Harold David Burton (born April 25, 1938) was the thirteenth
Presiding Bishop of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1995 to 2012 and has been the chairman of the
University of Utah (U of U)
board of trustees
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
since 2016.
[Jacobsen, Morgan]
"H. David Burton appointed chairman of University of Utah board of trustees"
''Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
'', Utah, 1 July 2016. Retrieved on 17 February 2020.
Born in
Salt Lake City,
Utah, to
Latter-day Saint parents, Burton graduated from
South High School in 1956 and then served as a
missionary for the LDS Church in southern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in the late 1950s.
["Grand Marshal H. David Burton: Serving the world over"]
''Provo Daily Herald
The ''Daily Herald'' is a daily newspaper that covers news and community events in Utah County, central Utah. Much of the coverage focuses on the Provo-Orem metropolitan area in Utah Valley.
The ''Daily Herald'' is owned by Ogden Newspapers. Th ...
'', Utah, 1 July 2013. Retrieved on 17 February 2020. He graduated from the U of U with a
bachelor's degree in economics and completed an
MBA from the
University of Michigan.
Early in his career, Burton worked for the Utah Tax Commission and for
Kennecott Copper
Kennecott Utah Copper LLC (KUC), a division of Rio Tinto Group, is a mining, smelting, and refining company. Its corporate headquarters are located in South Jordan, Utah. Kennecott operates the Bingham Canyon Mine, one of the largest open-pit co ...
.
LDS Church service
Burton was hired by the LDS Church as the assistant budget officer in 1977. Burton later accepted a position as the executive secretary to the church's
presiding bishopric. In October 1992, Burton was called by
Robert D. Hales
Robert Dean Hales (August 24, 1932 – October 1, 2017) was an American businessman and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1994 until his death. As a member of the Quorum ...
as first counselor in the presiding bishopric. In 1994, he was again called as first counselor to the new presiding bishop,
Merrill J. Bateman
Merrill Joseph Bateman (born June 19, 1936) has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1992, originally as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. He is currently an emeritus general a ...
. On December 27, 1995, when Bateman became the president of
Brigham Young University, Burton became the church's Presiding Bishop--a post roughly equivalent to chief operating officer. Burton called
Richard C. Edgley
Richard Crockett Edgley (born February 6, 1936) has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since October 1992. He was the first counselor in the church's presiding bishopric from 1995 to 2012 and ...
as his first counselor and
Keith B. McMullin
Keith Brigham McMullin (born August 18, 1941) has been the CEO of Deseret Management Corporation since April 2012.Beebe, Paul"CEO Willes retires from LDS Church's Deseret Management" ''The Salt Lake Tribune'', Utah, 5 April 2012. Retrieved on 22 Fe ...
as his second counselor.
Burton was a prominent voice from the LDS Church on the issue of Utah immigration legislation in 2011. Burton oversaw the LDS Church's $1.5 billion mixed-use development project called
City Creek Center in downtown
Salt Lake City. Burton and his counselors were released on 31 March 2012 and designated as
emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
general authorities.
Civic service
In 2014, Burton was elected chairman of the board of the
Utah Transit Authority. He has been on the U of U's board of trustees since 2013 and was selected as chairman in 2016.
While chair, the U of U joined the prestigious
Association of American Universities prompting Burton to remark, "We already knew that the U was one of the jewels of Utah and of the Intermountain West, this invitation shows that we are one of the jewels of the entire nation".
[Last, First]
"University of Utah joins prestigious Association of American Universities"
'' KUTV'', Utah, 7 November 2019. Retrieved on 17 February 2020.
Personal life
Burton married Barbara Matheson in September 1960, and they are the parents of five children.
See also
*
Council on the Disposition of the Tithes
*
References
External links
H. David Burton Official profileUniversity of Utah Board of Trustees
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, H. David
1938 births
20th-century Mormon missionaries
American Mormon missionaries in Australia
American general authorities (LDS Church)
Counselors in the Presiding Bishopric (LDS Church)
Latter Day Saints from Michigan
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Living people
Presiding Bishops (LDS Church)
Ross School of Business alumni
University of Utah alumni