Alonzo A. Hinckley
Born: 23 April 1870
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 11 October 1934
Died: 22 December 1936
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 11 October 1934
Died: 22 December 1936
Conference TalksImage source: Relief Society Magazine, January 1935
Image source: Improvement Era, February 1937
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Image source: Improvement Era, June 1935
Taken about the time of his mission to Holland
Image source: Improvement Era, February 1937 Image source: Relief Society Magazine, February 1937
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Biographical Articles
The Relief Society Magazine, January 1935, Elder Alonzo A. Hinckley
Improvement Era, June 1935, Greatness in Men--Arza Alonzo Hinckley
Improvement Era, February 1937, Alonzo A. Hinckley
Instructor, February 1937, Alonzo A. Hinckley: An Incident and a Prophecy
The Relief Society Magazine, February 1937, Alonzo A. Hinckley--The Man
My own research and opinion
Improvement Era, June 1935, Greatness in Men--Arza Alonzo Hinckley
Improvement Era, February 1937, Alonzo A. Hinckley
Instructor, February 1937, Alonzo A. Hinckley: An Incident and a Prophecy
The Relief Society Magazine, February 1937, Alonzo A. Hinckley--The Man
My own research and opinion
Robison, Willis E. "Elder Alonzo A. Hinckley." The Relief Society Magazine, January 1935: pg. 4-7.
Elder Alonzo A. Hinckley By Willis E. Robison FROM his childhood days, Elder Alonzo A. Hinckley, who was chosen at the October conference as an Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, has been very appreciative of those who taught him in Primary, Sunday Schools, Mutuals, and lesser Priesthood Quorums, and of the Bishops, and other good men who labored under the presidency of his father. He views them all as contributory factors that have led him along the chosen lines the Lord has selected and that have enabled him to harmonize his life with the Gospel, and the purity of its teachings. He regards his missions, and missionary companions, and associates as of intrinsic value to him. Elder Alonzo A. Hinckley, the son of Ira Nathaniel, and Angeline Noble Hinckley, was born at Cove Creek Fort, Millard Co., Utah, April 23, 1870. This Fort was built of lava rock laid in lime mortar which made it a safe and durable structure. Its dimensions were about sixty feet square, with small dwelling rooms built within the walls on the North and South sides. Large heavy wooden gates gave entrance on the East, and West. It was built on the State Highway about midway between Fillmore and Beaver cities, some sixty miles apart. This was a lonely, road through Indian territory in those pioneer days, and that was one reason President Young had it built. Under these environments did the new-born babe make his appearance. Might he not, therefore, with propriety be classed as a Utah Pioneer? THE lad's childhood and youthful days were mostly spent in Fillmore, his father was called by President Young to preside over the Millard Stake of Zion. It was in Fillmore Apostle Hinckley received his first ordination in the Priesthood, that of deacon, and he was made President of his quorum. However, for about four years he lived away from his home, part of the time attending school in Provo under the wise tuition of Karl G. Maeser, and the balance of the time in the little mining camp of Frisco, Beaver County, where he clerked in a store for his brother-in-law, Lafayette Holbrook. There he may have gained the basic training in merchandise that led to his becoming the pioneer merchant in Hinckley at a later date. When he was about twenty-one years of age he taught school in Deseret, Utah, and worked for another brother-in-law, W. A. Ray, in his store during the summer. These experiences led to his gaining an understanding of human nature which caused him to write to a friend, “l appreciate having been a merchant and knowing the needs of the people and finding the honesty, the down right honesty, of many who struggle.” IN 1892 Apostle Hinckley married Miss Rose May Robison of Fillmore, and the young couple made their first home in Deseret where he assisted Joshua Greenwood, Super-intendent of the Stake Sunday Schools in looking after interests of that institution, in the Stake. They moved to the town of Hinckley some five miles away, where they made their home for many years. While here he engaged in merchandising for himself, and organized the Hinckley Cooperative Store, which was successfully run until July 15, 1915, when it was destroyed by fire and not rebuilt. In the meantime he purchased an eighty acre farm and began buying and selling baled hay which he shipped to the mining camps in Nevada, where it found ready sale. He was elected county collector for the years 1896-7, during this time he was ordained a Seventy, and was called by the Church to fill a mission to the Netherlands. He resigned his county position and filled the Church call, remaining