M. Russell Ballard

M. Russell Ballard
Ballard speaking at the BYU Church History Symposium on March 2, 2012.
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles[1]
January 14, 2018 (2018-01-14)[2]
Called by	Russell M. Nelson
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
October 6, 1985 (1985-10-06)
Called by	Spencer W. Kimball
LDS Church Apostle
October 10, 1985 (1985-10-10)
Called by	Spencer W. Kimball
Reason	Death of Bruce R. McConkie
Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy
February 21, 1980 (1980-02-21) – October 6, 1985 (1985-10-06)
Called by	Spencer W. Kimball
End reason	Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
First Quorum of the Seventy
April 3, 1976 (1976-04-03) – October 6, 1985 (1985-10-06)
Called by	Spencer W. Kimball
End reason	Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Military career
Service/branch	United States Army Reserve
Rank	First Lieutenant
Personal details
Born	Melvin Russell Ballard, Jr. (1928-10-08) October 8, 1928 (age 90) Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Alma mater	University of Utah
Occupation	Businessman
Spouse(s)	Barbara Bowen (1951-2018)
Children	7
Signature
Biography portal   LDS Church portal

Melvin Russell Ballard Jr. (born October 8, 1928) is an American businessman and religious leader who is currently the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has been a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since 1985. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Ballard is accepted by church members as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the third most senior apostle in the church.^[3]

Contents

• 
  1 LDS Church service
  


• 
  2 Business activities
  


• 
  3 Family
  


• 
  4 Works
  


• 
  5 See also
  


• 
  6 Notes
  


• 
  7 References
  


• 
  8 External links
  

LDS Church service

Ballard with President Bill Clinton and United States Senator Orrin Hatch in 1993

Ballard was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Melvin Russell Ballard Sr. and his wife, Geraldine Smith.^[4] As a young man, Ballard served as a missionary in England from 1948 to 1950. He met his wife while they were studying at the University of Utah. In 1974, Ballard was called as president of the church's Canada Toronto Mission. While serving as a mission president, he was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1976; he completed his three-year term as mission president as a member of the Seventy.^[4]

Following the death of apostle Bruce R. McConkie, Ballard was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 6, 1985, and ordained an apostle on October 10, 1985.^[5]

Ballard is the grandson of apostles Melvin J. Ballard and Hyrum M. Smith. Through Smith, Ballard is a descendant of Hyrum Smith, brother of church founder Joseph Smith.^[6]

Following the January 2018 death of church president Thomas S. Monson, the church's First Presidency was reorganized, with Russell M. Nelson as president. Nelson selected Dallin H. Oaks, the next senior apostle and new quorum president, as First Counselor in the First Presidency. As a result, Ballard became the quorum's acting president, as the next senior apostle not in the First Presidency.

Business activities

Professionally, Ballard was involved in several enterprises, including automotive, real estate, and investment businesses. He was the top-selling salesman for his father’s Nash car dealership when he left it in the early 1950s to pursue other business interests. In 1956, Ballard returned and took over the Ballard Motor Company from his father. During this period he also served in the United States Army Reserve, resigning his commission as a first lieutenant in 1957.^{[citation needed]}

During the late 1950s, Ballard was recruited by the Ford Motor Company to become the first Edsel car dealer for Salt Lake City. After praying for guidance, he had the "clear impression" not to sign the franchise. He did anyway and incurred a huge loss, "without doubt the darkest period" of his business career.^[7]

One highlight of his business career was his presidency of the Valley Music Hall in Bountiful, Utah, which offered family entertainment. There Ballard worked with Art Linkletter, Danny Thomas, Bob Cummings, and other Hollywood celebrities who were advisers to the enterprise. Although the music hall failed financially, investors recovered their money when the LDS Church purchased the building.^[8][9]

Family

Ballard with his wife, Barbara, in 2017

On August 8, 1951, Ballard married Barbara Bowen in the Salt Lake Temple;^[10] they are the parents of seven children. One of their daughters, Brynn, is married to Peter R. Huntsman, who is the son of late billionaire industrialist Jon Huntsman Sr. and brother of Jon Huntsman Jr., a United States Ambassador and former Governor of Utah. His wife died on October 1, 2018.^[11]

Works

Books

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• 
  Ballard, M. Russell (2009), Daughters of God, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-60641-043-1, OCLC 268547494.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
  


• 
  —— (2002), As Women of God, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57008-832-2, OCLC 51605089
  


• 
  —— (2001), Staying the Course: Ten Keys to Gospel Commitment, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57345-813-9, OCLC 232700082
  


• 
  —— (2001), When Thou Art Converted: Continuing the Search for Happiness, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57345-813-9, OCLC 47831370
  


• 
  —— (1998), The law of sacrifice and What came from Kirtland, Classic talk series, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57345-403-2, OCLC 40736766
  


• 
  —— (1997), Counseling with Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the Church and in the Family, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57345-209-0, OCLC 37606320
  


• 
  —— (1993), Our Search for Happiness: An Invitation to Understand the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-0-87579-804-2, OCLC 28889507
  


• 
  —— (1993), Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do Not, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-0-87579-766-3, OCLC 29378984
  

See also

Book: Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)

• Church Educational System


• Council on the Disposition of the Tithes

Notes

1. 
   ^ Due to quorum president Dallin H. Oaks serving as First Counselor in the First Presidency.
   


