Russell M. Nelson

Russell Marion Nelson Sr. (born September 9, 1924) is an American religious leader and former surgeon who is the 17th and current president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[4] Nelson was a member of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for nearly 34 years, and was the quorum president from 2015 to 2018. As church president, Nelson is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator.[5]

Russell M. Nelson
Nelson in 2012
17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
January 14, 2018 (2018-01-14) – present
PredecessorThomas S. Monson
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
July 3, 2015 (2015-07-03)[1][2] – January 14, 2018 (2018-01-14)
PredecessorBoyd K. Packer
SuccessorDallin H. Oaks
End reasonBecame President of the Church
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 7, 1984 (1984-04-07) – January 14, 2018 (2018-01-14)
Called bySpencer W. Kimball
End reasonBecame President of the Church
LDS Church Apostle
April 12, 1984 (1984-04-12)
Called bySpencer W. Kimball
ReasonDeaths of LeGrand Richards and Mark E. Petersen[3]
Military career
1951–1953
Service/branch United States Army
Rank Captain
UnitArmy Medical Corps
Battles/warsKorean War
Personal details
BornRussell Marion Nelson
(1924-09-09) September 9, 1924
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Utah (B.A., M.D.)
University of Minnesota (Ph.D.)
OccupationCardiothoracic surgeon
Spouse(s)Dantzel White (1945–2005; deceased)
Wendy L. Watson (2006–present)
Children10 (with Dantzel)
Signature 
For other people named Russell Nelson, see Russell Nelson (disambiguation).

A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Nelson attended the University of Utah for his undergraduate and medical school education. He then did his medical residency and earned a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota, where he was a member of the research team developing the heart-lung machine that in 1951 supported the first ever human open-heart surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass. After further surgical training and a two-year stint in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, Nelson returned to Salt Lake City and accepted a professorship at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He spent the next 29 years working in the field of cardiothoracic surgery. Nelson became a noted heart surgeon, and served as president of the Society for Vascular Surgery and the Utah Medical Association.[6]

Nelson served in a variety of lay LDS leadership positions during his surgical career, beginning locally in Salt Lake City and then as the LDS Church's Sunday School General President from 1971 to 1979.[7] In 1984, Nelson and the American jurist Dallin H. Oaks were selected to fill two vacancies in the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. LDS apostles serve for life, and so Nelson retired from all of his prior professional positions.

Early life and education

Russell M. Nelson was born on September 9, 1924, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Marion Clavar Nelson (1897–1990)[8] and his wife Floss Edna Nelson (née Anderson; 1893–1983).[9] He had two sisters, Marjory E. (1920–2016) and Enid (1926–2019), and a brother, Robert H. (1931–2014). Nelson's father was a reporter for the Deseret News and later became general manager of Gillham Advertising, Utah's earliest advertising agency.[10][11] His parents were not active in the Latter-day Saint faith while he was a youth, but they did send him to Sunday School,[12] and he was baptized a member of the LDS Church at age 16.[13]

Nelson studied at LDS Business College in his mid-teens (concurrently with high school enrollment) and worked as an assistant secretary at a bank.[14] He graduated from high school at age 16 and enrolled at the University of Utah, receiving a B.A. in 1945 and an M.D. in 1947.[15] Nelson began his first year of medical school prior to finishing his bachelor's degree, and completed the four-year M.D. program ranked first in his class after only three years of study.[4][16]

After medical school, Nelson went to the University of Minnesota for his medical residency. While at Minnesota, he was a member of the pioneering surgeon Clarence Dennis's research team developing the heart-lung machine that in April 1951 supported the first human open-heart surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass. Nelson received a Ph.D. from Minnesota in 1954 for his research contributions.[17][18][19]

Nelson served a two-year term of duty in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, and was stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. While on duty, he was assigned to a research group formed by the commandant of the Graduate School at Walter Reed, Col. William S. Stone and led by Dr. Fiorindo A. Simeone, a professor of surgery at Western Reserve University in Cleveland who had been a clinical investigator in the Mediterranean Theater during World War II. This team was focused on ways to improve the treatment of wounded and was sent to all five MASH units active in Korea along with two major evacuation hospitals, several field station hospitals, a prisoner of war camp and larger evacuation hospitals in Japan, Hawaii, and the mainland United States in order to implement such improvements. At one point, the team came close enough to the front that they received fire from enemy artillery positions, which missed them. After 20 months in service, he left active duty at the rank of captain.[20]

