BackGround: London Temple, London, England.
Created 2 April 2010
Gordon was born 23 June 1910 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah and married 29 April 1937 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, Majorie PAY, the daughter of Phillip Leroy PAY and Georgetta PAXMAN. She was born 23 November 1911 in Nephi, Juab, Utah and died 6 April 2004 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah. Gordon died 27 January 2008 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.
Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an religious leader who served as the fifteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 12, 1995 until his death. He was the oldest person to preside over the church in its history.[1] As president of the church, he was considered by its members to be a prophet, seer, and revelator.
Hinckley's presidency was noted for the building of temples, including a reconstruction of the historic Nauvoo Illinois Temple, the building of the 21,000 seat Conference Center, the issuance of the Proclamation on the Family, and the creation of the church's Perpetual Education Fund. Hinckley dedicated more LDS Church temples than anyone else, dedicating more than half of the current temples.[2] At the time of Hinckley's death, approximately one-third of the church's membership had joined the church under Hinckley's leadership. As president of the church, Hinckley was also chairman of the Church Boards of Trustees/Education.[1]
A fourth-generation[3] Latter-day Saint, Hinckley was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to prominent LDS writer and educator Bryant S. Hinckley and Ada Bitner Hinckley. He graduated from LDS High School in 1928. After attending the University of Utah where he earned his undergraduate degree, Hinckley became a missionary for the LDS Church, an unusual occurrence for Depression-era Latter-day Saints. He served in the London-based British Mission from 1933 to 1935.
Hinckley returned to the United States in 1935 after having completed a short tour of the European continent, including preaching in both Berlin and Paris. He was given an assignment by his mission president, Joseph F. Merrill, to meet with the First Presidency of the church and request that better materials be made available to missionaries for proselytizing purposes. As a result of this meeting, Hinckley received employment as executive secretary of the Radio, Publicity and Missionary Literature Committee of the church (he had received schooling as a journalist in college).
Hinckley's responsibilities included developing the church's fledgling radio broadcasts and making use of the era's new communication technologies. Starting in 1937, he also served on the Sunday School General Board. After the Second World War Hinckley served as executive secretary to the Missionary Committee of the church. He also served as the church's liaison to Deseret Book, working with Deseret Book's liaison to the church, Thomas S. Monson.[4]
In the early 1950s, Hinckley was part of a committee that considered how to present the temple ordinances at the Swiss Temple. The concern was how this could be done when there would be a need to provide them in at least ten languages; the concern was eventually solved through the use of a film version of the Endowment.[5] Hinckley's background in journalism and public relations prepared him well to preside over the church during a time when it has received increasing media coverage.
On April 29, 1937, Hinckley married Marjorie Pay (November 23, 1911 – April 6, 2004) in the Salt Lake Temple. They had been married for nearly 67 years at the time of her death. They had five children, including Richard G. Hinckley, a member of the LDS Church’s First Quorum of the Seventy, and Virginia Hinckley Pearce, a former member of the general presidency of the church's Young Women organization.
In 1958, Hinckley became a general authority of the Church in the now-discontinued position of Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In September 1961, he became an apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
.On July 23, 1981, Hinckley became a counselor in the First Presidency. As the 1980s progressed, the health of both President Spencer W. Kimball and his aging counselors N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney led to Hinckley's being the only healthy member of the First Presidency. When Tanner died in 1982, Romney succeeded him as first counselor and Hinckley succeeded Romney as second counselor in the First Presidency. Because of the ill health of Kimball and Romney, Hinckley was involved in much of the day-to-day affairs of running the church.[4]
The Mark Hofmann document forgeries, bombings, and investigation occurred during this time. Several books[6] describe the arrangements for acquiring supposed historical documents for the church by Hinckley and others. For example, the Stowell forgery implicating Joseph Smith in gold digging was purchased for $15,000 by Hinckley on behalf of the church from Hofmann on the promise of confidentiality. However, two years later Hofmann leaked its existence to the “Mormon intellectual underground.”[7] Upon inquiry, church Spokesman Jerry Cahill denied that the church possessed the document.[8] Hinckley corrected Cahill and released the letter to scholars for study.[9] The document was later found to be a forgery.