2. 
   ^ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (January 16, 2018). "President Russell M. Nelson". MormonNewsroom.org.
   


3. 
   ^ Apostolic seniority is generally understood to include all ordained apostles (including the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Seniority is determined by date of ordination, not by age or other factors. If two apostles are ordained on the same day, the older of the two is typically ordained first. See Succession to the presidency and Heath, Steven H. (Summer 1987). "Notes on Apostolic Succession" (PDF). Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 20 (2): 44–56..
   


4. 
   ^ ^ab Richardson, Matthew O. "M. Russell Ballard" in Arnold K. Garr, Donald Q. Cannon and Richard O. Cowan, ed., Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000) p. 74,
   ISBN 978-1-57345-822-1
   OCLC 44634356
   


5. 
   ^ "The Sustaining of Church Officers", Ensign, LDS Church, October 1985
   


6. 
   ^ How much do you know about Elder M. Russell Ballard, Deseret News 7 October 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
   


7. 
   ^ M. Russell Ballard, Our Search for Happiness: An Invitation to Understand the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1993) pp. 85-86.
   


8. 
   ^ Dockstader, Julie (February 9, 1991). "Lord has a way of turning adversity to good". Retrieved 24 August 2016.
   


9. 
   ^ Packer, Lynn. Lying For The Lord: The Paul H. Dunn Stories. p. 269.
   


10. 
    ^ LDS.org: Prophets and Apostles: What are Prophets? Bio: M. Russell Ballard, retrieved 26 July 2015.
    


11. 
    ^ Weaver, Sarah Jane (October 1, 2018). "Sister Barbara Bowen Ballard, wife of President M. Russell Ballard, dies at 86". Church News.
    

References

• 
  Lubeck, Kathleen (March 1986), "Elder M. Russell Ballard: True to the Faith", Ensign, p. 6
  


• 
  "Elder Melvin Russell Ballard Jr., Of the First Quorum of the Seventy", Ensign, May 1976

External links

• 
  "General Authorities: Elder M. Russell Ballard", lds.org


• Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: M. Russell Ballard


• Newsroom of LDS Church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles
Preceded by Dallin H. Oaks	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles October 10, 1985 –	Succeeded by Joseph B. Wirthlin

v t e Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ballard Holland Uchtdorf Bednar Cook Christofferson Andersen Rasband Stevenson Renlund Gong Soares

v t e Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
J. Smith (1829–44)[1] Cowdery (1829–38)[1][2] Whitmer (1829–38)[1][2] Harris (unknown–1837)[1][2] Marsh (1835–39)[2] Patten (1835–38) B. Young Sr. (1835–77) H. C. Kimball (1835–68) Hyde (1835–78) McLellin (1835–38)[2] P. P. Pratt (1835–57) Luke Johnson (1835–37)[3] Wm. Smith (1835–45)[2] O. Pratt (1835–81) Boynton (1835–37)[2] L. E. Johnson (1835–38)[2] Page (1838–46)[2] J. Taylor (1838–87) W. Woodruff (1839–98) G. A. Smith (1839–75) W. Richards (1840–54) Wight (1841–48)[2] H. Smith (1841–44)[1] A. M. Lyman (1842–67)[4] Benson (1846–69) Rich (1849–83) L. Snow (1849–1901) E. Snow (1849–88) F. D. Richards (1849–99) J. M. Grant (1854–56)[1] Wells (1857–91)[1] J. W. Young (1855–1924)[1] G. Q. Cannon (1860–1901) J. A. Young (1864–75)[1] B. Young Jr. (1864–1903) J. F. Smith Sr. (1866–1918) Carrington (1870–85)[2] Thatcher (1879–1909) F. M. Lyman (1880–1916) J. H. Smith (1880–1911) Teasdale (1882–1907) H. J. Grant (1882–1945) J. W. Taylor (1884–1911)[2] M. W. Merrill (1889–1906) Lund (1889–1921) A. H. Cannon (1889–96) M. F. Cowley (1897–1911)[5] A. O. Woodruff (1897–1904) Clawson (1898–1943) Smoot (1900–41) H. M. Smith (1901–18) G. A. Smith (1903–51) Penrose (1904–25) G. F. Richards (1906–50) Whitney (1906–31) McKay (1906–70) Ivins (1907–34) J. F. Smith Jr. (1910–72) Talmage (1911–33) S. L. Richards (1917–59) R. R. Lyman (1918–43)[2] M. J. Ballard (1919–39) Widtsoe (1921–52) J. F. Merrill (1931–52) Callis (1933–47) Clark (1934–61) A. A. Hinckley (1934–36) Bowen (1937–53) S. Q. Cannon (1938–43) Lee (1941–73) S. W. Kimball (1943–85) Benson (1943–94) Petersen (1944–84) M. Cowley (1945–53) Moyle (1947–63) Stapley (1950–78) Romney (1951–88) L. Richards (1952–83) Bennion (1953–58) Evans (1953–71) Morris (1954–62) Brown (1958–75) Hunter (1959–95) G. B. Hinckley (1961–2008) Tanner (1962–82) Monson (1963–2018) Dyer (1967–77)[1] Packer (1970–2015) Ashton (1971–94) McConkie (1972–85) Perry (1974–2015) Haight (1976–2004) Faust (1978–2007) Maxwell (1981–2004) Nelson (1984–) Oaks (1984–) M. R. Ballard (1985–) Wirthlin (1986–2008) Scott (1988–2015) Hales (1994–2017) Holland (1994–) Eyring (1995–) Uchtdorf (2004–) Bednar (2004–) Cook (2007–) Christofferson (2008–) Andersen (2009–) Rasband (2015–) Stevenson (2015–) Renlund (2015–) Gong (2018–) Soares (2018–)
Notes ^ abcdefghij Never a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. ^ abcdefghijklm Term ended by excommunication. ^ Term ended by resignation. ^ Term ended by removal of apostleship; was later excommunicated. ^ Term ended by suspension of priesthood.

