Ezra Taft Benson

Ezra Taft Benson ( August 4, 1899 * in Whitney, Franklin County, Idaho; † 30 May 1994, Salt Lake City, Utah ) was an American politician and the 13th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints.

Life

Benson was born as the son of George T. Benson and Sarah Dunkley Benson. In the years 1921-1923 he served as a volunteer missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United Kingdom. In 1926 he received a degree in Agricultural Science and was first at the University of Idaho operates.

After he was in 1939 appointed Secretary-General of the Federation of Agricultural Co-operatives, he moved to Washington DC 1943 he was appointed President Heber J. Grant to be an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints.

In 1953 U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed him as agriculture minister in his cabinet, where he remained until the end of Eisenhower's presidency in January 1961. In his tenure as Minister of Agriculture, he was largely responsible for the creation and distribution of so-called CARE packages.

According to Reed Smoot (1862-1941), who belonged to Utah as representatives to the Senate of the United States, he was the second apostle of the Church, which also exercised a high-level political leadership position. President George Albert Smith sent him to Europe in 1945 to rebuild the destroyed by the war organization of the church again, and to organize assistance to the needy population.

Presidency

After the death of Spencer W. Kimball Benson was ordained on November 10, 1985 President of the Church. Early in his presidency, he emphasized the importance of the Book of Mormon and encouraged members to durchzustudieren it again and again.