McKay, David Lawrence

David Oman McKay was ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His duties and services within the LDS Church were many throughout his life. He was ordained an apostle in 1906, was appointed as superintendent of the Deseret Sunday School Union in 1918, was named Church Commissioner of Education in 1919, was sustained as second counselor to President Heber J. Grant in 1934, was sustained as second counselor to President George Albert Smith in 1945, and was sustained as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1950. A year later, he was sustained as prophet of the LDS Church and served in that capacity until his death in 1970.

David Oman McKay was born on 8 September 1873, to David McKay and Jennette Eveline Evans in Huntsville, Utah. The third of ten children, David O., as he was most often called, learned the meaning of work as he helped his father on the farm. He also learned the value of service as he became the "man of the house" at the age of eight when his father left to serve an LDS mission in Scotland. These and other values he learned at home helped shape him for further responsibilities in life.

One of these responsibilities came in the form of education. David O.'s appetite for learning was evident throughout his life. He constantly quoted from the world's best literature and memorized many passages from the classics. His interest and background in such material led him to attend the University of Utah in 1893. At the time of graduation, he was president and valedictorian of his class. In 1897, he received a normal certificate from that institution making him a professional teacher. After graduation, he served a two-year mission for the LDS Church then accepted a teaching position at Weber Stake Academy in Ogden, Utah, one of several academies operated by the LDS Church. He was appointed principal there in 1902.

His educational activities did not stop there. Even after his appointment to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1906, David O. continued on as head of Weber Academy until 1908. He then served on that institution's board of trustees until 1912. He also served on the University of Utah's Board of Regents from 1921 to 1922 and the board of trustees for Utah State Agricultural College from 1940 to 1941. In 1919, after being appointed Commissioner of Education for the LDS Church, McKay discontinued the operation of the church's academies due to the growth of public high schools. However, where feasible, he turned those academies into seminary institutions for the purpose of week-day religious instruction.

Of course, mixed in with his educational duties, David O. was also fulfilling other services for the LDS Church. As an apostle, he traveled all over the world promoting missionary work and even serving as president of the European Mission from 1922 to 1924. He also encouraged church members to remain in their native countries so as to strengthen the church membership beyond the United States. As president of the LDS Church, David O. saw membership triple and oversaw the building of several new temples, including those in England, Switzerland, and New Zealand. He also allowed members of the Council of the Seventy to be ordained high priests so as to help the Quorum of the Twelve in their supervisory duties of stakes around the world. His accomplishments as apostle and prophet demonstrated his dedication to the LDS Church and to the welfare of its membership.

Outside of his church callings, David O. performed services in civic capacities as well. He was head of the Utah Centennial Commission that planned the 1947 pioneer centennial celebration, and, for most of his presidency, he held weekly breakfast meetings with the head of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and the publisher of the Salt Lake Tribune . He did so to keep both parties up-to-date on church issues and topics of mutual interest. His non-partisan nature drew admirers from both religious and non-religious communities.

David O. McKay died in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1970.

From the guide to the David Oman McKay papers, 1897-1983, (J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah)