Ezra Taft Benson

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This is about the 20th-century church leader and politician. For his great-grandfather, the non-politician leader in the same church, see Ezra T. Benson.

Ezra Taft Benson (August 4, 1899–May 30, 1994) was the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both of the administrations of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

[edit] Biography

Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of 11 children. Began his academic career at Utah State University, he was a 1926 graduate of Brigham Young University (after serving a church mission in Britain from 1921 to 1923). He received his masters degree from Iowa State University and did preliminary work on a doctorate at the University of California at Berkeley, but never completed this degree. Benson pursued a career in agriculture and later served in many church leadership positions. Just after receiving his masters he returned to Whitney to run the family farm, but later became the county agriculture extension agent.

In 1939, when he was president of the church's Boise, Idaho, stake and working for the University of Idaho Extension Service, he moved to Washington, D.C. to become Executive Secretary of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, and became the first president of a new LDS Church stake there.

[edit] Apostle

On October 7 1943, both Benson and Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) became members of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, filling two vacancies created by the deaths of apostles that summer. Because Kimball was the older of the two, he was given seniority over Benson in the Quorum. Succession to the presidency of the church is by chronological order of ordination to apostleship, allowing Spencer W. Kimball to become president of the church years earlier than Benson. Upon Spencer W. Kimball's death in 1985, Benson became the president of the church.

[edit] Political career

In 1953, Benson was appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by President Eisenhower. Benson accepted this position with the permission of Church President David O. McKay and therefore served simultaneously in the United States Cabinet and in the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve.

Known for initiating Eisenhower's habit of beginning cabinet meetings with a prayer,^{[citation needed]} Benson cut a controversial figure in politics. Ideologically, he was far to the right of Eisenhower, and he was prone to red-baiting in speeches.^{[citation needed]} Benson opposed the system of government price supports and aid to farmers which he was entrusted by Eisenhower to administer, arguing that it amounted to unacceptable socialism . Nonetheless, he survived in his cabinet position for all eight years of Eisenhower's presidency. He was selected as the administrator-designate of the Emergency Food Agency, part of a secret group created by Eisenhower in 1958 that would serve in the event of a national emergency that became known as the Eisenhower Ten.

[edit] Church presidency

Benson succeeded Kimball as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1973, and as President of the Church in 1985. During his early years as Church President, Benson brought a renewed emphasis to the distribution and reading of the Book of Mormon, reaffirming the LDS scripture's importance as "the keystone of [the LDS] religion." He is also remembered for his general conference sermon condemning pride. As Church President, Benson moderated his outspoken right-wing political views.

Benson suffered in the last years of his life from the effects of blood clots in the brain, strokes, and heart attacks. His illness has elicited controversy about the true state of Benson's mental awareness during his final years at the head of the LDS Church. What is not disputed is that during this time, Benson rarely appeared in public, and First Counselor in the First Presidency Gordon B. Hinckley and Second Counselor Thomas S. Monson received legal powers of attorney to act in Benson's behalf in LDS Church corporate affairs.^{[citation needed]} According to precedent,^{[citation needed]} this arrangement allowed ecclesiastical documents to continue to be produced in Benson's name, so that Benson legally continued to act in his official capacity until his death.

[edit] Death

Benson died in his Salt Lake City apartment of heart failure on May 30, 1994. He was buried near his birthplace in Whitney, Idaho.

[edit] Published works

• Ezra Taft Benson (1990). Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 0-87579-351-7. 
• — (1983). Come Unto Christ. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 0-87747-997-6. 
• — (1986). The Constitution: A Heavenly Banner. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 0-87579-216-2. 
• — (1976). Cross Fire: The Eight Years With Eisenhower. Doubleday. ISBN 0-8371-8422-3. 
• — (1992). Elect Women of God. Bookcraft. ISBN 0-88494-838-2. 
• — (1992). An Enemy Hath Done This. Bookcraft. ISBN 0-88494-184-1. 
• — (1974). God, Family, Country: Our Three Great Loyalties. Deseret Book Company. ISBN B0006CF3MC. 
• — (1989). A Labor of Love: The 1946 European Mission of Ezra Taft Benson. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 0-87579-275-8. 
• — (1990). Missionaries to Match Our Message. Bookcraft. ISBN 0-88494-779-3. 
• — (1960). in Reed A. Benson.: So Shall Ye Reap: Selected Addresses of Ezra Taft Benson. Deseret Book Company. ISBN B0007E7BME. 
• — (1988). The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson. Bookcraft. ISBN 0-88494-639-8. 
• — (1977). This Nation Shall Endure. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 0-87747-658-6. 
• — (1962). The Red Carpet. Bookcraft. ISBN B0007F4WJI. 
• — (2003). Sermons and Writings of President Ezra Taft Benson. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 
• — (1964). Title of Liberty, compiled by Mark A. Benson, Deseret Book Company. 
• — (1988). A Witness and a Warning: A Modern-Day Prophet Testifies of the Book of Mormon. Deseret Book Company. ISBN 0-87579-153-0. 

[edit] References

• Ensign Editor (July 1994). President Ezra Taft Benson: A Sure Voice of Faith. Ensign. p. 8. 
• Monson, Thomas S. (July 1994). President Ezra Taft Benson—A Giant among Men. Ensign. p. 35. 
• Benson, Steve. Good-bye to God. Mormonism and the LDS Church. Retrieved on August 28, 2005.

[edit] External resources

• A biography of Ezra Taft Benson
• Ezra Taft Benson's comments on freedom and the U.S. Constitution
• Ezra Taft Benson's comments on freedom, the U.S. Constitution and the Founding Fathers
• Some Speeches (audio) of Ezra Taft Benson
• audio excerpt from “Our Immediate Responsibility.” Devotional Address at Brigham Young University. circa 1968.”

ja:エズラ・タフト・ベンソン fi:Ezra Taft Benson sv:Ezra Taft Benson