v t e Presidents of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
First Seven Presidents of the Seventy / First Council of the Seventy Aldrich (1835–37) J. Young (1835–81) Hancock (1835–82) Rich (1835–37) Coltrin (1835–37) Sherman (1835–37) Smith (1835–37) Miles (1836–45) Gould (1837) Foster (1837–41) Butterfield (1837–44) Gee (1837–38) Gaylord (1837–38) Harriman (1838–91) Pulsipher (1838–62) Orton (1845) Rockwood (1845–79) Clapp (1845–59) Grant (1845–54) Eldredge (1854–88) Gates (1860–92) Van Cott (1862–83) W.W. Taylor (1880–84) Cannon (1882–89) Lewis (1882) S.B. Young (1882–1924) Fjeldsted (1884–1905) Morgan (1884–94) Roberts (1888–1933) Reynolds (1890–1909) Kimball (1892–1938) Wells (1893–1941) Stevenson (1894–97) McMurrin (1897–1932) Hart (1906–34) L.E. Young (1909–63) Pratt (1925–31) Ivins (1931–67) Bennion (1933–45) J.H. Taylor (1933–46) Hardy (1934–45) Evans (1938–53) Kirkham (1941–58) S.D. Young (1945–76) Hunter (1945–75) McConkie (1946–72) Hanks (1953–68) Tuttle (1958–76) P.H. Dunn (1964–76) Rector (1968–76) L.C. Dunn (1968–76) Pinegar (1972–76) G.R. Cook (1975–76)
Presidency of the Seventy Richards (1976–83) Faust (1976–78) Fyans (1976–85) Tuttle (1976–80) Maxwell (1976–81) Hanks (1976–80) P.H. Dunn (1976–80) Bangerter (1978–80) Asay (1980–86) Ballard (1980–85) Larsen (1980–93) Derrick (1980–84) Durham (1981–85) Scott (1983–88) Hanks (1984–92) Bangerter (1985–89) Goaslind (1985–87) Backman (1985–92) Wirthlin (1986) Pinnock (1986–89) Paramore (1987–93) Clarke (1988–93) Pinegar (1989–95) Asay (1989–96) Didier (1992–95) Porter (1992–2001) J.J. Christensen (1993–99) Brough (1993–98) Hansen (1993–98) Hillam (1995–2000) Goaslind (1995–98) Tingey (1996–2008) Christofferson (1998–2008) M.K. Jensen (1998–2001) Sorensen (1998–2005) Banks (1999–2002) Neuenschwander (2000–04) Didier (2001–07) Samuelson (2001–03) Uchtdorf (2002–04) Bateman (2003–07) Groberg (2004–05) Oaks (2004–07) Andersen (2005–09) Rasband (2005–15) Q.L. Cook (2007) Costa (2007–11) Snow (2007–12) González (2007–13) Clayton (2008–) J.E. Jensen (2008–12) Hallstrom (2009–17) Callister (2011–14) Maynes (2012–17) C.C. Christensen (2012–18) Soares (2013–18) Robbins (2014–18) Gong (2015–18) Uceda (2017–18) Kearon (2017–) C.B. Cook (2018–) Gay (2018–) Vinson (2018–) Teixeira (2018–) Godoy (2018–)

Authority control	BIBSYS: 8036586 GND: 173860672 ISNI: 0000 0000 8326 9283 LCCN: n93086468 SNAC: w6bk1n6q VIAF: 263280875 WorldCat Identities (via VIAF): 263280875

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