Following his military service, he did a year of work and surgical training at Massachusetts General Hospital.[21]

Medical career

Nelson returned to Salt Lake City in 1955 and accepted a faculty position at the University of Utah School of Medicine. There he built his own heart-lung bypass machine and employed it to support the first open-heart surgery in the state of Utah.[22] That operation was performed at the Salt Lake General Hospital (SLGH) on an adult with an atrial septal defect.[19] Nelson was also the director of the University of Utah thoracic surgery residency program.[23]

This would mark the first of many career achievements for Nelson. In March 1956, he performed the first successful pediatric cardiac operation at the SLGH, a total repair of tetralogy of Fallot in a four-year-old girl. He was at the forefront of surgeons focusing attention on coronary artery disease,[24] and contributed to the advance of valvular surgery as well. In 1960, he performed one of the first-ever repairs of tricuspid valve regurgitation.[21] His patient was a Latter-day Saint stake patriarch.[25] In an indication of his surgical skill, a 1968 case series of his aortic valve replacements demonstrated an exceptionally low peri-operative mortality.[26] Later, he performed the same operation on future LDS Church president Spencer W. Kimball, replacing his damaged aortic valve.[27] In 1985, Nelson along with his colleague, Conrad B. Jenson, performed a quadruple bypass surgery on the Chinese opera performer Fang Rongxiang (方荣翔); 1925–1989).[22]

In 1965, the University of Chicago offered Nelson the position as head of their department of thoracic surgery. Dallin H. Oaks, then a law professor at Chicago and a fellow Latter-day Saint, actively worked to recruit Nelson. However, after consulting with David O. McKay, Nelson turned down the offer.[28]

Nelson became involved with the administrative aspects of medicine and was elected president of the Utah State Medical Association.[4] He was chair of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at LDS Hospital.[29]

Nelson was honored nationally by being elected president of the Society for Vascular Surgery for the year 1975.[30] He was also a director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.[29] Nelson traveled extensively as a medical doctor and addressed conferences in many parts of Latin America and Africa, as well as in India and China.[31]

In 2015, the University of Utah, along with the American College of Cardiology, created the Russell M. Nelson M.D., Ph.D. Visiting Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery.[32]

Church service

In addition to his medical work, Nelson served frequently as a leader in the LDS Church. Over the early years of his marriage he served in several callings, including as a counselor in bishoprics and as a member of a stake high council.[33] Before being appointed an apostle, he served as a stake president in Salt Lake City from 1964 to 1971, with Joseph B. Wirthlin serving as his second counselor. Nelson also served for eight years as the church's Sunday School General President, and four years as a regional representative.[4]

Apostle

Nelson was called as an apostle by church president Spencer W. Kimball, to whom he had served as a personal physician for many years. Nelson was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 7, 1984, during the church's general conference. He was ordained an apostle on April 12, 1984, by Gordon B. Hinckley. At the same conference, Dallin H. Oaks was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. Nelson and Oaks filled the vacancies in the Quorum created by the deaths of LeGrand Richards and Mark E. Petersen.[34] Early in his service as an apostle, Nelson was an adviser to the church's Young Women organization and was supportive of the developing of the Young Women values and Personal Progress program.[35]

In 1991, Nelson served as the negotiator for the LDS Church with the Internal Revenue Service over whether contributions to support missionaries serving would be tax deductible. In 1992, he was the church's lead delegate to the Parliament on World Religions. For a time he was also the church's representative to a US State Department committee on international religious freedom.[36]

Nelson's assignments as an apostle have included supervisory responsibility for the LDS Church in Africa. In 2009, he, along with his wife and others, were attacked while in Mozambique.[37] He also made several other visits to that continent, including one to Kenya in 2011.[38]

From 2007 to 2015, Nelson was as a member of the Church Boards of Trustees/Education, the governing body of the Church Educational System, and the chairman of its Executive Committee.[39] He was succeeded as chairman of the Executive Committee by Oaks.[40]

