History of Mormonism- Latter-day Prophets, Part III

The history of Mormonism is a long and storied one, and one that has been moved forward and guided by the hands of many amazing men and women. Since the inception of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, all told, there have been sixteen Prophets who have led the Church. Below is a handy list of each of these great men, along with a brief bio and some major accomplishments they made during their ministry as President of the Church.

9. David O. McKay Throughout his life, David O. McKay was devoted to education. When his grandmother died, she bequeathed $5000 to his mother, with the explicit instructions that it be used solely for the education of David and his brother. These funds got David through his time at the University of Utah, where he graduated as valedictorian and class president. In his professional career, McKay performed as an educator at both the high school and college levels, eventually becoming the principal of what would become Weber State University. At the age of 32, McKay was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As an apostle, McKay's passion for education did not wane, He became the superintendent of the Church's Sunday school. In this capacity, he spearheaded the establishment of LDS seminaries being built near many high schools in Utah, allowing Mormon high school students in the state the option to take a religion class in conjunction with their academic classes. During President McKay's ministry as Prophet the membership of the LDS Church nearly tripled, jumping from 1.1 million in 1951 to 2.8 million when he died in 1970. Being a general authority for almost 64 years, David O. McKay served in this capacity longer than anyone else besides Eldred G. Smith.

10. Joseph Fielding Smith Joseph Fielding Smith was the son of Joseph F. Smith, the sixth President of the Church. He also served as apostle longer than anyone else in Church history, spanning from 1910 to 1972. Though his ministry as Prophet was markedly short (two and half years), he got a lot done in that short amount of time. Among his accomplishments were the restructuring of the Church Sunday School system and the Church Department of Social Services. President Smith also retooled the Church's official magazines, introducing the Ensign (for adults), the New Era (for teens), and the Friend (for Children). He oversaw a constant growth in the number of missionaries serving.

11. Harold B. Lee As a child, Lee was a bit accident prone, but his life was saved on a handful of occasions by his mother. At age eight, he accidentally spilled lye all over himself, and his mother poured vinegar on him to neutralize the dangerous chemicals. Later as a teen, Lee punctured an artery on a broken bottle, which was cleaned, but became severely infected. His mother, once again thinking fast, burned a wool sock and rubbed the ashes in Harold's open wound which over time, fixed the problem. Lee helped spearhead the standardization of Sunday School curriculum, meaning that on any given week, Mormons across the world are learning the same principles and lessons regardless of which ward or stake they are in. President Harold B. Lee had one of the shortest ministries as the President of the Church, having been ordained in July 1972, and dying just a year and a half later in December 1973 from a sudden pulmonary embolism.

12. Spencer W. Kimball Spencer W. Kimball was very shocked to receive a call to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1943. He felt so inadequate for the job, that he asked J. Reuben Clark, who had informed him of the matter, if he could pray about it for a few days. Kimball took to praying and fasting heavily about the matter, and obtained peace about the matter when dreamed about the life of his grandfather, Heber C. Kimball. Spencer W. Kimball says that in that moment his doubts were washed away, and that "I felt nearer [to] my Lord than ever at any time in my life." As Prophet, President Kimball continually implored members to "lengthen their stride", and saw a growth in the building of Temples at a faster pace than in any time previous in the history of Mormonism.

  If you would like to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please follow this link to chat live with real missionaries!

Other Parts of this Series:
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV