This article was first published in the ChurchBeat newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Wednesday night.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert‘s call makes him the eighth apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called in the past 10 years and four months.
When was the last time so many new apostles were called in such a short time period?
Well, it’s been more than 60 years.
Eight new apostles were called in just fewer than 10 years from 1951-61.
Let’s use a chart to take a quick look at the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in order of seniority, both in 2015 and today. The apostles called in the past 10 years and four months are marked with an N.
| April 2015 | Today |
|---|---|
| Boyd K. Packer | Dieter F. Uchtdorf |
| L. Tom Perry | David A. Bednar |
| Russell M. Nelson | Quentin L. Cook |
| Dallin H. Oaks | Neil L. Andersen |
| M. Russell Ballard | Ronald A. Rasband-N |
| Richard G. Scott | Gary E. Stevenson-N |
| Robert D. Hales | Dale G. Renlund-N |
| Jeffrey R. Holland | Gerrit W. Gong-N |
| David A. Bednar | Ulisses Soares-N |
| Quentin L. Cook | Patrick Kearon-N |
| D. Todd Christofferson | Gérald Caussé-N |
| Neil L. Andersen | Clark G. Gilbert-N |
Before getting to the chart showing the last time this happened in a shorter time period, please note that the makeup of the First Presidency significantly affects these charts.
The April 2015 First Presidency was President Thomas S. Monson and his counselors, President Henry B. Eyring and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
Today’s First Presidency is President Dallin H. Oaks and his counselors, President Henry B. Eyring and President D. Todd Christofferson.
You can see how that affects the most recent period because while there are eight new apostles, there were nine changes in the Quorum of the Twelve. That’s due to changes in the First Presidency. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf returned to the quorum after time in the First Presidency, and President Oaks and President Christofferson moved to that body from the quorum.
Now a quick review of the earlier time period.
In this instance, eight apostles were called in what was less than a week shy of an exact decade.
The first column reflects the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in October of 1951 with the second column showing members of the quorum in October 1961. Again, the newly called apostles are marked with an N.
| Oct. 11, 1951 | Oct. 5, 1961 |
|---|---|
| Joseph Fielding Smith | Joseph Fielding Smith |
| Stephen L. Richards | Harold B. Lee |
| John A. Widtsoe | Spencer W. Kimball |
| Joseph F. Merrill | Ezra Taft Benson |
| Albert E. Bowen | Mark E. Petersen |
| Harold B. Lee | Delbert L. Stapley |
| Spencer W. Kimball | Marion G. Romney-N |
| Ezra Taft Benson | LeGrand Richards-N |
| Mark E. Petersen | Richard L. Evans-N |
| Matthew Cowley | George Q. Morris-N |
| Henry D. Moyle | Howard W. Hunter-N |
| Delbert L. Stapley | Gordon B. Hinckley-N |
You probably noticed there are just six new apostles on this chart. An explanation follows, but again, the First Presidencies make a difference.
In 1951 the First Presidency was President David O. McKay and his counselors, President Stephen L. Richards and President J. Reuben Clark.
On Oct. 5, 1961, the First Presidency was President McKay with three counselors: President Henry D. Moyle, President J. Reuben Clark, and President Hugh B. Brown.
Here’s why there are two new apostles missing from the list:
- Elder Adam S. Bennion (N) joined the quorum and died within this 10-year period.
- President Hugh B. Brown (N) replaced Elder Bennion but moved on to the First Presidency in a matter of months right at the end of the decade shown.
- So, there were eight new apostles in just less than 10 years.
Two unusual events happened in the final few months of that decade:
- First, President Brown became a third counselor in the First Presidency. That is not a typo or a mistake. Presidents McKay and Clark were having health issues and required additional support.
- That leads directly to the second unusual event. One day after President Hinckley was called as the eighth new apostle in a decade’s time, President Clark died. And, since there was a full First Presidency and quorum, his death created no new vacancy and no new apostle was called.
Finally, let’s reveal that the last time more than eight apostles were called in a 10-year period was from 1943-53. A total of 10 new apostles were called in those 10 years.
Interestingly, the new apostles in that run are all in the last table above: Elders Kimball, Benson, Petersen, Cowley, Moyle, Stapley, Romney, LeGrand Richards, Bennion and Evans.
My recent stories
About the church
The First Presidency invited all to seek Jesus this Easter.
Elder Quentin L. Cook went to Africa to provide instruction and spiritual guidance. While there, he met with the president of Ghana.
Elder Dale G. Renlund met with government, religious and other leaders in Romania.
Elder Gérald Caussé went home again in his first apostolic visit abroad: This visit was “not by chance.”
The church will close the Conference Center at Temple Square for 11 months beginning in late March, except for major events like general conference and concerts. Here’s why.
The Tabernacle Choir has landed in Brazil to continue its tour.
RootsTech 2026 is a week away. Here’s what to know and how to join.
After the big wrestle over approval, construction began on the Fairview Texas Temple.
The First Presidency renamed a temple that will be built. The Houston Texas South Temple now will be the Fort Bend Texas Temple.
Church leaders released the exact locations of four temples previously announced, the first in South Dakota and three more in the Philippines.
What I’m reading
A first-edition Book of Mormon sold for $250,000 at auction. That’s a new world record.
A new short film on the “Cane Creek massacre” draws attention to an early Latter-day Saint tragedy in Tennessee.
Our Mariya Manzhos wrote that this new so-called “Mormon moment” in entertainment isn’t actually about religion“:
- “What unites them is not so much belief and doctrine, but a culture partly shaped by the faith headquartered in Utah ... refracted through commerce, aesthetics and the algorithm.”
Really fun piece I highly recommend: “The secret Kobe-Jordan connection few knew about.”
This is fascinating from the man who was CEO of Sony when it was hacked by North Korea: I wanted to fit in with Hollywood’s cool kids. So I made the biggest mistake of my career.“
Behind the scenes
This photo captures a lot about the charts above.
President Gordon B. Hinckley was the newest apostle at the end of the 1951-61 period. In this picture, he is a counselor in the First Presidency when he traveled to China with BYU President Dallin H. Oaks.
Four years later, President Hinckley, under direction from church President Spencer W. Kimball — in one of the coolest stories about the calling of apostles — found President Oaks by phone at a Mexican restaurant in Arizona so he could call him as a new apostle.
Now President Oaks has called two apostles in just over four months as the church’s latest president.