Following the death of Boyd K. Packer[41] on July 3, 2015, Nelson became the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve and the quorum's president. Nelson was set apart as the quorum president on July 15, 2015, by Thomas S. Monson.[42]

Nelson made his first international trip as quorum president to Central America from August 20–31, 2015.[43] The following month, Nelson dedicated the renovated Aaronic Priesthood Restoration Site in Pennsylvania, where LDS Church members believe the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods were restored.[44]

Eastern Europe

After Monson's call to the First Presidency in 1985, Nelson was assigned as the apostle to oversee the work of the church in Eastern Europe. In this assignment, he worked closely with Dennis B. Neuenschwander and Hans B. Ringger.[45][46] Nelson was involved in the first meetings between LDS Church leaders and government officials of Bulgaria,[47] Romania, and the Soviet Union, and worked to continue LDS expansion and recognition efforts in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland.[48]

In August 2010, Nelson journeyed to the dedication of the Kiev Ukraine Temple. Afterwards, in September, he traveled to church meetings in several European countries. He pronounced blessings upon Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo while visiting each of those countries; these serve as addendums to Monson's 1985 dedication of Yugoslavia for the preaching of the gospel.[49]

Nelson's only son, Russell M. Nelson Jr., served as an LDS missionary in Russia. In 2011, Nelson Sr. returned to Russia to organize the first church stake in that country, headquartered in Moscow.[46]

Central Asia

In August 2003, Nelson became the first member of the Quorum of the Twelve to visit Kazakhstan.[50] While there, Nelson visited government officials, was interviewed by Yuzhnaya Stalitsa television, and dedicated that country for the preaching of the gospel.[50]

China

When he was Sunday School General President, Nelson attended a meeting where Kimball urged those present to learn Chinese. Nelson took up this challenge and developed elementary proficiency in Mandarin.[51] He developed ties with the medical community in China and made several trips there to train surgeons. In 1985, Nelson was the first person ever made an honorary professor of Shandong Medical College.[52] In 1995, Nelson went to Beijing, along with Neal A. Maxwell and other LDS Church leaders, on an official invitation of Li Lanqing, the Vice Premier of China.[53]

President of the Church

With the death of Monson on January 2, 2018, Nelson became the anticipated successor to the church's presidency. Nelson signed 1,150 mission calls as the presiding apostle.[54] After being ordained and set apart as church president on January 14, 2018, Nelson was introduced to church members and the media two days later, along with Oaks as his First Counselor and Henry B. Eyring as Second Counselor.[55] Nelson chose not to retain Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who had served as Monson's Second Counselor, in the new First Presidency. This marked the first time since 1985 that a new church president had not retained a previously-serving counselor.

Worldwide ministry

Since becoming church president, Nelson has visited members of the LDS Church in various areas of the world. Up through August 2019, he had visited sixteen countries, addressing thousands of members of the faith.[56]

The first trip, called a global ministry tour by the church, occurred in April 2018, when Nelson along with his wife, and Jeffrey R. Holland and his wife, met with Latter-day Saints in London, England; Jerusalem; Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, Zimbabwe; Bengaluru, India; Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong; and Laie, Hawaii.[57]

In June 2018, Nelson traveled to Alberta, Canada, where his second wife was born and raised, and gave three devotional addresses in three consecutive evenings.[58]

In September 2018, Nelson visited the Dominican Republic, where he gave an entire talk in Spanish, which was believed to be the first time a church president had given an extended talk in a formal setting in a language other than English.[59] On the same trip, he visited Puerto Rico.[60][61]

On February 10, 2019, Nelson spoke to church members in Arizona at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. In addition to the large crowd in attendance, the devotional was broadcast across the state.[62]

On March 9, 2019, Nelson met with Pope Francis at the Vatican. The event marked the first time in history that a pope and an LDS Church president met face-to-face. The meeting took place the day before the church's Rome Italy Temple was dedicated.[63][64][65]

In August 2019, Nelson visited Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil.[66][67]

Policy changes and announcements

The first few months of Nelson's leadership of the LDS Church saw many significant changes to church policy, although many had at least been heavily discussed before he became church president, and some were continuations of policies instituted by his predecessors. Nelson began his presidency two days after his ordination with a short broadcast to church members in January 2018 before then holding a press conference. This broadcast ahead of the press conference was unprecedented and provided the new leaders an opportunity to briefly address the entire church immediately.[68]

