President Thomas S. monson, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will observe his 66th birthday Saturday while on assignment in the British Isles.
The general authority was called as a counselor to President Ezra Taft Benson on Nov. 10, 1985, and previously served 22 years in the Council of the Twelve. he was called as an apostle at the age of 36.He is chairman of the board of Deseret News Publishing Co. and a director of Newspaper Agency Corp., the printing and advertising arm of the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune.
President Monson was born Aug. 21, 1927, in Salt Lake City. He graduated cum laude from the University of Utah in business management and received a master of business administration degree from Brigham Young University. Before being called to the Council of the Twelve, he was general manager of Deseret Press. He has been a bishop, served in the presidency of the Temple View Stake and was president of the Canadian Mission.
President Monson and his wife, the former Frances Beverly Johnson, have three children and six grandchildren.