Howard W. Hunter
Howard W. Hunter | |
---|---|
File:Howardwhunter.jpg | |
Personal details | |
Born | Howard William Hunter November 14, 1907 |
Died | March 3, 1995 | (aged 87)
Howard W. Hunter | |
---|---|
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
October 10, 1959 | (aged 51) – June 5, 1994 (aged 86)|
End reason | Became President of the Church |
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
November 10, 1985 | (aged 77) – June 2, 1988 (aged 80)|
End reason | Became President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles |
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
June 2, 1988 | (aged 80) – June 5, 1994 (aged 86)|
End reason | Became President of the Church |
President of the Church | |
June 5, 1994 | (aged 86) – March 3, 1995 (aged 87)|
Howard William Hunter (November 14, 1907 – March 3, 1995) was the fourteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1994 and 1995. His nine month presidential tenure is the shortest in the history of the Church. Hunter was the first president of the LDS Church born in the 20th century.
Biography
Hunter was born in Boise, Idaho. He was sustained as an apostle at the age of 51, and served a little over 35 years as a general authority for the church.
After the death of Hunter's first wife, Clara May Jeffs in 1983, he married Inis Stanton in 1990 while president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Hunter's father was not a Latter-day Saint (he joined the church later in his life) and would not let him get baptized until he was twelve years old. 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. He formed a band called Hunter's Croonaders, which played on cruise ships.
Some of his major contributions include the creation of the church's 2000th stake and his negotiations to acquire land in Jerusalem to build the BYU Jerusalem Center, which he later dedicated. Other significant activities he was involved in include the drafting of the Proclamation on the Family. He was the first president of the Pasadena, California stake of the Church, where he had also served as a bishop. In 1985, Hunter was named Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve, in recognition of the infirmity of Marion G. Romney, who had succeeded as President of the Twelve by seniority; Hunter became full president of the Quorum of the Twelve on Romney's death in 1988.
Hunter encouraged and emphasized Christlike living and temple attendance, and dedicated two temples during his administration, the Orlando Florida Temple and later the Bountiful Utah Temple shortly before he died. [1]
Health problems and death
When Hunter was four years old, he was stricken with polio, which afflicted his back so that he was never able to bend forward and touch the ground again.
While president of the Quorum of the Twelve, he had major health problems for the remainder of his life, including a heart attack, broken ribs from a fall at general conference, heart bypass surgery, bleeding ulcers, and a kidney failure that revived. Hunter was admitted to LDS Hospital on January 9, 1995 for exhaustion and was released on January 16. While hospitalized, it was discovered that Hunter was suffering from prostate cancer that had spread to the bones.
Hunter died in his downtown Salt Lake City, Utah residence after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 87. With the church leader at the time of his death were his wife, Inis; his nurse, who had been attending him; and his personal secretary, Lowell Hardy. Funeral services were held on March 8, 1995 at the Salt Lake Tabernacle under the direction of Gordon B. Hinckley. Hunter was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. On October 14, 2007 at her home in Laguna Hills, California, his wife Inis Stanton Hunter died of causes incident to age.
Cody Judy
While preparing to speak at a CES fireside being held at Brigham Young University's Marriott Center on February 7, 1993, Hunter was confronted by Cody Judy, who rushed onto the rostrum and threatened Hunter and the audience of 15,000–17,000. Judy carried a briefcase that he claimed contained a bomb and held what appeared to be a detonator-like device. Judy demanded that Hunter read a three-page document that supposedly detailed God's plan for Judy to lead the church, which Hunter refused to do. The audience spontaneously sang "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet", during which students from the audience and then security personnel overtook Judy. After Judy was taken away, Hunter delivered his prepared remarks, a talk entitled "An Anchor to the Souls of Men."[2][3]
Works
- Hunter, Howard W. (1997). Clyde J. Williams (ed.). The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, Fourteenth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bookcraft.
- —— (1994). That We Might Have Joy. Deseret Book Company.
{{cite book}}
:|author=
has numeric name (help)
Education
Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles
Notes
- ^ LDS Church History, Howard W. Hunter-Significant Events
- ^ "California Man Threatens President Hunter, Fireside Audience With Fake Bomb" by Gail Sinnott and Carri P. Jenkins, BYU Magazine, February 1993, pages 15-16
- ^ Daily Universe covers fireside threat on Pres. Hunter, by Alicia Barney, BYU Daily Universe, 8 December 2005
External links
- Latter Day Saint biography Infobox with deprecated parameters
- 1907 births
- 1995 deaths
- American Latter Day Saints
- Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Cancer deaths in Utah
- Deaths from prostate cancer
- Distinguished Eagle Scouts
- Latter Day Saint writers
- Official historians of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- People from Boise, Idaho
- Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
- Southwestern University alumni
- Stake presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints