Called by John Taylor

I've gone over those called by Joseph Smith here, here and here. I would argue that in some cases, Joseph was naive with some of the men he put in important positions, and he saw some of them turn into bitter enemies. Brigham Young's callings went out to those who'd shown a little more steadiness, men who'd gone through a little more of the refiner's fire. Also, he made sure each one was okay with polygamy.

So if Joseph's main call was to restore the Gospel, and Brigham's main call was to organize the church and ensure its survival, Taylor's call was to transition the church to have the institution as Christ's church be more important than any one man. Joseph and Brigham both had cults of personality, which allowed them to be beloved by some, reviled by others. Taylor brought a real kindness and diplomacy to his time as leader of the church, even though persecution due to polygamy increased greatly during his tenure.

So as far as restocking the Quorum of the Twelve, how did he do?

Called by John Taylor to be Apostles:
Moses Thatcher, Francis M. Lyman,
John Henry Smith, George Teasdale,
Heber J. Grant, John W. Taylor

MOSES THATCHER
(February 2, 1842 - August 21, 1909)

Apostle - April 9, 1879
Dropped from Q12 - April 6, 1896

It was explained that John Willard Young and Daniel H. Wells did not join the Quorum of the Twelve upon Brigham Young's death due to an excess of Apostles, but after Orson Hyde died, John Taylor called Thatcher. Taylor didn't reorganize the First Presidency until 1880, so Thatcher became #12 while Young and Wells were still outside.

Thatcher's parents joined the church when he was one year old. He grew up mostly in California, but his family moved back to Utah in 1857 when Brigham was calling most of the California Saints to move back to Utah. Thatcher served two different missions for the church and later served as a mission president in Mexico.

He was called to be an Apostle at age 37, but in 1896, when Wilford Woodruff was president, Woodruff issued a new policy that stated LDS church officers had to get approval from their church leaders before running for or holding political office. The other Apostles signed on to it, but Thatcher refused, believing it went against the church's policy of political neutrality. He was dropped from the Quorum of the Twelve, but he retained the office of Apostle and remained active and in good standing with the church for the remainder of his days.

FRANCIS M. LYMAN
(January 12, 1840 - November 18, 1916)

Apostle - October 27, 1880
President of Q12 - October 6, 1903

Francis was the oldest son of Amasa Lyman, who became an Apostle when Francis was two years old. When he was 11, he moved with his dad and Charles C. Rich to settle San Bernadino, CA. he was called on a mission to Great Britain in 1857, but it was delayed so he could help move Saints from California to Utah during the Utah War. After he got married to Australia native Rhoda Taylor and had a child, he left for his mission in 1860.

When he returned, he was directed by Brigham Young to settle Fillmore, Utah. He was serving in Fillmore's High Council when his father was excommunicated. Francis took on a second wife in 1869, George A. Smith's niece Clara Callister. He would eventually marry Clara's sister Sarah as well.

He served a European mission in the 1870's, proselyting in the United Kingom, France, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark. Upon his return home he was called to move to Tooele and preside over its stake. He also got into politics as a member of the People's Party, while the county was dominated by the Liberal Party. In the county races of 1878, the Liberal Party refused to count the votes and declared themselves the winner, but Francis headed up pushing the matter through state and district court, and the People's Party was declared the winner in 1879.

When John Taylor reorganized the First Presidency in 1880, he called Francis (age 50) and John Henry Smith (age 42) as apostles. Francis was older and therefore took his place in senority line.

He spent his early years as an Apostle proselyting among the Native American tribes of the West. He also served as president of the European mission. He was President of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1903 under Pres. Joseph F. Smith and was therefore next in line to be prophet until he died of pneumonia at age 76.

JOHN HENRY SMITH
(September 18, 1848 - October 13, 1911)

Apostle - October 27, 1880
Second Counselor - April 7, 1911

John was the son of apostle George A. Smith and the father of future prophet George Albert Smith. He served his mission in England, and he had nineteen children by two wives. He was called to be an Apostle in 1880.

He took over as president of the European mission in 1882 and was the one who discovered the infidelities that eventually got fellow apostle Albert Carrington excommunicated.

He was a Republican and active in politics, and he was a key figure in helping Utah become a state in 1895. He and George Albert were the only father-son combination in church history to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve at the same time. John became second counselor in Joseph F. Smith's presidency after John R. Winder died, and he served there until he died from a pulmonary hemorrhage at age 63.

GEORGE TEASDALE
(December 8, 1831 - June 9, 1907)

Apostle - October 16, 1882

When Lyman and Smith were called to be Apostles in 1880, there were still only 11 members in the Q12. After Orson Pratt died in 1881 (the last original member of the Q12 called by Joseph Smith), there were only 10 members, and a few months later, Teasdale and Heber J. Grant were called.

Teasdale, like Taylor, was born and raised in England. He joined the church at the age of 20 and served in many church leadership positions there until he moved to Utah in 1861. He would later go back to England and other countries in Europe as a missionary. He also served in the Southern US mission. By profession he was a teacher, so between missions he'd find employment in different school districts.

He was 50 when he was called to be an Apostle, and soon he'd preside over the Mexico mission. He died at age 75 from an "intestinal obstruction."

HEBER J. GRANT
(November 22, 1856 - May 14, 1945)

Apostle - October 16, 1882
President of Q12 - November 18, 1916
Prophet/President - November 23, 1918

Heber was only nine days old when his father Jedidiah, 2nd counselor in the First Presidency, died. His mother Rachel Ivins remarried to Jed's brother George, but he was an alcoholic so she left him and raised Heber on her own. She refused to take church assistance and made money from renting rooms in their house. Growing up poor, Heber was determined to be successful in business.

He married lifelong friend Lucy Stringham in 1877. It was a long courtship, as he'd been dating Emily Wells (daughter of Daniel H. Wells) for a time, and Lucy wanted to make sure she wasn't just a replacement for Emily. Heber married Emily in 1884, as well as Augusta Winters. he was the last prophet of the LDS church to practice polygamy, but by the time he became prophet in 1918, only one of his wives was still alive.

Heber started many businesses before and after becoming an Apostle at age 25. He used his business acumen to help get church finances under control.

He organized a mission in Japan in 1901 and served as its first mission president. He was immediately called in 1903 to serve as mission president of the European mission, and then the British mission until 1905.

When he became prophet and President of the LDS church at age 62, he was the first one to have been born after the death of Joseph Smith. He was instrumental in the building and dedication of temples outside of Utah, and in making sure the last of the polygamy holdouts gave up the practice. When he excommunicated a stake in Arizona in 1935 for refusing to give up polygamy, it led to the formation of what would become the FLDS church.

He was a Democrat, but often disagreed with FDR and he fought against the repeal of Prohibition. He was mortified when Utah agreed to end Prohibition. His service as prophet was the second-longest reign in church history, behind only Brigham Young.

JOHN W. TAYLOR
(May 15, 1858 - October 10, 1916)

Apostle - May 15, 1884
Removed from Q12 - April 1905
Excommunicated - 1911

Taylor lived most of his life in Idaho and had six wives. After Charles C. Rich died, Pres. John Taylor called his own son to fill the vacancy in the Q12. John W. was ordained on his 26th birthday. As an Apostle he spent a lot of time helping build the church in Canada.

After Pres. Woodruff issued the 1890 Manifesto, John W. continued to take wives in secret. He and Matthias F. Cowley (who became an Apostle in 1896) were removed (or resigned) from the Q12 in 1905 over their refusal to comply with the end of polygamy. He was eventually excommunicated and died of stomach cancer at age 58. His Apostleship was posthumously restored in 1965.

Called by Joseph Smith: The Replacement Apostles

I've gone over the First Presidencies and original Twelve Apostles called by Joseph Smith. Now to the rest of the Apostles Smith called to fill the vacancies that would happen in the Quorum.

The Replacements:
John E. Page, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith,
Willard Richards, Lyman Wight, Amasa Lyman

JOHN E. PAGE
(February 25, 1799 - October 14, 1867)

Apostle - 1838
Excommunicated - 1846

Page was baptized in 1833 and was a successful missionary. He was the Matthias of this dispensation, the first replacement Apostle in 1838. He and three others were actually named in the D&C 118 revelation; he and Taylor were ordained first, and the other two (Wilford Woodruff and Willard Richards) were ordained later. When Page was called to join Orson Hyde in a mission to Jerusalem, he backed out. He became more disaffected with the church and when Smith died, he tried to claim that he should be the next leader. That went nowhere, but he was able to stay in the Quorum even while deciding that James J. Strang should be the next leader. Brigham Young finally excommunicated in 1846, but soon afterwards, Page would say he felt Smith and Strang were fallen prophets. He eventually joined the Church of Christ Temple Lot group.

JOHN TAYLOR
(November 1, 1808 - July 25, 1887)

Apostle - 1838
President of Q12 - 1875
Prophet/President - 1880

Taylor thus far is the only Apostle in the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States and gone on to become prophet. Born in England, he studied to become a Methodist preacher while in his teens, and he and other family members felt impressed to preach the gospel in the New World. His parents and siblings migrated to Canada in 1830, and he joined them in 1832.

He and his wife Leonora met the missionary Parley P. Pratt in 1836. Leonora joined the church first, and John later followed. They moved to Missouri, and Taylor and Page were made Apostles the same day in 1838 (Page would therefore have seniority due to age).

Taylor and fellow Apostle Willard Richards were with Joseph & Hyrum Smith in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844, when the mob stormed the prison and killed the brothers. Taylor was shot four times but managed to survive.

He became a US citizen in 1849, and he served five terms as Speaker of the House for the Utah territorial legislature.

Taylor was third in seniority when Brigham ruled that seniority reset if an Apostle were removed from the Quorum and then re-added. This instantly made Taylor the president of the Q12. When Brigham Young died in 1877, Taylor led the church as President of the Quorum of the Twelve until he reorganized the First Presidency in 1880.

The Edmonds Act passed in 1882, making polygamy illegal. Taylor had seven wives, and spent years in exile. He died from heart failure at age 78.

WILFORD WOODRUFF
(March 1, 1807 - September 2, 1898)

Apostle - 1839
President of Q12 - 1880
Prophet/President - 1889

Woodruff was baptized in 1833 and immediately became a solid missionary for the young church. he would travel with Joseph & Hyrum Smith, and later did missions throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, Connecticut and Maine.