After Kimball's death in November 1985, then-former President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Ezra Taft Benson became president of the church and named Hinckley his first counselor. Fellow apostle Thomas S. Monson was named second counselor, and, for a while, all three members of the First Presidency were able to perform their duties. In the early 1990s, however, Benson developed serious health problems that removed him from public view, and Hinckley again carried out many of the duties of the president of the church until Benson died in 1994. After Benson’s death, Howard W. Hunter became President and retained Hinckley and Monson as counselors in the First Presidency. At the same time, Hinckley became President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by virtue of seniority.
When Hunter died after a presidency of only nine months, Hinckley succeeded to the presidency of the church at the age of 84. On November 2, 2006, Hinckley surpassed David O. McKay to become the oldest president in Church history.[10]
Hinckley was known for his acceleration of the building of temples. Before he became president in 1995 there were 47 operating temples in the Church; at the time of his passing, there were 124 – over two-thirds of which had been dedicated or rededicated by Hinckley–and 14 announced or under construction. [11] Hinckley oversaw other significant building projects, including the construction of the Conference Center and extensive renovations of the Salt Lake Tabernacle.
On September 23, 1995, Hinckley released The Family: A Proclamation to the World, a statement of belief and counsel regarding the sanctity of the family and marriage prepared by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve.[12]
In February 1996, Church membership in countries other than the United States surpassed that of the U.S. membership.[13]
The year 1996 also saw the broadcast of a memorable 60 Minutes interview of President Hinckley by Mike Wallace during a segment on the LDS Church.
In November 2000, President Hinckley spoke to the youth of the church and gave them six traits to work on, his famous Six Be's (Be Grateful, Be Smart, Be Clean, Be True, Be Humble, Be Prayerful), which were first introduced in his New York Times Bestseller Standing for Something[14] and later expanded on in Way to Be.
On March 31, 2001, he announced the Perpetual Education Fund, a large endowment that provides loans to students in developing nations. [15]
On October 22, 2002, Hinckley participated in the dedication of the Gordon B. Hinckley Building at Brigham Young University–Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho. This was the first building at BYU–Idaho to be named for a then-living Church President.[16] The Gordon B. Hinckley Building at BYU-Idaho.
In April 2003, Hinckley gave a speech in which he addressed the ongoing war in Iraq. He said, “…as citizens we are all under the direction of our respective national leaders. They have access to greater political and military intelligence than do the people generally,” adding, “Furthermore, we are a freedom-loving people, committed to the defense of liberty wherever it is in jeopardy.” He also noted that “It may even be that [the Lord] will hold us responsible if we try to impede or hedge up the way of those who are involved in a contest with forces of evil and repression.”[17]
In March 2005, Hinckley, together with Thomas S. Monson and James E. Faust, celebrated their tenth anniversary as the First Presidency—the first time in the history of the church that a First Presidency had continued for such a period of time without personnel changes.
On January 24, 2006, Hinckley underwent surgery to remove cancerous growths from his large intestine.[18]
In June 2006, Hinckley traveled to Iowa City, Iowa to speak at a commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Mormon handcart companies. On June 23, 2006—his 96th birthday—Hinckley participated in a groundbreaking ceremony at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah for a new building that was to be named in his honor. The building was named the "Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center" and was completed and dedicated on Hinckley's 97th birthday.[19]
On March 31, 2007, Hinckley rededicated the Salt Lake Tabernacle after extensive renovation.[20] Hinckley's last public appearance was on January 4, 2008, when he offered the prayer at the rededication of the Utah State Capitol.[21]
During his tenure as president, Hinckley gave over 2000 speeches[22], and traveled nearly a million miles over a lifetime to more than 160 countries, as he met with church members and dedicated chapels and temples.[23]
At the time Hinckley became president of the church, he had dedicated 23 of the church's 47 temples and had rededicated four of the remaining 24.[24] While president of the church, Hinckley presided at the dedication of 65 additional temples.[25] Hinckley also rededicated five temples while president of the church, four of which he had dedicated initially. In all, Hinckley dedicated or rededicated 92 different temples — 87 while president of the church — at 97 different dedicatory services.
