M. Russell Ballard

Melvin Russell Ballard Jr. (born October 8, 1928) is an American businessman and religious leader who is currently the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has been a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since 1985. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Ballard is accepted by church members as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the third most senior apostle in the church.[3]

M. Russell Ballard
Ballard speaking at the
BYU Church History Symposium
on March 2, 2012.
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles[1]
January 14, 2018 (2018-01-14)[2]
Called byRussell M. Nelson
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
October 6, 1985 (1985-10-06)
Called bySpencer W. Kimball
LDS Church Apostle
October 10, 1985 (1985-10-10)
Called bySpencer W. Kimball
ReasonDeath of Bruce R. McConkie
Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy
February 21, 1980 (1980-02-21) – October 6, 1985 (1985-10-06)
Called bySpencer W. Kimball
End reasonCalled to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
First Quorum of the Seventy
April 3, 1976 (1976-04-03) – October 6, 1985 (1985-10-06)
Called bySpencer W. Kimball
End reasonCalled to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Military career
Service/branchUnited States Army Reserve
Rank First Lieutenant
Personal details
BornMelvin Russell Ballard, Jr.
(1928-10-08) October 8, 1928
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Alma materUniversity of Utah
OccupationBusinessman
Signature 

LDS Church service
Ballard with President Bill Clinton and United States Senator Orrin Hatch in 1993

Ballard was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Melvin Russell Ballard Sr. and his wife, Geraldine Smith.[4] As a young man, Ballard served as a missionary in England from 1948 to 1950. He met his wife while they were studying at the University of Utah. In 1974, Ballard was called as president of the church's Canada Toronto Mission. While serving as a mission president, he was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1976; he completed his three-year term as mission president as a member of the Seventy.[4]

Following the death of apostle Bruce R. McConkie, Ballard was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 6, 1985, and ordained an apostle on October 10, 1985.[5]

Ballard is the grandson of apostles Melvin J. Ballard and Hyrum M. Smith. Through Smith, Ballard is a descendant of Hyrum Smith, brother of church founder Joseph Smith.[6]

Following the January 2018 death of church president Thomas S. Monson, the church's First Presidency was reorganized, with Russell M. Nelson as president. Nelson selected Dallin H. Oaks, the next senior apostle and new quorum president, as First Counselor in the First Presidency. As a result, Ballard became the quorum's acting president, as the next senior apostle not in the First Presidency.

Business activities

Professionally, Ballard was involved in several enterprises, including automotive, real estate, and investment businesses. He was the top-selling salesman for his father's Nash car dealership when he left it in the early 1950s to pursue other business interests. In 1956, Ballard returned and took over the Ballard Motor Company from his father. During this period he also served in the United States Army Reserve, resigning his commission as a First Lieutenant in 1957.

During the late 1950s, Ballard was recruited by the Ford Motor Company to become the first Edsel car dealer for Salt Lake City. After praying for guidance, he had the "clear impression" not to sign the franchise. He did anyway and incurred a huge loss, "without doubt the darkest period" of his business career.[7]

One highlight of his business career was his presidency of the Valley Music Hall in Bountiful, Utah, which offered family entertainment. There Ballard worked with Art Linkletter, Danny Thomas, Bob Cummings, and other Hollywood celebrities who were advisers to the enterprise. Although the music hall failed financially, investors recovered their money when the LDS Church purchased the building.[8][9]

Family
Ballard with his wife, Barbara, in 2017

On August 8, 1951, Ballard married Barbara Bowen in the Salt Lake Temple;[10] they are the parents of seven children. One of their daughters, Brynn, is married to Peter R. Huntsman, who is the son of late billionaire industrialist Jon Huntsman Sr. and brother of Jon Huntsman Jr., a United States Ambassador and former Governor of Utah. His wife died on October 1, 2018.[11]

Works
Books
  • Ballard, M. Russell (2009), Daughters of God, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-60641-043-1, OCLC 268547494
  • —— (2002), As Women of God, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57008-832-2, OCLC 51605089
  • —— (2001), Staying the Course: Ten Keys to Gospel Commitment, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57345-813-9, OCLC 232700082
  • —— (2001), When Thou Art Converted: Continuing the Search for Happiness, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57345-813-9, OCLC 47831370
  • —— (1998), The law of sacrifice and What came from Kirtland, Classic talk series, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57345-403-2, OCLC 40736766
  • —— (1997), Counseling with Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the Church and in the Family, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57345-209-0, OCLC 37606320
  • —— (1993), Our Search for Happiness: An Invitation to Understand the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-0-87579-804-2, OCLC 28889507
  • —— (1993), Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do Not, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-0-87579-766-3, OCLC 29378984
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See also

Notes
  1. Due to quorum president Dallin H. Oaks serving as First Counselor in the First Presidency.
  2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (January 16, 2018). "President Russell M. Nelson". MormonNewsroom.org.
  3. 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..
  4. Richardson, Matthew O. "M. Russell Ballard" in Arnold K. Garr, Donald Q. Cannon and Richard O. Cowan, ed., Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000) p. 74, ISBN 978-1-57345-822-1 OCLC 44634356
  5. "The Sustaining of Church Officers", Ensign, LDS Church, October 1985
  6. How much do you know about Elder M. Russell Ballard Archived May 18, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Deseret News October 7, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  7. M. Russell Ballard, Our Search for Happiness: An Invitation to Understand the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1993) pp. 85–86.
  8. Dockstader, Julie (February 9, 1991). "Lord has a way of turning adversity to good". Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  9. Packer, Lynn. Lying for the Lord: The Paul H. Dunn Stories. p. 269.
  10. churchofjesuschrist.org: Prophets and Apostles: What are Prophets? Bio: M. Russell Ballard. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  11. Weaver, Sarah Jane (October 1, 2018). "Sister Barbara Bowen Ballard, wife of President M. Russell Ballard, dies at 86". Church News.

References
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles
Preceded by
Dallin H. Oaks		 Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
October 10, 1985 –		 Succeeded by
Joseph B. Wirthlin
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