D. Todd Christofferson - Misplaced Pages

American religious leader (born 1945)

D. Todd Christofferson

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05)

LDS Church Apostle

April 10, 2008 (2008-04-10)

Reason

Death of Gordon B. Hinckley; reorganization of First Presidency

Presidency of the Seventy

August 15, 1998 (1998-08-15) – April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05)

End reason

Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

First Quorum of the Seventy

April 3, 1993 (1993-04-03) – April 5, 2008 (2008-04-05)

End reason

Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Personal details

Born

David Todd Christofferson
(1945-01-24) January 24, 1945 (age 79)
American Fork, Utah, U.S.

Education

Brigham Young University (BA)
Duke University (JD)

Spouse(s)

Katherine Jacob (m. 1968)

Children

Biography portal

LDS movement portal

David Todd Christofferson (born January 24, 1945) is an American religious leader and former lawyer who serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has been a general authority of the church since 1993. Currently, he is the eighth most senior apostle in the church.

Christofferson grew up in Utah and New Jersey, and after high school served as an LDS missionary in Argentina. He then studied English literature at Brigham Young University (BYU) before attending law school at Duke University. After graduating from law school in 1972, Christofferson clerked for Judge John Sirica on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia while Sirica presided over much of the legal proceedings stemming from the Watergate scandal. Christofferson then entered private practice, and eventually became an in-house lawyer for NationsBank (now part of Bank of America).

Early life

Christofferson was born in American Fork, Utah, and raised in Pleasant Grove, Utah; Lindon, Utah; and Somerset, New Jersey. As a young man, he served a two-year LDS mission in Argentina. His mission president was Richard G. Scott, who would already be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve when Christofferson was called to the same quorum. After his mission, he earned a bachelor's degree from BYU in English and international relations in 1969, followed by a J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 1972.

Christofferson began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge John J. Sirica of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia from 1972 to 1974. Shortly after Christofferson began clerking, Sirica was assigned to preside over the Watergate legal proceedings.

After his work as a judicial clerk, Christofferson was an active member of the US military and then served in the reserves for eight years.

Career and family

As a lawyer, Christofferson worked in Washington, D.C.; Nashville, Tennessee; Herndon, Virginia; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Christofferson was the associate general counsel for NationsBank in Charlotte and was the volunteer chairman of Affordable Housing of Nashville, Tennessee.

Christofferson clerked for Judge John J. Sirica during the Watergate trials. Together they were the first outside the White House to hear the Nixon White House tapes. "Judge Sirica and I were shocked as we heard Nixon calmly ask" how much money it would take to keep the Watergate burglars quiet, Christofferson said in a June 2017 address to faculty and students at Christ Church College in Oxford, England. "The judge and I couldn't believe, didn't want to believe what we were hearing … He passed me a note suggesting we rewind the tape and listen again. Up to this point we both still hoped that the president was not really involved, but this was indisputable."

Christofferson married Katherine Jacob in the Salt Lake Temple on May 28, 1968. They are the parents of five children.

LDS Church service

Prior to becoming a general authority, Christofferson served in the LDS Church as a bishop, stake president, and regional representative. At the church's April 1993 general conference, Christofferson was called as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In August 1998, Christofferson became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.

As a seventy, Christofferson served as the executive director of the church's Family and Church History Department. While in this position he was involved in negotiations with Jewish leaders on policies on temple work for Holocaust victims, which concluded with the church stating that its members should only do such temple work for family members. He also was in charge of the department when the church completed the Freedman's Savings Bank Records project.

On April 5, 2008, during the solemn assembly session of the church's general conference when Thomas S. Monson was sustained as church president, Christofferson was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Christofferson is regarded by church members as a prophet, seer, and revelator.

Works

Articles

—— (Spring 2004), "Lest we forget: the meaning of Kirtland's history in the present", Journal of Mormon History, 30 (1), Mormon History Association: 104–119, OCLC 367833284
—— (15 July 2008), "An Oral History Interview with Elder D. Todd Christofferson" (PDF), The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, interviewed by Naftali, Timothy J.

Honors

World Peace Prize (2017)

Notes

Apostolic seniority is generally understood to include all ordained apostles (including the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Seniority is determined by date of ordination, not by age or other factors. If two apostles are ordained on the same day, the older of the two is typically ordained first. See Succession to the presidency and Heath, Steven H. (Summer 1987). "Notes on Apostolic Succession" (PDF). Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 20 (2): 44–56..
^ Cook, Quentin L. (August 2008), "Elder D. Todd Christofferson: Prepared to Serve the Lord", Liahona: 8–13
^ Dethman, Leigh (2008-04-05), "Elder D. Todd Christofferson named new apostle; other leaders called", Deseret Morning News, archived from the original on August 25, 2010
"D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
^ "Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Seventy", Ensign: 99, May 1993
2005 Deseret News Church Almanac (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, 2004) p. 29
Walch, Tad (15 June 2017). "Mormon apostle at Oxford: Lessons learned from Watergate scandal". Deseret News. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
Monson, Thomas S. (May 1993), "The Sustaining of Church Officers", Ensign: 21
"Three called to the Presidency of Seventy", Church News, 1998-08-29
"First Presidency Sustained, New Apostle and Other Leaders Named", Newsroom, LDS Church, 5 April 2008
Walch, Tad (14 August 2017). "World Peace Prize presented in India to Mormon leader". Deseret News. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
"Saint Dnyaneshwara World Peace Prize to Christofferson". The Times of India. August 5, 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.