Upon Smiths' death, he sided with Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve. He was one of the earliest to record that when Young and Sidney Rigdon were giving their case to the congregation on who should lead the church, Young had the look and voice of Joseph Smith.

Woodruff had nine wives, though two left him after a month and two more divorced him. Two more died before the 1890 Manifesto which ended polygamy in the LDS Church, and after 1890 he only lived with his wife Emma while supporting the other two in separate homes. The Manifesto was a political necessity, as the US government was pssing more and more laws against polygamy and trying to confiscate all church property.

GEORGE A. SMITH
(June 26, 1817 - September 1, 1875)

Apostle - 1839
First Counselor - 1868

George was first cousin to Joseph & Hyrum Smith, though he'd never met Joseph until he was baptized. George was the son of John Smith, who'd later be a counselor in Joseph's First Presidency. George was only 21 when Joseph ordained him to be an Apostle.

George and Wilford Woodruff were ordained the same day after Thomas B. March and Orson Hyde had been removed from the Quorum of the Twelve.

Smith was one of the more bombastic Apostles in the 1850's and gave fiery sermons in southern Utah in 1857 which may have been used by the local leadership to help justify the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Smith was made First Counselor in Brigham's First Presidency after Heber C. Kimball died. Smith himself died at the relatively young age of 58. His grandson George Albert Smith would later become the President of the Church in 1945.

WILLARD RICHARDS
(June 24, 1804 - March 11, 1854)

Apostle - 1840
Second Counselor - 1847

Willard Richards was a cousin to Brigham Young, and he first read the Book of Mormon in 1836. As soon as he was baptized he went on a mission to the Eastern United States and then to England. He was ordained an Apostle in 1840, but there'd been a revelation over a year previous that he should become one. Richards served as a secretary for Joseph Smith, and he was in Carthage Jail with John Taylor the night Joseph & Hyrum were killed. Richards escaped unharmed. He helped get Taylor out to receive medical attention.

He was Second Counselor when Brigham Young reorganized the First President in 1847, and he kept that position until his premature death at age 49 from dropsy.

LYMAN WIGHT
(May 9, 1796 - March 31, 1858)

Apostle - 1841
Excommunicated - 1848

Wight was active throughout the Joseph Smith section of LDS Church history. He was baptized by Oliver Cowdery in 1830. He did a mission in Missouri and later helped the Saints migrate there. It was in his home in 1838 that Smith received the revelation about Adam-ondi-Ahman. Wight was one of the men held prisoner for months with Smith in Liberty Jail.

In 1844, Smith had commissioned Wight to find a place in Texas that could be a possible safe settlement for the Saints. After Smith's death, Wight and his followers established themselves, and he refused repeated requests by Brigham Young to join them in Utah. Young finally excommunicated him. Wight sided with William Smith for a few months before that fell apart, and later he said he felt the mantle of prophet should fall to one of Joseph Smith's sons. Shortly after he died, his followers sided with Joseph Smith III in the newly-formed RLDS church.

AMASA LYMAN

(March 30, 1813 - February 4, 1877)

Apostle - 1842
Counselor - 1842
Excommunicated - 1867

Lyman joined the church in 1832 after meeting Orson Pratt and Lyman E. Johnson, and he became one of the church's best preachers. He spent about half of the next decade on missions.

Smith made him an Apostle in 1842, but he was removed from the Quorum after Orson Pratt was rebaptized and readmitted. Smith then made him a Counselor in the First Presidency, and all indications were he intended to remove Sidney Rigdon and replace him with Lyman. But at the next General Conference, the congregation refused to approve Rigdon being removed.

Smith taught him polygamy in 1844, and he took on extra wives. After Smith's death, he took on a couple of Smith's widows. During the succession crisis, he and John Smith, the other surviving member of the First Presidency, sided with Young's claim over Rigdon's, and reaffirmed Joseph had intended the authority to reside with the Quorum of the Twelve. Lyman was readded to the Quorum after the excommunication of William Smith.

Lyman was one of the more reluctant Apostles to acquiesce when Brigham Young wanted to reorganize the First Presidency. (The biggest opponent was Orson Pratt, but after all agreed, the First Presidency was re-formed.)

Lyman was a colonizer in the west and helped found San Bernadino, CA. He became increasingly uncomfortable with the paranoia of the 1850's, and he was among the first to criticize the fiery rhetoric that helped lead to the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He also wasn't happy with Brigham's increasing control of so many political and economic avenues in Utah. He got in trouble for a 1862 speech he gave in Scotland where he'd argued against the necessity of the Atonement, and it was used as evidence in his ultimate excommunication in 1867. Afterwards, Lyman became more open in his criticism of Young and aided William Godbe in the Godbeite movement to separate church and state in Utah.

Lyman's son Francis later became an Apostle, and in 1909, Amasa Lyman was posthumously restored to the Apostleship.

(I'm still in the middle of reading his biography by E. Leo Lyman).

LDS First Presidency - A Chronology

Henry B. Eyring, left, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf, right, were called to be counselors
to President Thomas S. Monson, center, in 2008.

