Called by Spencer W. Kimball Role Politician Name Nathan Tanner | Called by Joseph Fielding Smith Called by Harold B. Lee | |
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Reason Reorganization of First Presidency Reason Reorganization of First Presidency End reason Dissolution of First Presidency upon the death of Harold B. Lee Died November 27, 1982, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States Books "Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God": Multi-stake Fireside, 11/5/72 | ||
Nathan Eldon Tanner
Nathan Eldon Tanner (May 9, 1898 – November 27, 1982) was a teacher, municipal and provincial politician from the Canadian province of Alberta, and a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, but soon after his birth his family moved to Aetna outside of Cardston, Alberta, where he was raised.
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Tanner served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1935 to 1952 sitting with the Social Credit caucus in government. During his time in office he served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1936 to 1937 and as a cabinet minister in the governments of William Aberhart and Ernest Manning from 1937 to 1952, serving in various portfolios related to resource industries.
Early life
Tanner was born on May 9, 1898, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His family had a farmstead just south of Cardston, Alberta. He grew up in southern Alberta, attending grade school in the town of Aetna and high school at Knight Academy in Raymond and receiving some post-secondary education at Calgary Normal School.
Tanner began his working life at a grocery store and butcher shop. He obtained a job teaching at a small school in Hill Spring in 1919. He met his future wife, Sara Isabelle Merrill, at the school and married her on December 20, 1919.
In addition to teaching, Tanner established his own general store (which also became the local post office) to supplement his family income. The store was successful enough that he left his first teaching job in Hill Spring to run the store full-time.
Tanner eventually became a high school teacher in Cardston. He got his start in the political arena serving as a councillor on Cardston Town Council.
Political career
Tanner was drafted to run for a seat to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the first time in the 1935 Alberta general election. He ran as a Social Credit candidate in the electoral district of Cardston. He won the three-way race, easily defeating incumbent United Farmers MLA George Stringam.
After the election, and despite his complete lack of parliamentary experience, Tanner was chosen to be Speaker of the Alberta Legislature when the first session of the 8th Alberta Legislative Assembly began. He filled that role until 1937 when he was appointed as a cabinet minister.
Premier William Aberhart appointed Tanner to the Executive Council of Alberta (cabinet) as the Minister of Lands and Mines on January 5, 1937. He ran for a second term in office in the 1940 Alberta general election with ministerial advantage. Tanner barely kept his seat, winning a hotly contested two-way race against independent candidate S.H. Nelson.
Tanner ran for a third term in office in the 1944 Alberta general election. He faced a three-way race and won easily despite his popular vote dropping slightly from the previous election. The popular vote of the opposition candidates collapsed.
The 1948 Alberta general election would see Tanner run for his fourth term in office. He easily won a two-way race over Liberal candidate Briant Stringam to hold his seat.
A year after the 1948 election, Premier Manning changed Tanner's ministerial portfolio. Lands and Mines was changed to Lands and Forests and he was also given the Mines and Minerals portfolio. Tanner served in both of those ministries until his retirement from the Legislature at dissolution in 1952.
Life in the LDS Church
In 1960, Tanner was called to be an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a full-time general authority of the LDS Church. In the church, he preferred to be referred to as "N. Eldon Tanner". In 1962, George Q. Morris's passing created a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which Tanner was called to fill in October 1962. He was still the quorum's junior member one year later when he was called into the First Presidency as second counselor to church president David O. McKay. Tanner remained in this position for the presidency of Joseph Fielding Smith (1970–72), and then became first counselor to Smith's successor Harold B. Lee, remaining first counselor to Lee and Spencer W. Kimball until Tanner's death.
As the First Presidency, Kimball, Tanner, and Marion G. Romney announced the reception of the Revelation on Priesthood in June 1978, which established that being of black African descent would no longer be a barrier to ordination to the church's priesthood. The announcement was canonized as "Official Declaration 2" in the church's Doctrine and Covenants. Tanner formally presented the announcement for acceptance by the church at a general conference in October 1978.
Not long afterward, Tanner's health deteriorated and it became impossible for him to continue the duties of his office. With Kimball and second counselor Marion G. Romney also ailing, the decision was made to add Gordon B. Hinckley as an additional counselor to the First Presidency on July 23, 1981. Tanner remained first counselor until his death the following year at age 84.
Death
Tanner was a member of the First Presidency when he died on November 27, 1982. No additional individuals were added to the First Presidency after his death, and therefore no apostles were ordained as a result of his death.