William F. Edwards (April 26, 1906 – 13 August 1989) was a businessman and educator who held the Driggs Chair of Finance 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 ...

(BYU). Edwards was born in

Emery, Utah Emery is a town in Emery County, Utah, United States. The population was 288 at the 2010 census. History Prehistoric Emery sits at the base of the mountains that contain the North Horn Formation. Named after North Horn Mountain, near Castle D ...

. He studied at BYU from 1924-1928. He was president of his senior class and the vice president of the class was Catherine Eyring (a sister of Camilla Eyring and Henry Eyring). William and Catherine married in the

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple ...

on 26 September 1929. Edwards completed a master's degree at

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 then received a doctor of commercial science degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. He was involved in several business endeavors, some involving mutual funds, over the next several years. Ernest L. Wilkinson recruited Edwards to serve as the dean of BYU's commercial college beginning in January 1951. In 1953 Edwards was appointed BYU's vice president of finance and business administration. In January 1957

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 ...

created the position of Financial Secretary to the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

specifically to appoint Edwards to that position. In 1959, while still serving as Financial Secretary to the First Presidency Edwards became the first chair of Utah's Coordinating Council on Higher Education. In 1960 Edwards resigned his Church and government positions and returned to business ventures, specifically working for various banks. He also became a part-time faculty member 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 ...

. In 1971 Edwards retired from investment banking and was appointed to the Driggs Chair of Finance at BYU. By 1975 he was also the director of the Eyring Research Institute. Edwards served as president of the New York Stake in the late from 1948-1950. He succeeded Howard S. Bennion in this position. He earlier had served as second counselor in the bishopric, a position that he had succeeded Carl J. Christensen in. The Edwards were the parents of six children. Catherine served on the General Board of the LDS Primary from 1960–1970 and was the president of the BYU Emeritus Club (made up of emeritus faculty and also BYU alumni who graduated at least 50 years ago) for the 1989-1990 year.''Deseret News'', April 4, 1989
/ref>

Sources

* Wilkinson, Ernest L., ed., ''Brigham Young University: The First 100 Years''. (Provo: BYU Press, 1975) Vol. 4, p. 472-473.
''Deseret News'', 16 July, 2006, obituary of Catherine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, William F. 1906 births 1989 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 20th-century American educators Brigham Young University alumni Brigham Young University faculty Columbia University alumni New York University Stern School of Business alumni Romney family Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from New York (state)