References

"Elder D. Todd Christofferson", Newsroom, LDS Church, 4 May 2011
Q&A with Mormon Elder, Reuters, 2007-06-11—Reuters interview with Christofferson

External links

General Authorities and General Officers: Elder D. Todd Christofferson

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles
Preceded byQuentin L. Cook	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles April 5, 2008 –	Succeeded byNeil L. Andersen

v t e Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Holland Uchtdorf Bednar Cook Christofferson Andersen Rasband Stevenson Renlund Gong Soares Kearon

Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

J. Smith (1829–44)
Cowdery (1829–38)
Whitmer (1829–38)
Harris (unknown–1837)
Marsh (1835–39)
Patten (1835–38)
B. Young Sr. (1835–77)
H. C. Kimball (1835–68)
Hyde (1835–78)
McLellin (1835–38)
P. P. Pratt (1835–57)
Luke Johnson (1835–37)
Wm. Smith (1835–45)
O. Pratt (1835–81)
Boynton (1835–37)
L. E. Johnson (1835–38)
Page (1838–46)
J. Taylor (1838–87)
W. Woodruff (1839–98)
G. A. Smith (1839–75)
W. Richards (1840–54)
Wight (1841–48)
H. Smith (1841–44)
A. M. Lyman (1842–67)
Benson (1846–69)
Rich (1849–83)
L. Snow (1849–1901)
E. Snow (1849–88)
F. D. Richards (1849–99)
J. M. Grant (1854–56)
Wells (1857–91)
J. W. Young (1855–1924)
G. Q. Cannon (1860–1901)
J. A. Young (1864–75)
B. Young Jr. (1864–1903)
J. F. Smith Sr. (1866–1918)
Carrington (1870–85)
Thatcher (1879–1909)
F. M. Lyman (1880–1916)
J. H. Smith (1880–1911)
Teasdale (1882–1907)
H. J. Grant (1882–1945)
J. W. Taylor (1884–1911)
M. W. Merrill (1889–1906)
Lund (1889–1921)
A. H. Cannon (1889–96)
M. F. Cowley (1897–1911)
A. O. Woodruff (1897–1904)
Clawson (1898–1943)
Smoot (1900–41)
H. M. Smith (1901–18)
G. A. Smith (1903–51)
Penrose (1904–25)
G. F. Richards (1906–50)
Whitney (1906–31)
McKay (1906–70)
Ivins (1907–34)
J. F. Smith Jr. (1910–72)
Talmage (1911–33)
S. L. Richards (1917–59)
R. R. Lyman (1918–43)
M. J. Ballard (1919–39)
Widtsoe (1921–52)
J. F. Merrill (1931–52)
Callis (1933–47)
Clark (1934–61)
A. A. Hinckley (1934–36)
Bowen (1937–53)
S. Q. Cannon (1938–43)
Lee (1941–73)
S. W. Kimball (1943–85)
Benson (1943–94)
Petersen (1944–84)
M. Cowley (1945–53)
Moyle (1947–63)
Stapley (1950–78)
Romney (1951–88)
L. Richards (1952–83)
Bennion (1953–58)
Evans (1953–71)
Morris (1954–62)
Brown (1958–75)
Hunter (1959–95)
G. B. Hinckley (1961–2008)
Tanner (1962–82)
Monson (1963–2018)
Dyer (1967–77)
Packer (1970–2015)
Ashton (1971–94)
McConkie (1972–85)
Perry (1974–2015)
Haight (1976–2004)
Faust (1978–2007)
Maxwell (1981–2004)
Nelson (1984–)
Oaks (1984–)
M. R. Ballard (1985–2023)
Wirthlin (1986–2008)
Scott (1988–2015)
Hales (1994–2017)
Holland (1994–)
Eyring (1995–)
Uchtdorf (2004–)
Bednar (2004–)
Cook (2007–)
Christofferson (2008–)
Andersen (2009–)
Rasband (2015–)
Stevenson (2015–)
Renlund (2015–)
Gong (2018–)
Soares (2018–)
Kearon (2023–)

Notes
^ Never a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. ^ Term ended by excommunication. Term ended by resignation. Term ended by removal of apostleship; was later excommunicated. Term ended by suspension of priesthood.

