Everything about Ezra Taft Benson totally explained
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birthplace=
Whitney,
Idaho|
dead=dead|
death_date=|
deathplace=
Salt Lake City,
Utah |
prophet_date=|
predecessor=
Spencer W. Kimball|
successor=
Howard W. Hunter|
president_who_called=
Heber J. Grant|
apostledate=|
ordination_reason=Deaths of
Sylvester Q. Cannon and
Rudger Clawson|
end_date=|
end_reason=Death|
reorganization=
Jeffrey R. Holland ordained|
}}
Ezra Taft Benson (
August 4,
1899 –
May 30,
1994) was the thirteenth
president of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1985 until his death and was
United States Secretary of Agriculture for both of the administrations of
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Biography
Born on a farm in
Whitney,
Idaho, Benson was the oldest of 11 children. Beginning his academic career at
Utah State University, he was a
1926 graduate of
Brigham Young University (after serving a
church mission in
Britain from 1921 to 1923). He received his masters degree from
Iowa State University and did preliminary work on a doctorate at the University of California at Berkeley, but never completed this degree. Benson pursued a career in agriculture and later served in many church leadership positions. Just after receiving his masters he returned to Whitney to run the family farm, but later became the county agriculture extension agent.
In 1939, when he was president of the church's
Boise, Idaho,
stake and working for the
University of Idaho Extension Service, he moved to
Washington, D.C. to become Executive Secretary of the
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, and became the first
president of a new LDS Church stake there.
Apostle
On
October 7 1943, both Benson and
Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) became members of the church's
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, filling two vacancies created by the deaths of
apostles that summer. Because Kimball was the older of the two, he was given seniority over Benson in the Quorum. Succession to the presidency of the church is by chronological order of ordination to apostleship, allowing
Spencer W. Kimball to become president of the church years earlier than Benson. Upon
Spencer W. Kimball's death in 1985, Benson became the
president of the church.
Political career
In 1953, Benson was appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by President Eisenhower. Benson accepted this position with the permission of Church President
David O. McKay and therefore served simultaneously in the
United States Cabinet and in the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve.
Known for initiating Eisenhower's habit of beginning cabinet meetings with a prayer, Benson cut a controversial figure in politics. Ideologically, he was far to the right of Eisenhower, and he was prone to
red-baiting in speeches. Benson opposed the system of government price supports and aid to farmers which he was entrusted by Eisenhower to administer, arguing that it amounted to unacceptable
socialism . Nonetheless, he survived in his cabinet position for all eight years of Eisenhower's presidency. He was selected as the administrator-designate of the Emergency Food Agency, part of a secret group created by Eisenhower in 1958 that would serve in the event of a national emergency that became known as the
Eisenhower Ten.
Church presidency
Benson succeeded Kimball as
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1973, and as
President of the Church in 1985. During his early years as Church President, Benson brought a renewed emphasis to the distribution and reading of the
Book of Mormon, reaffirming the LDS scripture's importance as "the keystone of [theLDS] religion." He is also remembered for his
general conference sermon condemning
pride.
Scouting
Benson was a lifelong supporter of Scouting. He started in 1918 as assistant Scoutmaster. On 23 May 1949 he was elected a member of the National Executive Board of the
Boy Scouts of America. He received the three highest national awards in Scouting—the
Silver Beaver, the
Silver Antelope, and the
Silver Buffalo—as well as world Scouting’s international award, the
Bronze Wolf.
Health problems and death
Benson suffered poor health in the last years of his life from the effects of blood clots in the brain, strokes, and heart attacks, and was rarely seen publicly. He was hospitalized in
1992 and
1993 with
pneumonia.
Benson died of
congestive heart failure in his
Salt Lake City apartment at the age of 94. Funeral services were held
June 4,
1994 in the
Salt Lake Tabernacle under the direction of
Gordon B. Hinckley. He was buried near his birthplace in
Whitney, Idaho, at the Whitney City Cemetery.
Published works
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ezra Taft Benson'.
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