Richard G. Hinckley
| Richard G. Hinckley | |
|---|---|
| First Quorum of the Seventy | |
| April 2, 2005 – October 1, 2011 | |
| End reason | Granted general authority emeritus status |
| Emeritus General Authority | |
| October 1, 2011 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Richard Gordon Hinckley May 2, 1941 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Freed (m. 1967) |
Richard Gordon Hinckley (born May 2, 1941) has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 2005. In 2011, he became an emeritus general authority. He is the son of Gordon B. Hinckley, the church's fifteenth president.
Early life, mission, education
Hinckley was born in Salt Lake City and was raised in East Millcreek, Utah. When Richard was 16 years old, his father was called as a general authority of the church. From 1961 to 1963, Hinckley served an LDS mission in the church's Central German Mission. While serving in Germany, his father became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Following his missionary service, Hinckley obtained a degree in economics from the University of Utah and an MBA from Stanford University.
LDS Church service
Prior to his call as a general authority, Hinckley served as a bishop (twice), stake president and as a member of two other stake presidencies. Hinckley's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had also served as stake presidents. Hinckley also served as a sealer in the Salt Lake Temple. From 2001 to 2004, Hinckley was president of the church's Utah Salt Lake City Mission.
General authority
At the church's April 2005 general conference, Hinckley was accepted by the church as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. His father, who was the church's president at the time, preemptively disavowed any involvement his son's calling in a sermon given later that day:
I make it clear that I did not advance his name. That was done by others whose right it was to do so. I feel extremely sensitive about the matter of nepotism. As the lawyers say, I recused myself from participating. However, I believe he is worthy and qualified in every respect. In the first place, he had a great and wonderful mother. I wish I could recommend his father.
I mention this only because of my sensitivity concerning the matter of nepotism. Please do not hold it against him for his relationship to me. He's powerless to help it.[1]
When Richard Hinckley delivered his first general conference address a year later, he joked that he "was likely the only General Authority in the history of the Church to be sustained by the members in spite of a disclaimer by the prophet!"[2]
During the church's October 2011 general conference, Hinckley was released from the First Quorum of the Seventy and designated as an emeritus general authority.[3]
Family
In 1967, Hinckley married Jane Freed in the Salt Lake Temple and they are the parents of four children.
Notes
- ↑ Gordon B. Hinckley, "Gambling," Ensign, May 2005, p. 58.
- ↑ Richard G. Hinckley, "Repentance, a Blessing of Membership," Ensign, May 2006, p. 48.
- ↑ "Honorable releases given to 12 brethren". Church News. Deseret News Publishing Company. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
References
- “Elder Richard G. Hinckley of the Seventy,” Liahona, May 2005, p. 123