WWII vet, 80, likely next Mormon leader

Published: Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008 12:37 a.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
If leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hold with tradition, the next president of the church will be a soft-spoken World War II veteran with a love for telling stories.

Succession to the presidency is historically based on seniority, and Thomas S. Monson, 80, is in line to succeed Gordon B. Hinckley. Hinckley, 97, died Sunday. Monson was one of Hinckley's closest advisers.

Officially, the next leader of the 13 million-member church won't be elevated until after Hinckley is laid to rest at 11 a.m. Saturday at the church conference center in Salt Lake City.

Church presidents serve for life. The title usually passes to the senior-most member of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles when a president dies.

Like Hinckley, Monson was one of the youngest men ever called to the highest levels of church leadership when named a church apostle in 1963 at age 36. Before that he spent three years in Toronto, overseeing church missionary work.

Prior to serving as Hinckley's first counselor, Monson was second counselor to two previous presidents.

LDS author Grant Palmer described Monson as a down-to-earth person who differs from others who have ascended to the highest rungs of church leadership.

Story continues below

"He's not blood-related like many of the others," said Palmer, whose church membership was suspended in 2004 after writing a book that was critical of church history and its founder, Joseph Smith.

"He's got more of a blue collar-background. He came from a blue-collar neighborhood and had no ties to church royalty."

Monson is known among Latter-day Saints for his folksy humor, delivered in speeches and parable-like stories during the twice-yearly church conferences in Salt Lake City that draw tens of thousands of people.

He's also known for his ministerial concern for widows and the infirm. Both church folklore and Monson's own self-published autobiography — "On the Lord's Errand" — are filled with tales of his visits as a young church bishop to widows of his congregation.

"He's affable, open and approachable," Ed Firmage, a former Mormon and an emeritus professor of law at the University of Utah, told The Associated Press in an interview last year. "He's just a very good man. He's not pompous. He's very concerned with others and makes himself available. He's not an ideologue."

Despite Monson's age, Firmage believes he will be a forward-thinking, "creature of this century" leader for the church.

Monson rarely gives interviews. The AP has made a request through the church to talk to him if he is named president.

A 1948 cum laude graduate of the University of Utah, Monson holds a master's degree in business administration from the church-owned Brigham Young University in Provo.

Recent comments

I agree that Heavenly Father picked him a long time ago, a very long...

Anonymous | Jan. 31, 2008 at 5:10 p.m.

God is a God of order and his kingdom is ordered...

Indiana | Jan. 29, 2008 at 3:53 p.m.

The pick is inspired and "expected" to be President Monson. It is not...

me | Jan. 29, 2008 at 3:01 p.m.

previousnext

Latest comments

Obama not a magician

Define bankrupting the country? The country was already in debt by over 400...

Great 131 mil, for maybe 1 more goal a game. And Spain has 40 million...

Is there anyone really interested in this stuff? If so, get a life.

Palin mistreated

Sarah Palin and the GOP in General, are all about fluff. They offer us, the...

America had a depression in: 1807 1837 1873 1893 1929 Before the Fed,...

To the 3:37 commentator, My understanding is that the issue is "ethnic"...

Teachers struggle with district cuts

Re ABS: Nice spin job. Teachers actually work quite hard during that 9 month...

Sounds like a lot of wishful thinking on your part. Watch out for the...

Time for a revolution

If I Spent as much time as conservatives spend crying, I would have died of...

I would be willing to entertain the idea of voting for Chaffetz simply on the...

Advertisements