The First Presidency was the first organized governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was organized in 1832 by Joseph Smith, who was already head of the church, but he prayed and decided he needed two counselors. There's been occasion when there's been more than two counselors, and in Smith's time, there was also the office of Assistant President.

The inaugural First Presidency:

1832 March 8
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
1st Coun - Jesse Gause
2nd Coun - Sidney Rigdon

Gause was excommunicated on 1832 Dec 3.

1833 March 18
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
2nd Coun - Frederick G. Williams

1834 Dec 5
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
Asst. Pres - Oliver Cowdery
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
2nd Coun - Frederick G. Williams

Smith Jr. then called three assistant counselors, respectively his brother, his uncle, and his father.

1837 Sept 3
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
Asst. Pres - Oliver Cowdery
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
2nd Coun - Frederick G. Williams
Asst Coun - Hyrum Smith
Asst Coun - John Smith
Asst Coun - Joseph Smith, Sr.

Williams is rejected as 2nd counselor at a church conference.

1837 Nov 7
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
Asst. Pres - Oliver Cowdery
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
2nd Coun - Hyrum Smith
Asst Coun - John Smith
Asst Coun - Joseph Smith, Sr.

Cowdery is excommunicated.

1838 April 11
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
2nd Coun - Hyrum Smith
Asst Coun - John Smith
Asst Coun - Joseph Smith, Sr.

Joseph Smith Sr. dies.

1840 Sept 14
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
2nd Coun - Hyrum Smith
Asst Coun - John Smith

1841 Jan 24
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
Asst. Pres - Hyrum Smith
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
2nd Coun - William Law
Asst Coun - John Smith

1841 Apr 8
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
Asst Pres - Hyrum Smith
Asst Pres - John C. Bennett
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
2nd Coun - William Law
Asst Coun - John Smith

Bennett is excommunicated, vows to drink the blood of Joseph Smith.

1842 May 25
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
Asst Pres - Hyrum Smith
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
2nd Coun - William Law
Asst Coun - John Smith

1843 Feb 4
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
Asst Pres - Hyrum Smith
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
2nd Coun - William Law
Coun - Amasa Lyman
Asst Coun - John Smith

William Law is excommunicated.

1844 April 18
Pres - JOSEPH SMITH, JR.
Asst Pres - Hyrum Smith
1st Coun - Sidney Rigdon
Coun - Amasa Lyman
Asst Coun - John Smith

Joseph Smith Jr. and Hyrum Smith are killed on June 27,1844. The First Presidency dissolves. Had Hyrum lived, he would have been the next leader of the church. There is a succession crisis. Rigdon argues that he should be the new leader of the church, as the senior surviving member of the First Presidency. Amasa Lyman and John Smith side with Brigham Young, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Young and the Twelve lead the majority of the Church, and after they establish themselves in Utah, Young organizes a new First Presidency. The title of Assistant President is never again given. From this point on, assume any changes are due to someone's death. I'll note otherwise. (Trivia note: If Heber C. Kimball had been born three weeks earlier, he would have had seniority over Young.)

1847 Dec 27
Pres - BRIGHAM YOUNG
1st Coun - Heber C. Kimball
2nd Coun - Willard Richards

1854 Apr 7
Pres - BRIGHAM YOUNG
1st Coun - Heber C. Kimball
2nd Coun - Jedidiah M. Grant

1857 Jan 4
Pres - BRIGHAM YOUNG
1st Coun - Heber C. Kimball
2nd Coun - Daniel H. Wells

1866 July 1
Pres - BRIGHAM YOUNG
1st Coun - Heber C. Kimball
2nd Coun - Daniel H. Wells
Coun - JOSEPH F. SMITH

1868 Oct 7
Pres - BRIGHAM YOUNG
1st Coun - George A. Smith
2nd Coun - Daniel H. Wells
Coun - JOSEPH F. SMITH

1873 April 8
Pres - BRIGHAM YOUNG
1st Coun - George A. Smith
2nd Coun - Daniel H. Wells
Coun - JOSEPH F. SMITH
Asst Coun - John Willard Young
Asst Coun - George Q. Cannon
Asst Coun - Brigham Young Jr.
Asst Coun - LORENZO SNOW
Asst Coun - Albert Harrington

1876 Oct 8
Pres - BRIGHAM YOUNG
1st Coun - John Willard Young
2nd Coun - Daniel H. Wells
Coun - JOSEPH F. SMITH
Asst Coun - George Q. Cannon
Asst Coun - Brigham Young Jr.
Asst Coun - LORENZO SNOW
Asst Coun - Albert Harrington

Brigham Young dies August 29, 1877. John Taylor is the senior Apostle and leads the church until the reorganization of the First Presidency in 1880.

1880 Oct 10
Pres - JOHN TAYLOR
1st Coun - George Q. Cannon
2nd Coun - JOSEPH F. SMITH

John Taylor dies July 25, 1887. It's 18 months before the senior Apostle, Wilford Woodruff, reorganizes. After that, First Presidencies tend to reorganize within days of the prophets' death.