In March 2018, the First Presidency issued a letter on preventing and responding to abuse. This letter reiterated existing policies, but also explicitly stated that no one should ever be counseled against reporting abuse to legal authorities. The guidance also had a clear emphasis on using counseling to assist in healing from abuse. It also provided more clear policies mandating all interviews with women and youth be done with another person in the general area, and made it clear that youth and women could have a parent or other adult present for an interview. It also adjusted previous policies forbidding adult males to teach classes of children or youth alone to apply to all adults.[69]

During the church's April general conference, Nelson announced the appointment of Asian-American Gerrit W. Gong and Brazilian Ulisses Soares to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, both of whom had been serving in the Presidency of the Seventy.[70]

Nelson also announced major changes in church organization during the April general conference. First, the high priests groups at the ward level were dissolved, making all Melchizedek priesthood holders in wards and branches part of the elders quorum. A stake's high priest quorum now consists of current members of stake presidencies, high councils, bishoprics and functioning patriarchs. Next, Nelson announced the end of home teaching and visiting teaching, replacing the programs with a focus on ministering, and shifting both the focus and methods of tracking them. As part of this change, young women ages 14–18 may be assigned as ministering sisters, similar to the-long standing policies of young men ages 14–18 serving as home teachers.[71] At the end of the conference, Nelson announced the construction of seven new temples, including the first in Nicaragua, Russia, India, and Virginia.

In May 2018, the church announced it would end its sponsorship of Scouting troops in the United States and Canada at the end of 2019. As part of this decision, it was stated that all Young Men, Young Women, and Primary programs for those age 8–18 would be replaced by a new, unified worldwide program.[72]

June 2018 began with a First Presidency-sponsored celebration of the 40th anniversary of the revelation extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy members without regard to race, in which Nelson gave concluding remarks.[73] A few days before this, Nelson and his counselors met with the national leaders of the NAACP.[74] That same weekend Nelson gave a devotional to LDS youth in which he urged them to more fully commit to the church. He encouraged them to choose a set of seven days together to avoid the use of social media.[75] On June 18, the First Presidency created committees assigned to form a unified hymnbook and children's songbook for the worldwide church membership, with each language edition having the same hymns (and songs) in the same order, and that these committees would be taking submissions and collecting surveys until July 2019. It is anticipated that the process of creating the new unified hymnbook and children's songbook will take several years.[76]

In August 2018, Nelson issued a statement urging the use of the church's full name.[77] At the church's general conference in October 2018, he reiterated his position, declaring, "It is a correction" and "It is the command of the Lord." Nelson told members that the use of nicknames such as Mormon or LDS was "a major victory for Satan."[78][79][80]

In the October 2018 general conference, Nelson announced an adjustment in the balance between a home-centered, church-supported form of worship. This was highlighted by shortening the length of Sunday church meetings to 2-hours from the previous 3-hours.[81] At the end of the month, Nelson toured five south American countries, during which he met with Peru's president, Martín Vizcarra, gave a major address in Peru in Spanish, and dedicated the Concepción Chile Temple.[82]

In December 2018, the church's First Presidency changed the process of youth class progression and priesthood ordination. Beginning in 2019, youth began moving between classes and priesthood quorums at the beginning of the year in which they turn 12, 14, or 16, rather than when their birthday occurs during the year.[83]

On April 5, 2020, Nelson announced a new proclamation, "The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World". The proclamation coincided with the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s First Vision and is the sixth proclamation issued by the church in its history.[84][85]

Temples

Nelson's tenure as church president has been punctuated by an increased focus on worship within LDS temples. As of April 2020, Nelson has announced a total of 43 new temples to be built in several countries around the world. His travels have been punctuated by several temple dedications, most notably the Rome Italy Temple in March 2019, which was attended by all current members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

In 2018, Nelson announced 19 new temples, seven in April and 12 in October, among which were the first in India, Nicaragua, Russia, and Cambodia. During his April 2018 visit to India, Nelson explained to church members that the Lord had instructed him to announce the temple the night before general conference, though he had not originally planned to do so.[86] In announcing a temple in Nicaragua, Nelson fulfilled an apostolic promise he had made to church members there 6 years earlier.[87]