Presidents of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

First Seven Presidents of the Seventy / First Council of the Seventy

Aldrich (1835–37)
J. Young (1835–81)
Hancock (1835–82)
Rich (1835–37)
Coltrin (1835–37)
Sherman (1835–37)
Smith (1835–37)
Miles (1836–45)
Gould (1837)
Foster (1837–41)
Butterfield (1837–44)
Gee (1837–38)
Gaylord (1837–38)
Harriman (1838–91)
Pulsipher (1838–62)
Orton (1845)
Rockwood (1845–79)
Clapp (1845–59)
Grant (1845–54)
Eldredge (1854–88)
Gates (1860–92)
Van Cott (1862–83)
W.W. Taylor (1880–84)
Cannon (1882–89)
Lewis (1882)
S.B. Young (1882–1924)
Fjeldsted (1884–1905)
Morgan (1884–94)
Roberts (1888–1933)
Reynolds (1890–1909)
Kimball (1892–1938)
Wells (1893–1941)
Stevenson (1894–97)
McMurrin (1897–1932)
Hart (1906–34)
L.E. Young (1909–63)
Pratt (1925–31)
Ivins (1931–67)
Bennion (1933–45)
J.H. Taylor (1933–46)
Hardy (1934–45)
Evans (1938–53)
Kirkham (1941–58)
S.D. Young (1945–76)
Hunter (1945–75)
McConkie (1946–72)
Hanks (1953–68)
Tuttle (1958–76)
P.H. Dunn (1964–76)
Rector (1968–76)
L.C. Dunn (1968–76)
Pinegar (1972–76)
G.R. Cook (1975–76)

Presidency of the Seventy

Richards (1976–83)
Faust (1976–78)
Fyans (1976–85)
Tuttle (1976–80)
Maxwell (1976–81)
Hanks (1976–80)
P.H. Dunn (1976–80)
Bangerter (1978–80)
Asay (1980–86)
Ballard (1980–85)
Larsen (1980–93)
Derrick (1980–84)
Durham (1981–85)
Scott (1983–88)
Hanks (1984–92)
Bangerter (1985–89)
Goaslind (1985–87)
Backman (1985–92)
Wirthlin (1986)
Pinnock (1986–89)
Paramore (1987–93)
Clarke (1988–93)
Pinegar (1989–95)
Asay (1989–96)
Didier (1992–95)
Porter (1992–2001)
J.J. Christensen (1993–99)
Brough (1993–98)
Hansen (1993–98)
Hillam (1995–2000)
Goaslind (1995–98)
Tingey (1996–2008)
Christofferson (1998–2008)
M.K. Jensen (1998–2001)
Sorensen (1998–2005)
Banks (1999–2002)
Neuenschwander (2000–04)
Didier (2001–07)
Samuelson (2001–03)
Uchtdorf (2002–04)
Bateman (2003–07)
Groberg (2004–05)
Oaks (2004–07)
Andersen (2005–09)
Rasband (2005–15)
Q.L. Cook (2007)
Costa (2007–11)
Snow (2007–12)
González (2007–13)
Clayton (2008-20)
J.E. Jensen (2008–12)
Hallstrom (2009–17)
Callister (2011–14)
Maynes (2012–17)
C.C. Christensen (2012–18)
Soares (2013–18)
Robbins (2014–18)
Gong (2015–18)
Uceda (2017–18)
Kearon (2017–23)
C.B. Cook (2018–)
Gay (2018–21)
Vinson (2018–21)
Teixeira (2018–)
Godoy (2018–24)
Nielson (2020–24)
P. Johnson (2021–24)
Palmer (2021–)
Nash (2024- )
Ringwood (2024- )
Valenzuela (2024- )
Dube (2024- )

Official Church Historian and Recorder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Church Historian and Recorder
Church Historian and Recorder	Cowdery (1830–31, acting) Whitmer (1831–35) Cowdery (1835–37)
Church Historian	Corrill (1838) Higbee (1838–40) Thompson (1840–41) Sloan (1841–42)
Church Recorder	Robinson (1837–40) Higbee (1840–42)
Church Historian and Recorder	W. Richards (1842–54) G.A. Smith (1854–71) Carrington (1871–74) Pratt (1874–81) Woodruff (1881–83, acting) Woodruff (1883–89) F.D. Richards (1889–99) Jenson (1899–1900, acting) Jaques (1899–1900, acting) Lund (1900–21) J.F. Smith (1921–70) Hunter (1970–72) Arrington (1972–78)

Church Historical Department
Church Historian	Arrington (1978–82) Durham (1982–85) Larsen (1985–97)
Executive director	Carmack (1989–91) Dunn (1991–93) Nadauld (1993–96) Jensen (1996–98) Carmack (1998–99) Dunn (1999–2000) Christofferson (2000–04) Jensen (2004–05).

Church Historian and Recorder
Church Historian and Recorder	Jensen (2005–12) Snow (2012–19) Curtis (2019–)

Notes

^ In 1837 the callings of Church Historian and Church Recorder were separated, but in 1842 these callings were again merged.
Starting in 1978, the duties of Church Historians fell to the Executive director of the historical department.
While Larsen was still technically Church Historian until 1997, others succeeded him as Executive Director of the Historical Department, and those men were sometimes referred to as the Official Church Historians.
In 2005 the callings of Church Historian and Church Recorder was restored.

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