1889 April 7
Pres - WILFORD WOODRUFF
1st Coun - George Q. Cannon
2nd Coun - JOSEPH F. SMITH

1898 Sept 13
Pres - LORENZO SNOW
1st Coun - George Q. Cannon
2nd Coun - JOSEPH F. SMITH

Cannon dies and a few months later, Snow calls Joseph F. Smith and Rudger Clawson to be his first and second counselors. They were sustained but not set apart, as Snow died four days later. I should also mention here that John Willard Young was the senior-most Apostle behind Snow, but he'd never been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. Many within the church felt John Willard Young, ordained at age 11 by his father Brigham in 1855, would be a disaster as church leader. The First Presidency and the Q12 unanimously approved a change in church policy in 1900 that stated seniority went by ordination into the Quorum of the Twelve, not just ordaination as an Apostle.

1901 Oct 17
Pres - JOSEPH F. SMITH
1st Coun - John R. Winder
2nd Coun - Anthon H. Lund

1910 April 7
Pres - JOSEPH F. SMITH
1st Coun - Anthon H. Lund
2nd Coun - John Henry Smith

1911 Dec 7
Pres - JOSEPH F. SMITH
1st Coun - Anthon H. Lund
2nd Coun - Charles W. Penrose

1918 Nov 23
Pres - HEBER J. GRANT
1st Coun - Anthon H. Lund
2nd Coun - Charles W. Penrose

1921 Mar 10
Pres - HEBER J. GRANT
1st Coun - Charles W. Penrose
2nd Coun - Anthony W. Ivins

1925 May 28
Pres - HEBER J. GRANT
1st Coun - Anthony W. Ivins
2nd Coun - Charles W. Nibley

1933 April 6
Pres - HEBER J. GRANT
1st Coun - Anthony W. Ivins
2nd Coun - J. Reuben Clark

1934 Oct 11
Pres - HEBER J. GRANT
1st Coun - J. Reuben Clark
2nd Coun - DAVID O. McKAY

1945 May 21
Pres - GEORGE ALBERT SMITH
1st Coun - J. Reuben Clark
2nd Coun - DAVID O. McKAY

1951 Apr 9
Pres - DAVID O. McKAY
1st Coun - Stephen L. Richards
2nd Coun - J. Reuben Clark

1959 June 12
Pres - DAVID O. McKAY
1st Coun - J. Reuben Clark
2nd Coun - Henry D. Moyle

1961 June 22
Pres - DAVID O. McKAY
1st Coun - J. Reuben Clark
2nd Coun - Henry D. Moyle
3rd Coun - Hugh B. Brown

1961 Oct 12
Pres - DAVID O. McKAY
1st Coun - Henry D. Moyle
2nd Coun - Hugh B. Brown

1963 Oct 4
Pres - DAVID O. McKAY
1st Coun - Hugh B. Brown
2nd Coun - N. Eldon Tanner

1965 Oct 29
Pres - DAVID O. McKAY
1st Coun - Hugh B. Brown
2nd Coun - N. Eldon Tanner
Coun - Thorpe B. Isaacson
Coun - JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH

1968 April 6
Pres - DAVID O. McKAY
1st Coun - Hugh B. Brown
2nd Coun - N. Eldon Tanner
Coun - Thorpe B. Isaacson
Coun - JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH
Coun - Alvin R. Dyer

Upon McKay's death, Brown went back to being a member of the Q12. Isaacson was never ordained an Apostle, and Dyer, while an Apostle, was never officially made part of the Q12.

1970 Jan 23
Pres - JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH
1st Coun - HAROLD B. LEE
2nd Coun - N. Eldon Tanner

1972 July 7
Pres - HAROLD B. LEE
1st Coun - N. Eldon Tanner
2nd Coun - Marion G. Romney

1973 Dec 30
Pres - SPENCER W. KIMBALL
1st Coun - N. Eldon Tanner
2nd Coun - Marion G. Romney

1981 July 23
Pres - SPENCER W. KIMBALL
1st Coun - N. Eldon Tanner
2nd Coun - Marion G. Romney
Coun - GORDON B. HINCKLEY

1982 Dec 2
Pres - SPENCER W. KIMBALL
1st Coun - Marion G. Romney
2nd Coun - GORDON B. HINCKLEY

Romney becomes President of the Q12 upon Kimball's death.

1985 Nov 10
Pres - EZRA TAFT BENSON
1st Coun - GORDON B. HINCKLEY
2nd Coun - THOMAS S. MONSON

1994 Jun 5
Pres - HOWARD W. HUNTER
1st Coun - GORDON B. HINCKLEY
2nd Coun - THOMAS S. MONSON

1995 March 12
Pres - GORDON B. HINCKLEY
1st Coun - THOMAS S. MONSON
2nd Coun - James E. Faust

2007 Oct 6
Pres - GORDON B. HINCKLEY
1st Coun - THOMAS S. MONSON
2nd Coun - Henry B. Eyring

2008 Feb 3
Pres - THOMAS S. MONSON
1st Coun - Henry B. Eyring
2nd Coun - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

General Conference Highlights: April 1880

Taking a break from the 1970's to bring you this. Checked out this LDS General Conference Report from the library, then I learned it was available online. Under Brigham Young's day, in the Journal of Discourses, the transcribing/recording of talks wasn't quite up to what it had become by 1880. Now Brigham Young had died in 1877, but it wasn't until October 1880 that John Taylor was named the third President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

APRIL 1880

First Presidency
-vacant-

Quorum of the 12 Apostles
JOHN TAYLOR - President
-WILFORD WOODRUFF
-Orson Pratt
-Charles C. Rich
-LORENZO SNOW
-Erastus Snow
-Franklin D. Richards
-George Q. Cannon
-JOSEPH F. SMITH
-Brigham Young Jr.
-Albert Carrington
-Moses Thatcher

Daniel H. Wells and John Willard Young were ordained Apostles and had been Counselors to Brigham Young in the First Presidency, but they were not added to the Quorum upon Young's death. They were considered Counselors to the Apostles until their deaths. Lorenzo Snow was serving a mission and therefore could not attend the Conference.

