D. Todd Christofferson

David Todd Christofferson (born January 24, 1945) is an American religious leader and former lawyer who serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has been a general authority of the church since 1993. Currently, he is the ninth most senior apostle in the church.[1]

D. Todd Christofferson
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05)
LDS Church Apostle
April 10, 2008 (2008-04-10)
ReasonDeath of Gordon B. Hinckley; reorganization of First Presidency
Presidency of the Seventy
August 15, 1998 (1998-08-15) – April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05)
End reasonCalled to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
First Quorum of the Seventy
April 3, 1993 (1993-04-03) – April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05)
End reasonCalled to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Personal details
BornDavid Todd Christofferson
(1945-01-24) January 24, 1945
American Fork, Utah, United States
EducationBrigham Young University
Duke Law School (J.D.)
Spouse(s)Katherine Jacob
(1968–present)
Children5

Christofferson grew up in Utah and New Jersey, and after high school served as a LDS missionary in Argentina. He then studied English literature at Brigham Young University before attending law school at Duke University. After graduating from law school in 1972, Christofferson clerked for Judge John Sirica on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia while Sirica presided over much of the legal proceedings stemming from the Watergate scandal. Christofferson then entered private practice, and eventually became an in-house lawyer for NationsBank (now part of Bank of America).

Early life

Christofferson was born in American Fork, Utah, and raised in Pleasant Grove, Utah; Lindon, Utah; and Somerset, New Jersey. As a young man, he served as a LDS Church missionary in Argentina. His mission president during his period of service was Richard G. Scott, who would already be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve when Christofferson was called to the same quorum. After his mission, he earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in English and International Relations and a J.D. from Duke University School of Law.[2]

Christofferson began his law career as a law clerk to Judge John J. Sirica during the Watergate hearings.[3]

After his work as a judicial clerk, Christofferson was an active member of the US military and then in the reserves for eight years.[4]

Career and family

As a lawyer, Christofferson worked in Washington, D.C.; Nashville, Tennessee; Herndon, Virginia; and Charlotte, North Carolina.[5] Christofferson was the associate general counsel for NationsBank in Charlotte and was the volunteer chairman of Affordable Housing of Nashville, Tennessee.[6]

Christofferson clerked for Judge John J. Sirica during the Watergate trials. Together they were the first outside the White House to hear the Nixon White House tapes. "Judge Sirica and I were shocked as we heard Nixon calmly ask" how much money it would take to keep the Watergate burglars quiet, Christofferson said in a June 2017 address to faculty and students at Christ Church College in Oxford, England. "The judge and I couldn’t believe, didn’t want to believe what we were hearing ... He passed me a note suggesting we rewind the tape and listen again. Up to this point we both still hoped that the president was not really involved, but this was indisputable."[7]

Christofferson married Katherine Jacob in the Salt Lake Temple on May 28, 1968.[2] They are the parents of five children.[5]

Honors

LDS Church service

Prior to becoming a general authority, Christofferson served in the LDS Church as a bishop, stake president, and regional representative.[5] At the church's April 1993 general conference, Christofferson was called as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.[10] In August 1998, Christofferson became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.[11]

As a seventy, Christofferson served as the executive director of the church's Family and Church History Department. While in this position he was involved in negotiations with Jewish leaders on policies on temple work for Holocaust victims, which concluded with the church stating that its members should only do such temple work for family members. He also was in charge of the department when the church completed the Freedman's Savings Bank Records project.[3]

On April 5, 2008, during the solemn assembly session of the church's general conference when Thomas S. Monson was sustained as church president, Christofferson was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.[12] As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Christofferson is regarded by church membership as a prophet, seer, and revelator.

Works
Articles
  • —— (Spring 2004), "Lest we forget: the meaning of Kirtland's history in the present", Journal of Mormon History, Mormon History Association, 30 (1): 104–119, OCLC 367833284
  • ——; Naftali, Timothy J. (15 July 2008), An Oral History Interview with Elder D. Todd Christofferson (PDF), The Richard Nixon Oral History Project

Notes
  1. 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..
  2. Cook, Quentin L. (August 2008), "Elder D. Todd Christofferson: Prepared to Serve the Lord", Liahona: 8–13
  3. Dethman, Leigh (2008-04-05), "Elder D. Todd Christofferson named new apostle; other leaders called", Deseret Morning News
  4. "D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  5. "Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Seventy", Ensign: 99, May 1993
  6. 2005 Deseret News Church Almanac (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, 2004) p. 29
  7. Deseret News, 15 June 2017 http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865683075/Mormon-apostle-at-Oxford-Lessons-learned-from-Watergate-scandal.html
  8. Walch, Tad (14 August 2017). "World Peace Prize presented in India to Mormon leader". Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  9. "Saint Dnyaneshwara World Peace Prize to Christofferson". The Times of India. August 5, 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  10. Monson, Thomas S. (May 1993), "The Sustaining of Church Officers", Ensign: 21
  11. "Three called to the Presidency of Seventy", Church News, 1998-08-29
  12. "First Presidency Sustained, New Apostle and Other Leaders Named", Newsroom, LDS Church, 5 April 2008
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gollark: They must have so many weird special cases everywhere for slightly broken software or hardware.
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References
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles
Preceded by
Quentin L. Cook		 Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 5, 2008 –		 Succeeded by
Neil L. Andersen
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