In October 2018, Nelson concluded a 10-day trip to South America by dedicating the Concepcion Chile Temple.[88] Following the December 2018 dedication of the Barranquilla Colombia Temple by Dallin H. Oaks, Nelson presided over the three-day dedicatory services for the Rome Italy Temple from March 10–12, 2019.[89] Nelson took all the church's apostles with him to Rome for that dedication.[90] This was the first time all ordained apostles of the church had been gathered in one location outside the United States. While in Rome, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles took the first apostolic group photo in two decades.[91]

In April 2019, Nelson announced eight more temples, including the first for American Samoa.[92]

In October 2019, Nelson announced eight more temples, including the first for Sierra Leone and Papua New Guinea.[93]

In April 2020, Nelson announced eight more temples, including the first for People's Republic of China mainland.[94]

Marriages and children

While a student at the University of Utah, Nelson met and began dating fellow Utah student Dantzel White (1926–2005). They dated for three years and then were married on August 31, 1945 in the Salt Lake Temple.[95] Together they had nine daughters—Marsha, Wendy (1951–2019),[96] Gloria, Brenda, Sylvia, Emily (1958–1995),[97] Laurie, Rosalie, and Marjorie—and a son, Russell Jr. (b. 1972).[98] Dantzel White was a native of Perry, Utah, where her father was for a time mayor. She attended Box Elder High School, among her classmates was Boyd K. Packer, who would serve with Nelson for 30 years as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. White was very musical and in high school took music lessons from Richard P. Condie, who was then the assistant director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. White and Nelson first met while being the leads in a musical produced at the University of Utah. During the 1950s, Dantzel was a member of the Tabernacle Choir.[99]

Dantzel Nelson died unexpectedly at their home in Salt Lake City on February 12, 2005, at age 78.[95] The following year, Nelson married Wendy L. Watson (b. 1950) in the Salt Lake Temple.[100] Watson, originally from Raymond, Alberta, was a professor of marriage and family therapy at BYU prior to her retirement in 2006. Her marriage to Nelson is her first.[101]

In 2018, a daughter and son-in-law of Nelson were accused in a lawsuit of participating in a Satanic ritual abuse ring in Bountiful, Utah, in 1985, and Nelson was accused of using his influence to cover up the abuse.[102][103] A law enforcement investigation at the time found no evidence of any abuse ring, and the local Bountiful church leader stated that neither Nelson nor any other high-ranking church leader attempted any cover-up.[102]

Positions and awards

In June 2018, the University of Utah endowed a chair in cardiothoracic surgery named after Nelson and his first wife, Dantzel.[111]

Honorary degrees
Date School Degree
1970Brigham Young UniversityDoctor of Science[112]
1989Utah State UniversityDoctor of Medical Science[112]
1994Snow CollegeDoctor of Humane Letters[112]

Selected works
Books
  • Nelson, Russell M. (1979), From Heart to Heart: An Autobiography, Nelson, OCLC 6144971
  • —— (1987), Motherhood, Deseret Book, ISBN 978-0-87579-087-9, OCLC 20469710
  • —— (1988), The Power Within Us, Deseret Book, ISBN 978-0-87579-154-8, OCLC 18164244
  • —— (1993), Lessons from Mother Eve: A Mother's Day Message, Deseret Book, ISBN 978-0-87579-734-2, OCLC 32969712
  • —— (1995), The Gateway We Call Death, Deseret Book, ISBN 978-0-87579-953-7, OCLC 31901270
  • —— (1998), The Magnificence of Man and Truth--and More, Deseret Book, ISBN 978-0-87579-985-8, OCLC 40197958
  • —— (1998), Perfection Pending: And Other Favorite Discourses, Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57345-405-6, OCLC 39256877
  • —— (2009), Hope in Our Hearts, Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-60641-201-5, OCLC 426253825
  • —— (2010), Wise Men and Women Still Adore Him, Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-60641-835-2, OCLC 672405152
  • —— (2015), Accomplishing the Impossible: What God Does, What We Can Do, Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-62972-125-5, OCLC 1629721255
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See also