Before the General Conference commenced on April 6th, they had what they called the Two Days' Meeting, which was held on April 4-5, 1880. They served as preface meetings and addresses before the actual Conference would begin.

Pres. JOHN TAYLOR - "April 4th"

On the 6th day of April the church will have been organized fifty years, and we might with very good propriety call it a year of jubilee, or rather the close of the year of jubilee. And while we are assembled together, either in our meeting prior to the Conference or afterwards in the Conference, it becomes us, when we reflect upon the kindness and mercy which God has vouch-safed to us during the last fifty years, to renew our covenants before him, and feel in our hearts that we are his people and that he is our God. His mercy and salvation will still be extended to us, if we will only obey his laws, keep his commandments, and pursue that course that is proper and acceptable in his sight.

JT - "April 6th"

We as a people believe in paying our tithes and offerings to the Lord — and when I get through I want Brother Hardy to get up and talk on tithing; he is quite a hand to talk on this subject. We believe it is proper for us to pay one-tenth of our increase, or one-tenth of our time, as the case may be, to the Lord regularly. And a great many men do this, and do it very promptly;. but a great many more do not do it, only a very little — about that much sometimes [measuring the end of the finger. Laughter.] I think it will be a tight squeeze for some of them to dig through. I am not talking about this because I care anything about it personally; but because of the interest of those who ought to do it, but do not. There are a great many who have neglected the payment of these things partly through carelessness, partly through poverty and a variety of circumstances, and it begins to feel oppressive to them. Now, we want to break off this yoke too, that is, off those who are worthy; the others we do not care much about — that is unless they turn about and reform
and take another course, live their religion and act as Latter-day Saints...

Now, we are going to come to our sisters. Some people think that the sisters cannot do anything; I will show you what they can do. President Young re-organized the Relief Society — it having been organized by the Prophet Joseph Smith in Nauvoo— and inasmuch as the brethren had been careless and slow to heed the counsel of President Young in relation to storing away wheat, he requested the sisters to do it, and some of we "lords of creation" thought it was a very little thing for our sisters to be engaged in. But we find now they are of some use, and that the "ladies of creation" can do something as well as the "lords." I spoke to Sister Eliza R. Snow, who is the president of the Relief Society, and asked what her feelings would be, and that of her sisters, in relation to the distribution of their wheat, for those who are in need of seed, letting the people have it as a loan, for which the bishops should become responsible and see that it is returned after harvest. She replied that it would meet her entire approbation. The sisters have not had the opportunity to meet yet to get an expression of their minds in relation to it; but I will guarantee that they will do what they are requested to do, for they have already been doing something in that line, as I understand it. Is not that so Brother Hunter ? [Bishop Hunter: "Yes, sir."] Now, we want to show you, what the sisters can do. I will guarantee that they will do it, and that we will have a report from them before we get through. They have 34,761 bushels of wheat. Who of you men can raise that much ? Where's your wheat ? [Laughter.] Now, those 34,761 bushels of wheat will be of considerable importance judiciously managed, and loaned out to some of our poor brethren. It will furnish seed wheat, and after harvest they can return it again. We do not want any more harsh talk about the woman question after this. [A voice: "May they vote now?"] O yes, they may vote now if they choose to; everybody is willing that they should vote now. [Laughter.] That is, they are willing the sisters shall vote on the wheat question. [Renewed laughter.] We may as well call a vote on this question now, our sisters are present whom we will ask to vote. All you sisters who are in favor of carrying out this request, hold up your right hand. [A forest of hands went up.] There they go, you see. [Laughter.] I think that is the most hearty vote yet. I knew they would do it.

JT - "April 7th"

In regard to the work we are engaged in, it is one of very great importance; it is one on which God and angels, apostles, prophets, patriarchs and men of God who have lived in the different ages of the world, have felt interested about; and do to-day. And about these little matters of dollars and cents we do not care so much about them or ought not to ; although we have to attend to all these matters — matters temporal, matters spiritual, things pertaining to time and things pertaining to eternity. It is expected of us that we act wisely, prudently and understandingly in all of our doings...

Jesus said, "Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations." Then let us feel after the welfare of our brethren, and we will not dwell much upon one another's weaknesses, for God knows that all of us have enough of them, at least, I feel I have, and I think my brethren feel that they have, and I do not think that many of you are very much better than we are. But I tell you what we desire to do and to see carried out. We wish correct principles to be carried out, and while we are sending the gospel to the nations afar off, we want to see the pure principles of the gospel lived up to at home. We do not want to be influenced by the corruptions that float upon us here. While we respect proper authority and pay proper deference to all honorable men in all positions in our country, we do not want to copy after the devices of this corrupt generation, we want them to keep them to themselves if they admire them. We neither want drunkenness nor whoredom nor infanticide nor foeticide* nor any of the corruptions that abound throughout the world, or of this nation, of which every honorable man ought to and does feel ashamed...

