Chronology of the First Presidency (LDS Church)

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What follows is a chronological table that sets out the changes in the composition of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) through time. [1]

Date rangePresident of the Church
(and Assistant Presidents)		First CounselorSecond CounselorOther Counselors
(3C = Third Counselor)
C = Counselor
AC = Assistant Counselor)		Change from previous organization
8 March 1832 –
3 December 1832		Initial organization of First Presidency [2]
3 December 1832 –
18 March 1833		 Jesse Gause excommunicated
18 March 1833 –
5 December 1834		 Sidney Rigdon called as First Counselor; Frederick G. Williams called as Second Counselor
5 December 1834 –
3 September 1837		 Oliver Cowdery called as Assistant President of the Church
3 September 1837 –
7 November 1837		 Hyrum Smith, John Smith and Joseph Smith, Sr. called as Assistant Counselors; Oliver Cowdery also given the title of Assistant Counselor
7 November 1837 –
11 April 1838		 Frederick G. Williams rejected as Second Counselor at church conference; Hyrum Smith called as Second Counselor
11 April 1838 –
14 September 1840		 Oliver Cowdery excommunicated
14 September 1840 –
24 January 1841		Death of Joseph Smith, Sr.
24 January 1841 –
8 April 1841		 Hyrum Smith called as Assistant President of the Church; William Law replaces Hyrum Smith as Second Counselor
8 April 1841 –
25 May 1842		 John C. Bennett called as Assistant President [3]
25 May 1842 –
4 February 1843		 John C. Bennett disfellowshipped
4 February 1843 –
18 April 1844		 Amasa Lyman called as Counselor
18 April 1844 –
27 June 1844		Apostasy of William Law
27 June 1844 –
27 December 1847		No organized First Presidency: Death of Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith; dissolution of First Presidency
27 December 1847 –
11 March 1854		First Presidency reorganized after deaths of Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith
11 March 1854 –
7 April 1854		Death of Willard Richards
7 April 1854 –
1 December 1856		 Jedediah M. Grant called as Second Counselor
1 December 1856 –
4 January 1857		Death of Jedediah M. Grant
4 January 1857 –
1 July 1866		 Daniel H. Wells called as Second Counselor
1 July 1866 –
22 June 1868		 Joseph F. Smith called as Counselor
22 June 1868 –
7 October 1868		Death of Heber C. Kimball
7 October 1868 –
8 April 1873		 George A. Smith called as First Counselor
8 April 1873 –
9 May 1874		 John Willard Young, George Q. Cannon, Brigham Young, Jr., Lorenzo Snow, and Albert Carrington called as Counselors
9 May 1874 –
1 September 1875		Titles of all additional counselors (except Joseph F. Smith) changed from Counselor to Assistant Counselor
1 September 1875 –
8 October 1876		Death of George A. Smith
8 October 1876 –
29 August 1877		 John Willard Young called as First Counselor
29 August 1877 –
10 October 1880		No organized First Presidency; Death of Brigham Young; dissolution of First Presidency
10 October 1880 –
25 July 1887		First Presidency reorganized after death of Brigham Young
25 July 1887 –
7 April 1889		No organized First Presidency; Death of John Taylor; dissolution of First Presidency
7 April 1889 –
2 September 1898		First Presidency reorganized after death of John Taylor
2 September 1898 –
13 September 1898		No organized First Presidency; Death of Wilford Woodruff; dissolution of First Presidency
13 September 1898 –
12 April 1901		First Presidency reorganized after death of Wilford Woodruff
12 April 1901 –
6 October 1901		Death of George Q. Cannon
6 October 1901 –
10 October 1901		 Joseph F. Smith called as First Counselor; Rudger Clawson called as Second Counselor.
NOTE: These counselors were sustained but not set apart due to the death of Snow 4 days later
10 October 1901 –
17 October 1901		No organized First Presidency; Death of Lorenzo Snow; dissolution of First Presidency
17 October 1901 –
27 March 1910		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Lorenzo Snow
27 March 1910 –
7 April 1910		Death of John R. Winder
7 April 1910 –
13 October 1911		 Anthon H. Lund called as First Counselor; John Henry Smith called as Second Counselor
13 October 1911 –
7 December 1911		Death of John Henry Smith
7 December 1911 –
19 November 1918		 Charles W. Penrose called as Second Counselor
19 November 1918 –
23 November 1918		No organized First Presidency; Death of Joseph F. Smith; dissolution of First Presidency
23 November 1918 –
2 March 1921		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Joseph F. Smith
2 March 1921 –
10 March 1921		Death of Anthon H. Lund
10 March 1921 –
16 May 1925		 Charles W. Penrose called as First Counselor; Anthony W. Ivins called as Second Counselor
16 May 1925 –
28 May 1925		Death of Charles W. Penrose
28 May 1925 –
11 December 1931		 Anthony W. Ivins called as First Counselor; Charles W. Nibley called as Second Counselor
11 December 1931 –
6 April 1933		Death of Charles W. Nibley
6 April 1933 –
23 September 1934		 J. Reuben Clark called as Second Counselor
23 September 1934 –
11 October 1934		Death of Anthony W. Ivins
11 October 1934 –
14 May 1945		 J. Reuben Clark called as First Counselor; David O. McKay called as Second Counselor
14 May 1945 –
21 May 1945		No organized First Presidency; Death of Heber J. Grant; dissolution of First Presidency
21 May 1945 –
4 April 1951		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Heber J. Grant
4 April 1951 –
9 April 1951		No organized First Presidency; Death of George Albert Smith; dissolution of First Presidency
9 April 1951 –
19 May 1959		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of George Albert Smith
19 May 1959 –
12 June 1959		Death of Stephen L Richards
12 June 1959 –
22 June 1961		 J. Reuben Clark called as First Counselor; Henry D. Moyle called as Second Counselor
22 June 1961 –
6 October 1961		 Hugh B. Brown called as Third Counselor
6 October 1961 –
12 October 1961		Death of J. Reuben Clark
12 October 1961 –
18 September 1963		 Henry D. Moyle called as First Counselor; Hugh B. Brown called as Second Counselor
18 September 1963 –
4 October 1963		Death of Henry D. Moyle
4 October 1963 –
28 October 1965		 Hugh B. Brown called as First Counselor; N. Eldon Tanner called as Second Counselor
28 October 1965 –
29 October 1965		 Thorpe B. Isaacson called as Counselor
29 October 1965 –
6 April 1968		 Joseph Fielding Smith called as Counselor
6 April 1968 –
18 January 1970		 Alvin R. Dyer called as Counselor
18 January 1970 –
23 January 1970		No organized First Presidency; Death of David O. McKay; dissolution of First Presidency
23 January 1970 –
2 July 1972		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of David O. McKay
2 July 1972 –
7 July 1972		No organized First Presidency; Death of Joseph Fielding Smith; dissolution of First Presidency
7 July 1972 –
26 December 1973		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Joseph Fielding Smith
26 December 1973 –
30 December 1973		No organized First Presidency; Death of Harold B. Lee; dissolution of First Presidency
30 December 1973 –
23 July 1981		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Harold B. Lee
23 July 1981 –
27 November 1982		 Gordon B. Hinckley called as Counselor
27 November 1982 –
2 December 1982		Death of N. Eldon Tanner
2 December 1982 –
5 November 1985		 Marion G. Romney called as First Counselor; Gordon B. Hinckley called as Second Counselor
5 November 1985 –
10 November 1985		No organized First Presidency; Death of Spencer W. Kimball; dissolution of First Presidency
10 November 1985 –
30 May 1994		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Spencer W. Kimball
30 May 1994 –
5 June 1994		No organized First Presidency; Death of Ezra Taft Benson; dissolution of First Presidency
5 June 1994 –
3 March 1995		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Ezra Taft Benson
3 March 1995 –
12 March 1995		No organized First Presidency; Death of Howard W. Hunter; dissolution of First Presidency
12 March 1995 –
10 August 2007		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Howard W. Hunter
10 August 2007 –
6 October 2007		Death of James E. Faust [4]
6 October 2007 –
27 January 2008		 Henry B. Eyring called as Second Counselor
27 January 2008 –
3 February 2008		No organized First Presidency; Death of Gordon B. Hinckley; dissolution of First Presidency
3 February 2008 –
2 January 2018		Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Gordon B. Hinckley [5]
2 January 2018 – 14 January 2018
No organized First Presidency; Death of Thomas S. Monson; dissolution of First Presidency
14 January 2018 – 27 September 2025Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Thomas S. Monson [6]
27 September 2025 – 14 October 2025
No organized First Presidency; Death of Russell M. Nelson; dissolution of First Presidency
14 October 2025 –Reorganization of First Presidency after death of Russell M. Nelson