Notes
  1. With the death of Boyd K. Packer on July 3, 2015, Nelson became the second most senior apostle among the ranks of the church, resulting in him being the de facto President of the Quorum. He was officially set apart in that capacity July 15, 2015.
  2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (July 15, 2015). "Russell M. Nelson: New President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org.
  3. Nelson and Dallin H. Oaks were ordained to fill the vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles caused by the deaths of Richards and Petersen.
  4. Leader Biography: President Russell M. Nelson, LDS Church, newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org
  5. See, e.g., "The Sustaining of Church Officers", April 2015 General Conference.
  6. Johnson, Alex (16 January 2018). "Noted heart surgeon unlikely to transform Mormon church as new president". NBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  7. Hemingway, Heather (October 12, 2013). Cohen, Jeff (ed.). "Mormons Worldwide Tune in to Semiannual General Conference". blog.chron.com. Jack Sweeney. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 11, 2014. Russell M. Nelson, an apostle and internationally renowned cardiothoracic surgeon ...
  8. "Marion Clavar Nelson". Geni.com.
  9. "Edna Nelson". Geni.com.
  10. article on the father's of members of the LDS First Presidency in the Deseret News
  11. Jarrard, G. M.; Phillips, Ted R. (4 January 2004). "Shifting Paradigms". Deseret News. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  12. Williams, Carter (January 16, 2018). "How President Nelson's faith forged his path for service in the LDS Church". ksl.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  13. Poffenbarger, Jenny. "11 Things You Didn't Know about President Nelson". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  14. Church News, October 17, 2009.
  15. "Elder Russell M. Nelson", churchofjesuschrist.org, accessed June 12, 2011.
  16. Weaver, Sarah Jane (16 January 2018). "Get to Know President Russell M. Nelson, a Renaissance Man - Church News and Events". Church News. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  17. Condie, Spencer J. (2003). Russell M. Nelson: Father, Surgeon, Apostle. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. p. 105. ISBN 1570089477.
  18. Dennis, Clarence; Spreng, Dwight; Nelson, George; Karlson, Karl; Nelson, Russell; Thomas, John; Eder, Walter Phillip; Varco, Richard (October 1951). "Development of a Pump-oxygenator to Replace the Heart and Lungs: An Apparatus Applicable to Human Patients and Application to One Case". Annals of Surgery. 134 (4): 709–721. doi:10.1097/00000658-195110000-00017. PMC 1802968. PMID 14878382.
  19. "Celebrating 60 Years of Cardiac Surgery in Utah With Russell M. Nelson, M.D." The University of Utah Health. October 19, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  20. Johnson, Page; Stahle, Shaun (24 April 2009). "'My Home Base'". Church News. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  21. Robinson, Austin; Hunter, Curtis. "Discovering a Surgical First: Russell M. Nelson and Tricuspid Valve Annuloplasty". BYU Studies Quarterly. 54 (1).
  22. Condie, Spencer J. (2003). Russell M. Nelson: Father, Surgeon, Apostle. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. p. 132. ISBN 1570089477.
  23. "U of U Health - Celebrating 60 Years of Cardiac Surgery in Utah With Russell M. Nelson, M.D." Utah.edu. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  24. Nelson, Russell (1979). From Heart to Heart. Salt Lake City, Utah: Nelson. p. 318.
  25. Nelson, Russell. "Sweet Power of Prayer". churchofjesuschrist.org. LDS Church.
  26. Nelson, RM; Jenson, CB; Jones, KW (October 1968). "Aortic valve replacement". The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 6 (4): 343–50. doi:10.1016/s0003-4975(10)66034-1. PMC 1984809. PMID 5742671.
  27. Condie, Spencer J. (2003). Russell M. Nelson: Father, Surgeon, Apostle. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book. p. 155. ISBN 1570089477.
  28. Weaver, Sarah Jane (January 16, 2018). "Meet LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson, a Renaissance man with perfect pitch and pure faith". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  29. Gardner, Marvin K. (June 1984). "Elder Russell M. Nelson: Applying Divine Laws". Ensign: 9. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  30. Listing of presidents of the Society for Vascular Surgery
  31. "Pamela Atkinson: President Nelson's work has been saving lives and souls". DeseretNews.com. January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  32. "President Nelson Honored as "Pioneer" of Heart Surgery - Church News and Events". churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  33. "Elder Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  34. President Russell M. Nelson: 5 Fun Facts, Aggieland Mormons, August 4, 2015.
  35. article by Ardeth Kapp on Nelson's role as Young Women Adviser