We want among ourselves to learn strictly the principles of honesty, to have and maintain honest dealing one with another and be true to our word, and to let our word be our bond. And never mind so much about litigation. I do not know that I ever sued a man in my life, and I do not think that I ever shall. I am not fond enough of law, or money either, to do it. And God will help us and protect us in our rights, if we will only do right. And then we Latter-day Saints, we elders of Israel
and we sisters of Israel, we ought to be ladies and gentlemen, we ought to treat one another with courtesy and kindness, and true politeness.

(*abortion)

JT - "April 7th, 2nd talk"

Reference was made by one of the speakers to a revelation contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, in which we are given to understand that the priesthood is given unto us, not for our own aggrandizement, nor to advance our own interests, but to build up the Church and Kingdom of God upon the earth, acting upon the principles of justice, equity and righteousness, as you are yourselves willing to be judged — and will be judged, before the Great I AM, when the time comes that we shall have to give an account of our stewardship. We want no favoritism shown to any man, or to any woman, or to any set of men, but in the administration of justice to do it as in the sight of God, with integrity of heart and uprightness; anything different from this cannot receive the approbation of God. And furthermore, this priesthood is not conferred upon men to exercise any degree of unrighteousness or tyranny, or to in any way oppress or injure anybody; but if any man use his priesthood to subserve any such purpose, God will take hold of him, as the Priesthood above him will take hold of him, and he will be removed out of his place except he repent...

Again, in regard to the Relief Societies. They are doing a great deal of good, and I say, God bless the sisters, and let all the congregation say Amen. [The vast congregation said, Amen.] Sisters, continue your labors of love, and continue to propagate good, virtuous and holy principles; teach your daughters, and also your sons, principles of holiness and purity; and seek out the poor and distressed and minister to them, and God will bless you in your labors...

I will speak a little in regard to our government. We complain a good deal about the way we have been treated. Well, we have been treated very scurvily, it is true — everybody will admit that — but we must consider the circumstances : they are not of our faith, they do not believe as we do, they have their ideas, and theories, and notions, and so have other nations as well as this. Well, what shall we do? We will do the very best we can. Do you think you could improve your condition in any other nation or under any other government, or receive any better treatment than you do in this? I tell you no, you could not. We here, at least, have the form and — I was going to say, the guarantee of liberty; that is, the promise of the guarantee. We have the form, but it is like a religion without the power. What shall we do ? Consign everybody to damnation and destruction? No. Who are they? They are God's children. Would he like to see them reform? He would; and he has told us to try to do it. If we had children that had gone astray, would we not
like to see them reform? Yes, we would, and if our children do anything wrong we tell them of it, and we try to reform them. We will therefore continue to go to this nation as we have done, as saviors, with the message of life and salvation, and we will pray for the honest, the upright and virtuous, and those who love righteousness, and those who are willing to accord to men equal rights, and a great many who are not; and we will do them all the good we can. We will sustain the government in its administration, and be true to it, and maintain this position right along. And when division, strife, trouble and contention arise, we will try to still the troubled waters, and act in all honesty as true friends to the government; and when war shall exist among them, and there is no one found to sustain the remnants of liberty that may be left, the Elders of Israel will rally round the standard of freedom and proclaim liberty to all the world. These things will assuredly take place, and when they do our motto will be as it now is, "Peace on earth and good will to men."

WILFORD WOODRUFF - "April 4th"

Fifty years have passed and gone, or nearly so, since the organization of this church and kingdom on the earth. Whatever the feelings of the world may be with regard to the Latter-day Saints, with regard to their lives, their history, their organization, their persecutions, and their drivings until the present day, whether they believe or disbelieve, it matters not to the purposes of God, who stands at the head, even our Heavenly Father. This is the church and kingdom of God; it is the church of Christ; it is the organization of the kingdom of God, that has been spoken of by all the prophets since the world began; it is the Zion of God that Isaiah and Jeremiah and many of the other prophets saw by vision and revelation in their day and generation...

I have sometimes feared in my own mind concerning ourselves, that we are not living as near to the Lord as we ought to do ; we do not always comprehend the responsibilities which we are under to God our Heavenly Father. When I reflect, my brethren and sisters, that the Lord has ordained the establishment of Zion, upon the responsibility that rests upon us in warning the generation in which we live that they may be left without excuse in fulfilment of the revelations contained in this volume (the Book of Mormon) — when I reflect that we are called as the servants of the Lord to perform this work, I feel within my own mind as the Lord has said now nearly fifty years ago, that if we believe the words of the Lord we will labor while it is called to-day. The Lord looks to nobody else, he expects nothing from anybody else, as far as the fulfilling of the revelations in the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants are concerned ; he looks to no other nation, kindred, tongue, or people henceforth to go and perform this work, but the Saints of the living God. If the Lord has any friends on the earth they are the Saints of God, and if the Saints of God have any friends anywhere, they consist of the God of Israel and the heavenly hosts, and the spirits of just men made perfect...