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ For purposes of this chart, the First Presidency of the LDS Church is assumed to be a continuation of the First Presidency established by Joseph Smith in 1832.
  2. 1 2 3 Gause and Rigdon were never formally designated as "first" and "second" counselor. However, one researcher has provided several pieces of circumstantial evidence which suggest that Gause could be regarded in today's terms as Smith's "first" counselor. See Quinn, D. Michael (1983). "Jesse Gause: Joseph Smith's Little Known Counselor". BYU Studies. 23 (4): 487–493 at 489–490.
  3. 1 2 Smith appointed Bennett to serve "as Assistant President until President [Sidney] Rigdon's health should be restored.": History of the Church , 4:341. However, since Rigdon was a member of the First Presidency but not the Assistant President, many have speculated that Bennett's intended role was as a fill-in for Rigdon as a counselor in the First Presidency. Unlike both Oliver Cowdery and Hyrum Smith, Bennett was not ordained to the priesthood office of apostle and he was not given all of the keys of the priesthood. Therefore, it appears that Bennett's status as "Assistant President" may not have been commensurate with the position held by Cowdery and Hyrum Smith.
  4. ↑ "President James E. Faust dies at age 87". Deseret Morning News. 2007-08-10. Archived from the original on 2007-08-18. Retrieved 2007-08-10.
  5. ↑ "LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley dies at age 97". Deseret Morning News. 2008-01-27. Archived from the original on January 31, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  6. ↑ "President Monson Dies at Age 90". Church News. 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
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