Gordon B. Hinckley

Author profile

born

in Salt Lake City, Utah, The United States

June 23, 1910

died

January 27, 2008

website

http://www.gordonbhinckley.org/

genre

Religion & Spirituality

About this author

edit data

President Hinckley was known, even at the age of 95, as a tireless leader who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively around the world to mix with Church members, now numbering nearly 13 million in 171 nations.

His quick wit and humor, combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit, made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church’s pioneer past.

He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and on CNN’s Larry King Live, as well as being quoted and featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics...more President Hinckley was known, even at the age of 95, as a tireless leader who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively around the world to mix with Church members, now numbering nearly 13 million in 171 nations.

His quick wit and humor, combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit, made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church’s pioneer past.

He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and on CNN’s Larry King Live, as well as being quoted and featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics of 2002, his request that the Church refrain from proselytizing visitors was credited by media with generating much of the goodwill that flowed to the Church from the international event.

In recent years, a number of major developments in the Church reflected President Hinckley’s personal drive and direction. In calling for 100 temples to be in operation before the end of the year 2000, the Church president committed the Church to a massive temple-building program.

In 1999 — 169 years after the Church was organized by its founder, Joseph Smith — the Church had 56 operating temples. Three years later that number had doubled, largely because of a smaller, highly practical temple architectural plan that delivered these sacred buildings to Church members in far-flung parts of the world. Many more Church members can now experience the sacred ceremonies that occur only in temples, including marriages for eternity and the sealing of families in eternal units.

President Hinckley was the most traveled president in the Church’s history. His duties took him around the world many times to meet with Latter-day Saints in more than 60 countries. He was the first Church president to travel to Spain, where in 1996 he broke ground for a temple in Madrid; and to the African nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, where he met with thousands of Latter-day Saints in 1998. In 2005, he traveled nearly 25,000 miles on a seven-nation, nine-day tour to Russia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Kenya, and Nigeria.

At a general conference of Church members in April 2001, President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund — an ambitious program to help young members of the Church (mainly returning missionaries from developing countries) receive higher education and work-related training that they would otherwise likely never receive.

Closer to his Salt Lake City home, President Hinckley announced the construction of a new Conference Center in 1996 and dedicated it four years later. Seating 21,000 people, it is believed to be the largest religious and theater auditorium in the world and has become the hub for the Church’s general conference messages to the world, broadcast in 54 languages.

Even before his term as president, President Hinckley’s extensive Church service included 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency, the highest presiding body in the government of the Church, and 20 years before that as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

President Hinckley was born 23 June 1910 in Salt Lake City, a son of Bryant Stringham and Ada Bitner Hinckley. One of his forebears, Stephen Hopkins, came to America on the Mayflower. Another, Thomas Hinckley, served as governor of the Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692.

President Hinckley’s first job was as a newspaper carrier for the Deseret News, a Salt Lake City daily. After attending public schools in Salt Lake City, he earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Utah and then served two years as a full-time missionary for the Church in Great Britain. He served with distinction and ultimately was appointed as an assistant to the Church apostle who presided over all the Europe(less)

combine editions
Gordon B. Hinckley's Books

Average rating: 4.62 · 22,971 ratings · 1,181 reviews · 33 distinct works · Similar authors

	Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes 4.66 of 5 stars 4.66 avg rating — 9,958 ratings — published 2000 — 8 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Way to Be!: 9 Rules For Living the Good Life 4.64 of 5 stars 4.64 avg rating — 4,728 ratings — published 2002 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stand a Little Taller 4.66 of 5 stars 4.66 avg rating — 3,800 ratings — published 2001 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Truth Restored 4.34 of 5 stars 4.34 avg rating — 2,183 ratings — published 1947 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	One Bright Shining Hope: Messages for Women from Gordon B. Hinckley 4.66 of 5 stars 4.66 avg rating — 755 ratings — published 2006 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley 4.57 of 5 stars 4.57 avg rating — 511 ratings — published 1997 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	My Dear Sisters: Inspiration for Women from Gordon B. Hinckley 4.63 of 5 stars 4.63 avg rating — 263 ratings — published 2008	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Be Thou An Example 4.59 of 5 stars 4.59 avg rating — 164 ratings — published 1981 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, Vol. 1: 1995-1999 4.54 of 5 stars 4.54 avg rating — 141 ratings — published 2004 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Faith: The Essence Of True Religion 4.37 of 5 stars 4.37 avg rating — 131 ratings — published 1989 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Gordon B. Hinckley…

Quotes by Gordon B. Hinckley

“Life is to be enjoyed, not endured”
― Gordon B. Hinckley

tags: life

3,779 people liked it

“Try a little harder to be a little better.”
― Gordon B. Hinckley

tags: inspirational

2,724 people liked it

“True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well-being of one's companion.”
― Gordon B. Hinckley, Stand a Little Taller

tags: inspirational, love

1,506 people liked it

See all Gordon B. Hinckley's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Seasonal Read...: By Blood or Marriage (25.2)	41	249	Aug 24, 2009 02:23pm
Challenge: 50 Books: Mara's 50 for 2011	46	58	Dec 21, 2011 06:02pm
The History Book ...: MORMONISM	36	130	Jul 14, 2012 07:06pm
The Seasonal Read...: 20.8 - It's My Birthday - Sara ♥'s task: Mormons Among Us!	49	164	Oct 17, 2012 09:08pm
The Seasonal Read...: * Fall Challenge 2012: Tasks	14	635	Oct 24, 2012 07:01am
The Book Challenge: * A-Z Author Challenge	188	1848	Dec 26, 2012 01:30pm

More…

Gordon's Fans (173)

Gordon B. Hinckley

Author profile

combine editionsGordon B. Hinckley's Books

Quotes by Gordon B. Hinckley

Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Gordon B. Hinckley's Books