On June 23, 2004 (Hinckley's 94th birthday), U.S. President George W. Bush awarded Hinckley the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House. The press release put forth by the White House stated:[26] "Gordon B. Hinckley [...] has inspired millions and has led efforts to improve humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and education funding across the globe."
Hinckley received many educational honors, including the Distinguished Citizen Award from Southern Utah University, Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Utah, and 10 honorary doctorates from schools including Westminster College, Utah State University, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Weber State University, and Southern Utah University. He received the Silver Buffalo Award of the Boy Scouts of America, and was honored by the National Conference for Community and Justice for his contributions to tolerance and understanding in the world.
On January 27, 2008, at approximately 7 p.m. MST, Hinckley died at the age of ninety-seven while surrounded by family in his Salt Lake City apartment.[27][28] According to a church spokesman, the death was due to "causes incident to age." A Deseret Morning News article states that Hinckley had just gone through a treatment of chemotherapy a few days earlier, and had "worked until the very end."[29]
Thomas S. Monson became the presidential successor on February 3, 2008.[30]
Funeral services were held on February 2, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. MST at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.[31] Hinckley was buried at the Salt Lake City Cemetery next to his wife, who had died almost four years earlier. Some of the soil that was used to bury him was imported from the grounds of the Preston England Temple in Lancashire, as Hinckley had served his mission in England.[32]
Marjorie Pay Hinckley, wife of President Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away at home at 5:05 p.m. on 6 April 2004. President Hinckley and other family members were with her at the time. She died of causes incident to age.
Identified by her husband as the lodestar of their family, Marjorie Hinckley gently guided her children with faith, intelligence and humor. Her happiest role in life was that of a supportive wife and mother.
Born Marjorie Pay on 23 November 1911, in Nephi, Utah, she was the first child of Phillip LeRoy and Georgetta Paxman Pay. She had four sisters and two brothers, but one brother died in infancy. The family moved to Salt Lake City in 1914 where Marjorie began her education. She graduated from East High School in 1929 and went to work at the Owens Illinois Glass Company performing secretarial duties.
As a young girl she was taught by her mother that the best husband for her would be one who loves the Lord. Marjorie met a young man with that qualification living right across the street from her family home. She and Gordon B. Hinckley were married on 29 April 1937 in the Salt Lake Temple by Elder Stephen L. Richards, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (President Hinckley was called to serve as an Assistant to the Twelve Apostles in April 1958, to the Quorum of the Twelve in September of 1961 and became the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 13 March 1995).
The young couple began their married life in Salt Lake City in a small farmhouse in Millcreek. President Hinckley was employed at Church headquarters in downtown Salt Lake, and Marjorie continued her employment at the glass company until the birth of their first child. As the family increased in size, the Hinckleys built a home on property down the lane from their first house, still in the rural East Millcreek area. By 1954 they were parents of five children, Kathleen, Richard, Virginia, Clark and Jane.Marjorie was an energetic mother and made good use of humor to settle many of life's difficulties. She was often heard to say, "The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it." Marjorie loved being a mother and delighted in every moment with her children. She especially enjoyed the sound of the screen door slamming as the children ran in and out of the house. She was sad every fall when the children went back to school because she missed them so much during the day.
An avid reader, Marjorie encouraged her children to gain knowledge by studying and reading. As the family traveled in the car on vacations, she would read to them from the classics. Although her formal education was interrupted by economic stress during the depression, she encouraged her children to seek degrees in higher education. She was a student of the scriptures and often used the words of ancient and latter-day prophets to teach and inspire others. Living in Utah most of her life, except for a brief time in Denver while her husband was working for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, Marjorie had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the world. She developed a special appreciation for the people in the Far East. Hong Kong became a favorite city, and she was delighted when her children and their spouses were able to gather in Hong Kong with her and President Hinckley to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary.
