Adam Samuel Bennion (December 2, 1886 – February 11, 1958) was a leader in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church). Born in
Taylorsville,
Utah Territory, Bennion received degrees from the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
,
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, and the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
. He also studied at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
. He became a member of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...
on April 9, 1953, filling a vacancy created by the death of
John A. Widtsoe
John Andreas Widtsoe (; 31 January 1872 – 29 November 1952) was a Norwegian-American scientist, author, and religious leader who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) fro ...
.
Bennion served less than five years in the Quorum of the Twelve before his death. He was replaced in the Quorum by
Hugh B. Brown
Hugh Brown Brown (October 24, 1883 – December 2, 1975) was an American attorney, educator, author and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency. ...
.
Biography
Adam S. Bennion was the son of Joseph B. Bennion and his wife, Mary Ann Sharp. Joseph died when Bennion was about two years old. After completing his early education in Taylorsville, Bennion went to study at the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
. After his studies he became a teacher at
LDS High School
LDS High School (previously known as Salt Lake Stake Academy or Latter-day Saints' High School, and sometimes spelled Latter-day Saints High School) was a secondary school in Salt Lake City, Utah operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da ...
in Salt Lake City.
In 1911, Bennion married Minerva Richards Young, a daughter of
Richard W. Young. The couple would eventually have three sons and two daughters. After their marriage, Bennion and his wife headed to New York City, where he completed a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. at Columbia University.
Bennion returned to Salt Lake City and became an English teacher at
Granite High School. In 1913, he became the principal of the school. In the summer of 1914, Bennion took a course in
Sunday school
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
Su ...
administration at the University of Chicago. The following year, he was appointed a member of the General Board of the
Deseret Sunday School Union. About the same time, he joined the faculty of the University of Utah in the department of English. In 1915, Bennion was appointed a member of the
Church Board of Education of the LDS Church.
In 1919, Bennion became the Superintendent of LDS Church Schools. From 1921 to 1923, he studied at the
University of California–Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...
and completed a doctorate. He then returned to the LDS Church schools, where he worked until 1927 when he began work for the Utah Power and Light Company (UP&L). During the 1920s, Bennion oversaw the expansion of the LDS Church's
seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
program and trained seminary teachers at
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
's Alpine Summer School.
bio connected with BYU library file of Bennion's papers
/ref>
In 1944, Bennion resigned his employment with UP&L and ran as a Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
candidate for the United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
. He lost the election to Democrat Elbert D. Thomas. Bennion returned to UP&L; in 1947, he became the director of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.
In 1953, LDS Church president David O. McKay
David Oman McKay (September 8, 1873 – January 18, 1970) was an American religious leader and educator who served as the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1951 until his death in 1970. Ordain ...
called Bennion as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Bennion served in this capacity until his death.
Bennion died in Salt Lake City and was buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery.
References
Published works
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External links
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Adam S. Bennion papers, MSS 1
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Brigham Young University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennion, Adam S.
1886 births
1958 deaths
American general authorities (LDS Church)
Columbia University alumni
Businesspeople from Salt Lake City
University of Utah alumni
University of California, Berkeley alumni
University of Chicago alumni
University of Utah faculty
Utah Republicans
Richards–Young family
People from Taylorsville, Utah
Apostles (LDS Church)
Sunday School (LDS Church) people
Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery
Latter Day Saints from Utah