Henry B. Eyring facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Henry B. Eyring |
|
|---|---|
Eyring in 2008
|
|
| Second Counselor in the First Presidency | |
| January 14, 2018 | |
| Called by | Russell M. Nelson |
| Predecessor | Dieter F. Uchtdorf |
| First Counselor in the First Presidency | |
| February 3, 2008 – January 2, 2018 | |
| Called by | Thomas S. Monson |
| Predecessor | Thomas S. Monson |
| Successor | Dallin H. Oaks |
| End reason | Dissolution of First Presidency on death of Thomas S. Monson |
| Second Counselor in the First Presidency | |
| October 6, 2007 – January 27, 2008 | |
| Called by | Gordon B. Hinckley |
| Predecessor | James E. Faust |
| Successor | Dieter F. Uchtdorf |
| End reason | Dissolution of First Presidency on death of Gordon B. Hinckley |
| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| April 1, 1995 – October 6, 2007 | |
| Called by | Gordon B. Hinckley |
| End reason | Called as Second Counselor in the First Presidency |
| LDS Church Apostle | |
| April 6, 1995 | |
| Called by | Gordon B. Hinckley |
| Reason | Death of Howard W. Hunter; reorganization of First Presidency |
| First Quorum of the Seventy | |
| October 3, 1992 – April 1, 1995 | |
| Called by | Ezra Taft Benson |
| End reason | Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles |
| First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric | |
| April 1, 1985 – October 3, 1992 | |
| Called by | Robert D. Hales |
| Predecessor | H. Burke Peterson |
| Successor | H. David Burton |
| Military career | |
| 1955–1957 | |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henry Bennion Eyring May 31, 1933 Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education |
|
| Spouse(s) |
Kathleen Johnson
(m. 1962; d. 2023) |
| Children | 6 (including Henry J. Eyring) |
| Parents | Henry Eyring Mildred Bennion |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Henry Bennion Eyring (born May 31, 1933) is an American leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has also been an educational administrator and author. Since January 14, 2018, Eyring has served as the Second Counselor to Russell M. Nelson in the First Presidency of the Church.
Before this, Eyring was the First Counselor to Thomas S. Monson in the First Presidency from 2008 until Monson's passing in January 2018. He also served as the Second Counselor to Gordon B. Hinckley in the First Presidency from October 2007 to January 2008.
As a general authority of the Church, Eyring has held several important positions. These include serving in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the First Quorum of the Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric. He has also been the commissioner of the Church Educational System twice. Currently, he is the fourth most senior apostle in the Church.
Contents
Early Life and Family Background
Henry B. Eyring was born on May 31, 1933, in Princeton, New Jersey. He was the second child of Henry Eyring and Mildred Bennion. His father was a well-known professor and later became the dean of the graduate school at the University of Utah. He was also the president of the American Chemical Society.
Henry B. Eyring's aunt, Camilla Eyring, married Spencer W. Kimball. This made Henry B. Eyring the nephew of Spencer W. Kimball, who later became the twelfth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Eyring lived in Princeton during his early childhood. His family attended Church meetings in New Brunswick, New Jersey. During World War II, due to gas rationing, they held meetings in their own home. As a teenager, Eyring and his family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. His father began working at the University of Utah there.
Military Service and Education
Eyring served two years in the U.S. Air Force from 1955 to 1957. He was stationed at Sandia Base in New Mexico. While there, he also served as a district missionary for the Church. He had been part of the ROTC program at the University of Utah.
In the Air Force, Eyring helped connect military officers with scientists. His main job was to look at information from nuclear weapons tests. He even gave a report to several leading generals.
Before his military service, Eyring earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Utah. After his time in the Air Force, he continued his studies. He earned both a master's degree and a doctoral degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School. This prepared him for a career in teaching at universities.
Academic and Business Career
In the fall of 1962, Eyring started working as a professor at Stanford University. He completed his doctorate in business in the summer of 1963. During that summer, he also worked with the RAND Corporation.
Eyring was an associate professor of business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business from 1962 to 1971. He also spent time as a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At MIT, he took many classes about human behavior.
Henry B. Eyring has served as the commissioner of church education twice. He held this role from September 1980 to April 1985. He served again from September 1992 to January 2005.
Church Service and Leadership
Eyring has held many important positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as a regional representative, a bishop, and a member of the Sunday School General Board. Early in his time as a professor at Stanford, he taught early-morning seminary. Later, he served as the bishop of the Stanford singles ward.
From 1971 to 1977, Eyring was the president of Ricks College. He also served as a counselor to Presiding Bishop Robert D. Hales from 1985 to 1992. From 1992 to 1995, he was a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.
After the passing of church president Howard W. Hunter, Eyring was chosen as a member of the Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This happened on April 1, 1995, and he was ordained an apostle later that week.
On October 6, 2007, Eyring was sustained as the Second Counselor in the Church's First Presidency. He filled the spot left by the passing of James E. Faust. When the First Presidency was reorganized after the passing of Gordon B. Hinckley, Eyring was called as the First Counselor on February 3, 2008. The new First Presidency, with Thomas S. Monson as president, was announced the next day.
As a member of the First Presidency, Eyring has dedicated several temples. These include the San Salvador El Salvador, Gilbert Arizona, Payson Utah, Indianapolis Indiana, and Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temples. He also led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Philadelphia Temple in 2011. Additionally, he rededicated the Buenos Aires Argentina and Mexico City Mexico Temples.
In 2014, Eyring met with Pope Francis and spoke at a special meeting in Vatican City. This meeting was about the importance of men and women working together. It was the first time a pope and a top Church leader had met.
Family Life
Henry B. Eyring met his wife, Kathleen Johnson, in the spring of 1960. They met at a meeting for young single adults in New Hampshire. They got to know each other better at another meeting in Massachusetts the next summer. Kathleen was from Palo Alto, California, and was a student at Stanford University.
After getting to know each other, they became engaged in early 1961. They were married in the Church's Logan Temple on July 27, 1962. The ceremony was performed by his uncle, Spencer W. Kimball. Henry and Kathleen were married for 61 years. Kathleen passed away on October 15, 2023, at the age of 82.
They have six children, including four sons and two daughters. Their sons include Henry J. Eyring, who was the president of BYU–Idaho from 2017 to 2023. Another son, Matthew J. Eyring, works for a home automation company. Henry B. Eyring is also a cousin to former Michigan governor George W. Romney.
Honors and Recognition
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, University of Utah (2015)
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Utah Valley University (2017)
See also
In Spanish: Henry B. Eyring para niños
- Council on the Disposition of the Tithes
- Glenn L. Pace, who served as a counselor with Eyring in the presiding bishopric
