| Eldred G. Smith | |
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| Full name | Eldred Gee Smith |
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| Born | January 9, 1907 |
| Place of birth | Lehi, Utah |
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| Called by | George Albert Smith |
| Start of term | April 10, 1947 (aged 40) |
| End of term | October 4, 1979 (aged 72) |
| End reason | Granted general authority emeritus status |
| Patriarch Emeritus / Emeritus General Authority |
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| Called by | Spencer W. Kimball |
| Start of term | October 4, 1979 (aged 72) |
Eldred Gee Smith (born 9 January 1907) holds the position of patriarch emeritus to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and held the calling of Presiding Patriarch of the same church between 1947 and 1979. In 2009, Smith surpassed Joseph Anderson as the oldest-lived general authority in the history of the LDS Church.[citation needed]
Eldred Smith was born in Lehi, Utah. His father was Hyrum G. Smith, who was Presiding Patriarch of the LDS Church between 1912 and 1932. He is the grand-nephew of Joseph Smith, Jr.
At the time of Eldred's birth, a new Presiding Patriarch was usually chosen based on the principle of patrilineal succession. However, instead of choosing Eldred to replace his father, Church President Heber J. Grant appointed Eldred's cousin Joseph Fielding Smith to be Presiding Patriarch in 1942. After Joseph Fielding Smith was released from the position in 1946 by Church President George Albert Smith for being involved in a homosexual relationship, Eldred was selected as the next Presiding Patriarch.
Smith was ordained in 1947 and served in that position for the next 32 years. He regularly spoke in the biannual church general conferences but was only rarely assigned to visit local stakes of the church.
During his tenure as Presiding Patriarch, Smith's primary duty was to travel to areas of the world where there were no patriarchs in order to bestow patriarchal blessings upon worthy Latter-day Saints.
In 1979 Smith was released from active duties and designated patriarch emeritus. The reported reason for this change was the increase of availability of stake patriarchs throughout the church. As was announced by the Church in General Conference: "Because of the large increase in the number of stake patriarchs and the availability of patriarchal service throughout the world, we now designate Elder Eldred G. Smith as a Patriarch Emeritus, which means that he is honorably relieved of all duties and responsibilities pertaining to the office of Patriarch to the Church."[1]
Today, Smith is an emeritus general authority of the church. He remains an ordained patriarch and is still permitted to give patriarchal blessings. However, he is no longer sustained by the church as a "prophet, seer, and revelator" as he was from 1947 to 1979. On 9 January 2007, Smith celebrated his 100th birthday. He is only the second general authority in the history of the church to reach the age of 100, the first being Joseph Anderson, who died in 1992 at the age of 102.
The church has not stated whether or not it will appoint a new Presiding Patriarch upon Smith's death.
See also
Notes
- ^ Ensign, November 1979, p. 18, ISSN 0884-1136, http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=972f615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1, retrieved 2007-04-06
References
- Irene M. Bates and E. Gary Smith, Lost Legacy: The Mormon Office of Presiding Patriarch, Urbana, Illinois, 1996.
- Peggy Fletcher Stack, "Century Mark: Church leader with historic position nears 100th birthday," Salt Lake Tribune, 2006.
External links
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