A dedicated student of the lives of her ancestors, Marjorie delighted in the opportunity to share stories of their faith and devotion taken from her research and that of others. Searching for family names in genealogical facilities was a major part of her life. Pedigree charts, pictures and written histories were often visible in her home, and she used this acquired knowledge to encourage others in numerous public addresses.
She developed a close relationship with her 25 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren, who always knew she was just a telephone call away. They willingly consulted with her about the joys and challenges in their lives.
Marjorie Hinckley was recognized numerous times, having named for her the Marjorie Pay Hinckley Chair in Social Work and Social Science from Brigham Young University in April of 2003, and receiving an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Utah Valley State College in April of 2001 and the heritage award during the centennial celebration of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers that same year. From BYU she received an honorary doctoral degree in Christian Service in April of 2000. Other recognition included the distinguished Service to Humanity Award in 1998, Freedom Festival Award in 1997 and the Exemplary Womanhood Award in 1996.
Marjorie Pay Hinckley lived almost all of her life in Salt Lake City, but her influence has spread all around the world. She visited nearly every continent. She conversed comfortably with such dignitaries as the queen of Thailand and prime minister of Britain, but felt equally at ease with ordinary people wherever she went.
SALT LAKE CITY ? Utah's leaders and believers mourned the death of Gordon B. Hinckley, the humble head of the Mormon church who added millions of new members and labored long to burnish the faith's image as a world religion.
Hinckley, the 15th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Sunday of complications arising from old age, church spokesman Mike Otterson said. He was 97.
"His leadership in humanitarian efforts around the world was matched only by his efforts in his own beloved state and community as a committed citizen," said Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Mormon. ``He has stood as a remarkable example of selflessness, charity and humility and he will be greatly missed by all.''
By tradition, at a church president's death, the church's most senior apostle is ordained within days on a unanimous vote of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. The most long-serving apostle now is Thomas S. Monson, 80.
Hinckley, a grandson of Mormon pioneers, was president for nearly 13 years. He took over as president and prophet on March 12, 1995, and oversaw one of the greatest periods of expansion in church history. The number of temples worldwide more than doubled, from 49 to more than 120 and church membership grew from about 9 million to about 13 million.
The church presidency is a lifetime position. Before Hinckley, the oldest church president was David O. McKay who was 96 when he died in 1970.
Hinckley became by far his church's most traveled leader in history. And the number of Mormons outside the United States surpassed that of American Mormons for the first time since the church, the most successful faith born in the United States, was founded in 1830.
Dozens of mourners gathered Sunday night outside Mormon church headquarters to honor Hinckley. College students sang hymns by the light of their cell phones.
Genoba Urbina recalled how humble Hinckley appeared when she served food and drinks at a conference in New Orleans four years ago. He even asked for her lemonade recipe.
"He didn't want anything special. He danced and wore Mardi Gras beads," recalled Urbina, of North Salt Lake. "He was so loving.''
Hinckley had been diagnosed with diabetes and was hospitalized in January 2006 for the removal of a cancerous growth in his large intestine. He later resumed a regular work schedule and his last public appearance was Jan. 4
About 62 percent of Utah's 2.7 million residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Leaders in all levels of government are members, including the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Hinckley worked to show that his faith was far removed from its peculiar and polygamous roots. Still, during his tenure, the Roman Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention and United Methodist Church ? the three largest U.S. denominations ? each declared that Mormon doctrines depart from mainstream Christianity.
"The more people come to know us, the better they will understand us," Hinckley said in an interview with The Associated Press in late 2005. "We're a little different. We don't smoke. We don't drink. We do things in a little different way. That's not dishonorable. I believe that's to our credit.''