  36. "Elder Russell M. Nelson Celebrates 90th Birthday - Church News and Events". churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  37. "LDS Church Apostle, his wife and 2 other couples attacked in Mozambique - KSL.com". KSL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  38. "Elder Nelson Completes Trip to Africa in Kenya - Church News and Events". churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  39. Wendy Leonard, "LDS Business College appoints new president", Deseret Morning News, December 9, 2008.
  40. Holman Prescott, Marianne (October 20, 2017), "Inauguration for LDS Business College's 13th president", Deseret News
  41. "President Boyd K. Packer Dies At Age 90", Newsroom, LDS Church, July 3, 2015
  42. "Russell M. Nelson: New President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles", Mormon Newsroom, July 15, 2015.
  43. President Nelson counsels Central American members to claim the blessings of the temple, live the gospel, Church News, September 10, 2015.
  44. LDS Apostle dedicates newly developed Priesthood Restoration Site, Church News, September 19, 2015.
  45. Gary Browning, "Russia and the Restoration", Out of Obscurity: The LDS Church in the 20th Century (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2000) p. 67
  46. "Moscow Russia Stake organized", Church News, June 11, 2011.
  47. "Bulgaria", Church News.
  48. Da Silva, Chantal. "New Mormon President: Who is Russell M. Nelson, set to become 17th Leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?". Newsweek. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  49. "Elder Nelson pronounces blessings on six Balkan nations", Church News September 23, 2010.
  50. "Country information: Kazakhstan". LDS Church. Church News. January 29, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  51. Spencer J. Condie, Biography of Russell M. Nelson.
  52. "China", Church News.
  53. "Elders Maxwell, Nelson welcomed in China", Church News, April 29, 1995.
  54. "President Nelson Signs Mission Calls as Presiding Apostle", Newsroom, LDS Church, January 9, 2018
  55. Walch, Tad (January 16, 2018). "President Russell M. Nelson introduced as 17th LDS president, vows to serve, discusses diversity". Deseret News. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  56. Taylor, Scott. "President Nelson Traveled to 16 Nations and Territories during First Year as Prophet". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  57. article on the global ministry tour
  58. LDS Church news article on Nelson's visit to Canada.
  59. Deseret News article on Nelson's tour of Caribbean
  61. Swensen, Jason. "President Nelson promises Puerto Ricans their 'best days' are ahead". deseretnews.com. Deseret News. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  62. Matheson, Boyd. "Crowd Sunday at State Farm Stadium could rival Super Bowl". ktar.com. Deseret News via Ktar News. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  63. "Prophet Meets Pope Francis at the Vatican". Newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  64. Weaver, Sarah Jane. "President Nelson Meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican". Church News of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  65. Walch, Tad. "Pope Francis meets with President Nelson in the Vatican". Deseret News.
  66. "Ministry Tour Archives". Church News. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  67. "'We have a lot to do,' says President Nelson as Latin America Ministry Tour ends in Brazil". Church News. 2019-09-02. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  68. report on Nelson's broadcast to the Church
  69. report on March first presidency letter
  70. article about new apostles
  71. article on announcements at general conference
  72. article on LDS Church ending scouting, announcing new youth program
  73. article on Nelson's statement at meeting
  74. article on Nelson meeting with NAACP leadership
  75. report on Nelson's remarks in youth devotional
  76. article on new hymnbook announcement
  77. New York Times, Aug 18, 2018
  78. Peggy Fletcher Stack; Scott D. Pierce; David Noyce (7 October 2018). "Members 'offend' Jesus and please the devil when they use the term 'Mormon,' President Nelson says". SLTrib.com. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  79. "General Conference, October 2018, Russell M. Nelson". churchofjesuschrist.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  80. Nelson, President Russell M. "The Correct Name of the Church". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  81. article on shift
  82. article overviewing this tour
  83. Deseret News article on age changes
