Lund, Charles W. Penrose, Anthony W. Ivins, J. Reuben Clark
Jr., Henry D. Moyle, Hugh B. Brown, N. Eldon Tanner, Marion G. Romney, Gordon
B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, and Henry B. Eyring.
QUESTION: How many latter-day apostles have had a father serve as a
counselor in the First Presidency?
ANSWER: Eleven latter-day apostles have had a father serve in the First
Presidency. These eleven apostles (followed by their fathers) are Joseph Smith
(Joseph Smith, Sr.), Hyrum Smith (Joseph Smith, Sr.), William B. Smith (Joseph
Smith, Sr.), Joseph F. Smith (Hyrum Smith), Francis M. Lyman (Amasa M. Lyman),
Heber J. Grant (Jedediah M. Grant), Hyrum Mack Smith (Joseph F. Smith), Joseph
Fielding Smith (Joseph F. Smith), Abraham H. Cannon (George Q. Cannon),
Sylvester Q. Cannon (George Q. Cannon), and George Albert Smith (John Henry
Smith).
QUESTION: Earlier in
church history, a faithful brother served as the Presiding Bishop of the church
for over 17 years, and was then called to serve as the Second Counselor in the
First Presidency, where he served for over 6 years. He was never ordained to the
apostleship. Can you name this brother?
ANSWER: Charles W.
Nibley served as the Presiding Bishop from December 4, 1907 to May 28,
1925. He was then called by President
Heber J. Grant to serve in the First Presidency, where he served from May 28,
1925 until December 11, 1931. He was not
called to the apostleship.
QUESTION: Can you name the youngest brother to be
called to serve in the First Presidency and the oldest brother at the time of
his call to the First Presidency?
ANSWER: The youngest brother to be called into the First Presidency
was Elder John Willard Young, son of Brigham Young. He was sustained as Counselor to President
Brigham Young at the age of 28. The oldest
brother at the time of his call to the First Presidency was Brother John Rex
Winder. He was sustained as First
Counselor to President Joseph F. Smith at the age of 79 years and 10 months.
QUESTION: Seven apostles have served in the First Presidency but were
never members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Can you name these seven apostles?
ANSWER: The 7 apostles that served in the First Presidency but who
were never members of the Quorum of the Twelve are Joseph Smith, Oliver
Cowdery, Hyrum Smith, John W. Young, Jedediah M. Grant, Daniel H. Wells, and
Alvin R. Dyer.
QUESTION: One of our
church presidents called his nephew to serve as his first counselor in the
First Presidency. Can you name the
prophet and his nephew?
ANSWER: President John Taylor called his nephew, George Q. Cannon
to serve with him in the First Presidency.
President Taylor was married to Leonora Cannon, who was the sister of
George Cannon, the father of George Q. Cannon.
QUESTION: At one time, the First Counselor in the First Presidency
was the uncle of the Second Counselor in the First Presidency. Can you name the uncle and the nephew?
ANSWER: President McKay called Hugh B. Brown to serve as First
Counselor in the Presidency and N. Eldon Tanner to serve as Second
Counselor. President Brown’s sister,
Edna Brown, was married to Nathan W. Tanner, and they were the parents of N.
Eldon Tanner.
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