Mayor Ralph Becker, who is not Mormon, said Hinckley made it a habit to reach out to other religions: "He was such a unifier, someone who was warm and engaging and respecting of everyone who he encountered.''
Jeanetta Williams, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Idaho, Nevada and Utah, praised Hinckley for taking interest in her causes. Only about 1 percent of Utah's population is black.
"President Hinckley was always concerned about the way people treated one another, and each time that he and I spoke, he always asked how I was being treated by the people in Utah and on my job," she said.
Born June 23, 1910, in Salt Lake City, Hinckley graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in arts and planned to attend graduate school in journalism. Instead, a church mission took him to the British Isles.
Upon his return, he became executive director of the newly formed Church Radio, Publicity, and Mission Literature Committee at $60 a month. Hinckley always worked for the church, except for a brief stint during World War II as a railroad agent.
He began his leadership role in 1995 by holding a rare news conference, citing growth and spreading the Mormon message as the church's main challenge heading into the 21st century.
Hinckley's grandfather knew church founder Joseph Smith and followed leader Brigham Young west to the Great Salt Lake Basin. He often spoke of the Mormon heritage of pioneer sacrifice and its importance as a model for the modern church.
"I think as long as history lasts there will be an interest in the roots of this work, a very deep interest," Hinckley said in a 1994 interview with the AP.
"Because insofar as the people of the church are concerned, without a knowledge of those roots and faith in the validity of those roots, we don't have anything," he said.
Hinckley was preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie Pay Hinckley, whom he married in 1937. She died in 2004.
Survivors include five children, all in the Salt Lake City area: Kathleen Barnes, Richard Gordon Hinckley, Virginia Pearce, Clark Bryant Hinckley and Jane Dudley. He also had dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
"His life was a true testament of service, and he had an abiding love for others," said U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican and fellow Mormon. "His wit, wisdom, and exemplary leadership will be missed by not only members of our faith, but by people of all faiths throughout the world.''
Associated Press writer Brock Vergakis contributed to this report.
1920 Census Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah ED 80 Sheet 15A Line 37
Mar | Place of Birth |
Name Relat Sex Race Age Sta |Self Father Mother| Occupation
HINCKLEY Bryant S Head M W 51 M Utah U. S. U. S. Secretary Gymnasium
" Ada B Wife F W 39 M Utah Penn. Penn. None
" Windell J Son M W 15 S Utah Utah Utah Newsboy Street
" Waldo R Son M W 15 S Utah Utah Utah None
" Venice Dau F W 14 S Utah Utah Utah None
" Gordon B Son M W 9 S Utah Utah Utah None
" Sherman B Son M W 8 S Utah Utah Utah None
" Ruth Dau F W 5 S Utah Utah Utah None
" Ramona Dau F W 3 S Utah Utah Utah None
1930 Census, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah ED 18 Sheet 13A
Age
Mar 1st | Place of Birth |
Name Relat Sex Race Age Sta Mar |Self Father Mother| Occupation
HINCKLEY, Bryant S. Head M W 61; M 26; Utah Canada Mich. Secretary
Gymnasium
HINCKLEY, Ada B. Wife F W 49 M 29 Utah Penn. Engl. None
HINCKLEY, Gordon B. Son M W 19 S --- Utah Utah Utah None
HINCKLEY, Sherman B. Son) M W 18; S --- Utah Utah Utah None
HINCKLEY, Ruth Dau F W 16; S --- Utah Utah Utah None
HINCKLEY, Ramona Dau F W 14; S --- Utah Utah Utah None
HINCKLEY, Sylvia B. Dau F W 10; S --- Utah Utah Utah None
Owns home worth $5000; Owns a radio
Children of Gordon Bitner HINCKLEY and Marjorie PAY:
1. KATHLEEN b: ; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.
2. RICHARD b: ; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.
3. VIRGINIA b: ; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.
4. CLARK b: ; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.
5. JANE b: ; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.
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