Sometimes when I look around and contemplate on the past, I at times feel lonesome. I look back to the days of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and to the patriarchs, prophets and apostles that lived in that day, and I find that a great share of them are in the spirit world. There are but very few left now who were alive at the organization of this church upon the earth. I believe that Brother Orson Pratt is the only man who dwells in the flesh, who is in the church, who was organized in the first Quorum of the Twelve. Brother Taylor and myself remain of those who were organized in the second organization. But Brother Taylor and myself and Brother Pratt and a good many others will not tarry a great while here. We shall pass on to the other side of the veil, and join those who have gone before, as will many who are in this congregation...

The eyes of the heavenly hosts are over us; the eyes of God himself and his Son Jesus Christ; the eyes of all the prophets and Apostles who have dwelt in the flesh; they are watching our works. I have spent more time lately with those who are in the spirit world, in my night seasons, than in all the rest of my life together. On one occasion I thought in my dream that Presidents Young, Kimball, George A. Smith, and many others, attended one of our Conferences. When Brother Young was asked to preach he said: " No, I have done my preaching, I have done my instructions in the flesh; I have come to hear you talk, I have come to look at you, I have come to watch over you, I wish to see what this people are doing." This has been the answer and these are thoughts I believe in. I believe we are not shut out from God, we are not shut out from our brethren, though the vail is between us. They understand our works, our condition, our position, and I feel a desire myself, what little time I have to spend in the flesh, to make my time useful...

I made my home in Sunset when I was not traveling. The people there are living in the United Order, as also in Brigham City and St. Joseph, and while I was in those settlements I never
heard an oath, I never saw a quarrel, I never saw any man or boy smoke a cigarette, or use an ounce of tobacco, or drink whiskey, or drink a cup of coffee or tea, except what I drank myself. The idea of drinking coffee where nobody else was drinking it was a very poor example, I thought, for an Apostle; I therefore took, instead of coffee, water and milk, and have felt a great deal better. The promise is that those who keep the Word of Wisdom "shall run and not be weary, shall walk and not faint," and I can say I have enjoyed much better health than before.

WW - "April 7th"

"A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time." This is the word of the Lord through the Prophet Isaiah. Fifty years has made this little one not only a thousand, but more than one hundred thousand, and I do not think it will take half of fifty years more to make a strong nation: and if it were not for offending the ears of the Christian world, I would quote a word or two from the Prophet Daniel, where he says : "Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out of the mountains without hands, which smote the image upon his feet, that were of iron and clay, and break them to pieces...And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth... And it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." I know it becomes offensive sometimes to the Christian world to quote the Bible, therefore I think I will not quote much more of it...

The coming of the Son of Man is near. The signs of heaven and earth have indicated this for many years; that is about where I am today; as an Elder of Israel, as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I can see no road before me unless I am looking for the judgment of God to be poured out upon the wicked, and the judgments will begin at the House of God, and it will go forth from them to the world...

I know this is the Kingdom of God. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and he sealed his testimony with his blood. That testimony is in force upon all the world, and it will cost this generation just as much to shed the blood of the Lord's anointed today as it has cost the Jews for shedding the blood of Jesus Christ eighteen hundred years ago. The Jews have been scattered, they have been under the bondage of the Gentiles for all these years, and they have until recently been denied all political rights. But the Lord is about to restore them. This is the Kingdom of God. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The heavenly hosts are preparing themselves to help the fulfilment of the revelations that are recorded in these records.

JOSEPH F. SMITH - "April 4th"

The Lord keeps pleading with us; he has to forbear with us, to extend mercy, kindness and forgiveness day after day. For we are very forgetful, careless, indifferent and thoughtless of our duties. It is only when the Spirit of the Lord is upon us that we can really sense the responsibilities that we are under to God and to each other...

It was said by our Savior, to those who professed to be his disciples, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Now, when I see a Latter-day Saint, or, rather, a person who professes to be a Latter-day Saint, guilty of drunkenness, of profanity, of dishonesty, or cheating his neighbor, or of bearing false witness against his brother, I say in my heart that that man is two-fold more a child of hell than as though he had never been baptized; for "to him thatknoweth how to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin," saith the Apostle James. And verily it is true in relation to those who profess to be Latter-day Saints, who should know to do good, for they have covenanted to do that which is right and forsake that which is evil.

JFS - "April 7th"

As a servant of the Lord I have received a testimony in relation to these things, and in connection with my brethren I am thankful to have the privilege of bearing that testimony, which I do in all solemnity before God and man, and am willing and ready to meet the consequences, If I continue faithful, at the bar of final judgment. And I further testify, that unless the Latter-day Saints will live their religion, keep their covenants with God and their brethren, honor the priesthood which they bear, and try faithfully to bring themselves into subjection to the laws of God, they will be the first to fall beneath the judgments of the Almighty, for his judgments will begin at his own house.' Therefore, those who have made a covenant with the Lord by baptism, and have broken that covenant, who profess to be saints and are not, but are sinners, and covenant-breakers, and partakers of the sins of Babylon, most assuredly will "receive of her plagues," for it is written that the righteous will barely escape. This is my testimony in relation to these matters.