  84. "Prophet Introduces a New Proclamation to the World: "The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ"". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. 2020-04-05. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  85. "How rare a proclamation: A look at 2020's on the Restoration and the 5 previous in Church history". Church News. 2020-04-05. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  86. In India, the story of the India LDS Temple Announcement Is Revelaed, Deseret News, 19 April 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  87. Elder Nelson Visits Central America, churchofjesuschrist.org, 3 February 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  88. President Nelson Dedicates Concepcion Chile Temple, Mormon Newsroom, 28 October 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  89. Rome Italy Temple Is Dedicated, Mormon Newsroom, 10 March 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  90. Why President Nelson took all Latter-day Saint Apostles to Rome and What They Said About It, Deseret News, 12 March 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  91. Historic Photo of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in Rome, Mormon Newsroom. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  92. A temple for American Samoa had been originally announced in October 1977, and was intended to be a regional temple to serve American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, and Fiji. However, in April 1980, Spencer W. Kimball announced that the temple planned for American Samoa would be relocated to Apia Samoa, and that temples would also be built in Tonga and Tahiti. See this article for details.
  93. "President Nelson Announces Eight New Temples During General Conference: For the first time, announcement made in women's session", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2019-10-05
  94. "President Nelson announces plans to build 8 new temples — including one in People's Republic of China", Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2020-04-05
  95. "Elder Nelson's wife, Dantzel, dies at age 78". Deseret News. February 13, 2005. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  96. "Wendy Nelson Maxfield, daughter of LDS Church President Russell Nelson, dies at 67". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  97. "DEATH: EMILY NELSON WITTWER". DeseretNews.com. 30 January 1995.
  98. Nelson, Russell M. (February 23, 1993). "Integrity of Heart". BYU Speeches. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  99. Condie, Spencer J. Russell M. Nelson: Father, Surgeon, apostle chapter 5
  100. "Elder Russell M. Nelson Marries Wendy L. Watson", Newsroom, LDS Church, April 6, 2006
  101. Carrie A. Moore, "Elder Nelson marries BYU Professor", Deseret News, April 7, 2006.
  102. Tad Walch "Decades-old Bountiful case alleges church connection to abuse allegations", Deseret News, October 3, 2018.
  103. Jim Spiewak, "Daughter of LDS Church president at center of decades-old sex abuse cover-up allegations", kutv.com, October 3, 2018.
  104. "LDS Church News - Elder Nelson, pioneer heart surgeon, honored". Church News. April 20, 2002. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  105. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  106. All cited in Russell M. Nelson
  107. https://www.alumni.utah.edu/awards/docs/Distinguished_Alumnus_past_recipients2010.pdf
  108. "Elder Russell M. Nelson Counsels New Doctors to Read Scriptures - Church News and Events". churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  109. "A 'true medical pioneer,' President Nelson honored with lifetime achievement medal for innovation". Deseret News. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  110. [https://www.localprayers.com/XX/Unknown/109727239094418/Inspirational-Art-Association/videos LocalPrayers 2019 IAA Award Winners[
  111. Deseret News article
  112. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "President Russell M. Nelson". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved May 5, 2017.

References
  • "President Russell M. Nelson", Leader Biographies: Official Biographies for leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS Church, LDS Church Newsroom
  • Plenk, Henry P.; McMurrin, Trudy, eds. (1992). Medicine in the Beehive State, 1940-1990. LDS Hospital-Deseret Foundation, University of Utah. Health Sciences Center, Utah Medical Association. Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah Press and Utah Medical Association. ISBN 0874803969.
  • Gardner, Marvin K. (June 1984). "Elder Russell M. Nelson: Applying Divine Laws". Ensign: 9. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  • "Church News". LDS Church. July 17, 1971. p. 7.
  • "Church News". LDS Church. July 3, 1971. p. 7.
  • Nelson, Russell M. (January 1, 1979). From Heart to Heart: An Autobiography Hardcover. Nelson. p. 344. ASIN B0006E28AU.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles
Preceded by
Thomas S. Monson		 President of the Church
January 14, 2018 – present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Boyd K. Packer		 President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
July 3, 2015 – January 14, 2018		 Succeeded by
Dallin H. Oaks
Preceded by
Neal A. Maxwell		 Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 12, 1984 – January 14, 2018		 Succeeded by
Dallin H. Oaks
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