George F. Richards
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George Franklin Richards (23 February 1861 – 8 August 1950) (commonly known as George F. Richards) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from April 9, 1906 until his death. He also served as Acting Presiding Patriarch of the LDS Church from 1937 to 1942 and President of the Quorum of the Twelve from May 25, 1945 until his death.
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[edit] Background and Family
Richards was born in Farmington, Utah, the son of Franklin D. Richards and Nanny Longstroth. Richards' father was an Apostle of the LDS Church and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As his son would years later, Franklin D. Richards also served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1898 to 1899. After George Richards' death, one of his sons, LeGrand, became an Apostle of the Church, thus making the Richards family only the third Latter-day Saint family in history with three consecutive generations of Apostles (the others being the three generation combination of George A. Smith, John Henry Smith, and George Albert Smith and the three generation combination of Amasa M. Lyman, Francis M. Lyman, and Richard R. Lyman).
[edit] Calling
In 1905, two members of the Quorum of the Twelve resigned after an argument over LDS Church doctrine and policy. John W. Taylor disagreed with the manifesto forbidding plural marriage; Matthias F. Cowley felt that it should apply only to the territory of the United States. In February of the next year, Apostle Marriner W. Merrill died, leaving three vacancies in the Quorum.
On April 8, 1906, at a General Conference of the LDS Church, Richards was called to be an Apostle by Church President Joseph F. Smith. He was ordained and set apart the following day, along with Orson F. Whitney and David O. McKay.
[edit] Acting Presiding Patriarch
In 1937, Richards was asked by Church President Heber J. Grant to assume the duties that would normally be carried out by the Church's Presiding Patriarch. Richards accepted, and served in this capacity until 1942, when Grant called Joseph Fielding Smith to be the LDS Church's Presiding Patriarch. Richards was called, sustained, and set apart as only as the Acting Presiding Patriarch to the LDS Church because he was not a direct descendant of the first Latter Day Saint Patriarch, Joseph Smith, Sr. During his tenure as Acting Presiding Patriarch, Richards remained a member of and retained his seniority within the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
[edit] President of the Twelve
With the death of LDS Church President Heber J. Grant, Richards became the second-most senior apostle in the church and thus the President of the Quorum of the Twelve on May 21, 1945.
[edit] Death
After Richards' death at the age of 89, Delbert L. Stapley was called in the October General Conference of that year to fill the vacancy, and Elder David O. McKay became President of the Quorum.
[edit] See also
| Preceded by George Albert Smith |
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles May 21, 1945–August 8, 1950 |
Succeeded by David O. McKay |
| Preceded by Charles W. Penrose |
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles April 9, 1906–August 8, 1950 |
Succeeded by Orson F. Whitney |
