George Homer Durham (February 4, 1911 – January 10, 1985) was an American academic administrator and was a general authority of

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) from 1977 until his death.

Early life

Durham was born in Parowan, Utah, and was raised in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

. As a boy in

grade school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

, he met and became lifelong friends with future LDS Church president

Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

. As a young man, Durham served as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

for the LDS Church in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

, where he served as president of the mission's

Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association The Young Men (often referred to as Young Men's) is a youth organization and official program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Its purpose is to assist the church's Aaronic priesthood-aged young men in their growt ...

. At the start of his mission, Durham's

mission president Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president presides over a geographic area known as a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission. Depending o ...

was John A. Widtsoe. On his mission, Durham met Widtsoe's daughter, Leah Eudora Widtsoe, whom he would later marry 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 templ ...

. Durham's second mission president,

Joseph F. Merrill Joseph Francis Merrill (August 24, 1868 – February 3, 1952) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1931 until his death. Merrill was a key figure in the devel ...

, encouraged him to pursue graduate education when he returned to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Education and academia

Durham earned a B.A. in political science and history from the University of Utah. Durham earned a Ph.D. in political science from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

. He became a professor 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 ...

. Durham would serve as the first head of the university's Political Science Department. He later served as the academic vice-president of the University of Utah. From 1960 to 1969, he was the president of

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. Under his presidency the university increased both in size and academic standing. From 1969 to 1976, he was the first commissioner and executive officer of the

Utah System of Higher Education The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) is the public university system of the state of Utah. It includes each of the state's sixteen public institutions of higher education, including its eight technical colleges. History On March 21, 1969, ...

General authority

After he retired, Durham was appointed as a general authority of the LDS Church. He had previously served in the church as a

stake president A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine ha ...

, as a member of the

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. ...

general board, and as a regional representative. Durham became a member of the

First Quorum of the Seventy First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

in April 1977. Shortly afterward, he became managing director of the LDS Church Historical Department over

Church Historian Church Historian and Recorder (usually shortened to Church Historian) is a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of th ...

Leonard J. Arrington Leonard James Arrington (July 2, 1917 – February 11, 1999) was an American author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association. He is known as the "Dean of Mormon History" and "the Father of Mormon History" because of his man ...

. In October 1981, Durham became a member of the

Presidency of the Seventy A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by ...

and remained in that position until his death. From 1982 to his death, Durham was the church's seventeenth

Church Historian and Recorder Church Historian and Recorder (usually shortened to Church Historian) is a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of th ...

. He was succeeded in that assignment by Dean L. Larson. Durham was a frequent contributor to the magazine ''

Improvement Era The ''Improvement Era'' (often shortened to ''The Era'') was an official magazine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) between 1897 and 1970. History The ''Improvement Era'' was first published in 1897 as a replacement t ...

'' and was the author or editor of a number of books, including compilations of the religious teachings of LDS church presidents John Taylor,

Wilford Woodruff Wilford Woodruff Sr. (March 1, 1807September 2, 1898) was an American religious leader who served as the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1889 until his death. He ended the public practice of ...

Heber J. Grant Heber Jeddy Grant (November 22, 1856 – May 14, 1945) was an American religious leader who served as the seventh president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Grant worked as a bookkeeper and a cashier, then wa ...

, and

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 ...

. Durham came from a musical family and he wrote the music to Gordon B. Hinckley's poem "My Redeemer Lives", which is now included as hymn number 135 in the LDS Church's current hymnal."My Redeemer Lives"
hymn no. 135, '' Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 1985). Durham and his wife were the parents of three children. In 1994, Arizona State University renamed their Language & Literature Building the G. Homer Durham Languages & Literature Building. Durham died in Salt Lake City. His personal and professional papers were donated to the University of Utah's

J. Willard Marriott Library The J. Willard Marriott Library is the main academic library of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. The university library has had multiple homes since the first University of Utah librarian was appointed in 1850. The current building ...

Publications

* G. Homer Durham (1944). "Joseph Smith Prophet-Statesman" The Bookcraft Company * —— (1944). ''A Political Interpretation of Mormon History'' (

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facul ...

) * —— (1983). ''Arizona State University, 1960-1969: A Personal History'' * —— (1958). ''Man as a Political Animal'' (Salt Lake City:

) * —— (1982). ''N. Eldon Tanner, His Life and Service'' (Salt Lake City:

Deseret Book Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), th ...

) *

(G. Homer Durham ed.) (1941). ''Gospel Standards: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Heber J. Grant (Salt Lake City:

) *

(G. Homer Durham ed.) (1953). ''Gospel Ideals: Selections from the Discourses of David O. McKay'' (Salt Lake City:

) * John Taylor (G. Homer Durham ed.) (1943). ''The Gospel Kingdom: Selections from the Writings and Discourses of John Taylor, Third President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (Salt Lake City:

Bookcraft Bookcraft was a major publisher of books and products for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). History In 1940, LDS Church president Heber J. Grant asked the church's '' Improvement Era'' magazine to compile h ...

) * John A. Widtsoe (G. Homer Durham ed.) (1960). ''

Evidences and Reconciliations ''Evidences and Reconciliations: Aids to Faith in a Modern Day'' is a Mormon apologetic book by John A. Widtsoe. Originally published in 1943 by Bookcraft, the book was a reprint of Widtsoe's column of the same name, which regularly appeared in ' ...

'' *

(G. Homer Durham ed.) (1946). ''The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, Fourth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (Salt Lake City:

)

Notes

References

* Gordon A. Sabine (1992). ''G. Homer: A Biography of the President of Arizona State University, 1960–69'' (Tempe, Arizona: Arizona State University)
"Elder G. Homer Durham of the First Quorum of the Seventy,"
''

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

'', May 1977, pp. 100–01

External links

The G. Homer Durham Papers
complete inventory at the University of Utah

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, G. Homer 1911 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century Mormon missionaries American Latter Day Saint hymnwriters American Latter Day Saint writers American Mormon missionaries in England American general authorities (LDS Church) Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Latter Day Saints from Arizona Latter Day Saints from Utah Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church) Musicians from Salt Lake City Official historians of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints People from Parowan, Utah People from Salt Lake City Presidents of Arizona State University Presidents of the Seventy (LDS Church) Regional representatives of the Twelve Songwriters from Utah Sunday School (LDS Church) people University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of Utah alumni University of Utah faculty 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American academics