there until 1900. In 1901 he was ordained a High Priest by Elder Rudger Clawson and set apart as Counselor to Bishop Wm. H. Pratt of the Hinckley Ward. During his residence in Hinckley he was appointed Postmaster which position he filled for a number of years, and then resigned because he could no longer give it his personal attention. PROMINENT in church and civil affairs in Millard County, he was chosen in 1902 and set apart as President of the Millard Stake of Zion, to succeed his father who was growing aged. In a few years there was a marvelous growth in the northern part of Millard County, occasioned by reservoiring the Sevier River some miles up the stream, and impounding its waters sufficiently to irrigate thousands of acres of land that was then unproductive, and where new towns were being built. It was decided to divide the Millard Stake, and create a new one on the northwestern part. This was done, and Apostle Hinckley was released from the Millard Stake, and set apart to preside over the new Deseret Stake, which retained the old towns of Oak City, Leamington, Lynndyl, Oasis, Deseret, Hinckley, and Abraham, and the newer towns of Delta, Sutherland, and Sugarville were included in the new stake. He presided until 1929 when he was honorably released after twenty-seven years as the chief religious leader in two stakes of Zion. In 1916 he represented Millard County in the State Legislature. There his ability as floor leader was widely recognized. In 1930 Elder Hinckley was ordained a Patriarch by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith. In 1932 he was called to succeed President Joseph McMurrin as head of the California mission, with headquarters at Los Angeles, where he was laboring at the time he was called to the apostleship. ELDER HINCKLEY counts his greatest blessings to have been well born, of parents who had implicit faith in the Gospel as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, who impressed that faith in the hearts of their children, so it was made manifest in their lives. And then to have been well married, all of the successes that may have come to him he feels have centered around, and been fostered by these two important events. The needful training and induction into the Church, and the services therein rendered, among which was a recent short term mission in the Southern States under President Charles A. Callis, the instruction of true parents, and the proper encouragement along the lines of righteous effort by a noble wife have contributed to make his useful life one that will long be remembered. Doubtless his close associations with the pioneers who were struggling to develop the resources of a new country, and their frequent disappointments, and crop failures, may have contributed largely to the good and enduring traits in his character, for he has had to fight along lines that develop faith, courage, and brotherly kindness, and good will towards all men. In 1921 he was appointed State Commissioner of Agriculture by Governor Charles R. Mabey, and four years later when the political party changed, Governor Dern retained him for some time before being able to fill his place, which incident was a tribute to his fair mindedness. We must not underestimate the faith of his childhood, or his youth spent among its friends, for these are great and choice experiences that mellow the hearts and souls of men. There is another factor that has been of great value to Elder Hinckley and that is his association with legislators, State officials, judges, politicians and lawmakers, for they have trained him along lines where he could better defend the innocent, and support the right with greater strength than he might otherwise have done. PRESIDENT HINCKLEY has not been conspicuous along religious lines only, but in business and farming he has won many honors. While his pay rolls for help have not been large, they have been constant, and many of his less fortunate neighbors have had cause to rejoice because of the aid thus rendered by this employment. For many years while living in Hinckley he owned and operated two large farms that were well looked after, either on the share basis, or by hired help, and his large stacks of hay, or alfalfa seed, caused general comment by the passer-by. After his release from the presidency of the stake he moved Salt Lake City, and purchased another farm, larger than either of the others, which he still retains, On the Salt Lake farm he is now conducting a dairy herd. While fate sometimes seemed to rule against him, he was not easily discouraged, but waited the turn of the tide and the relief came, though sometimes in an unexpected manner. APOSTLE HINCKLEY is pleasant in his manner, and genteel in his deportment, with a personality so winning that it has been said of him, "If you once shake hands with Lon Hinckley, you will want to meet him, and shake again." In discussing problems where a difference of opinion exists, he will listen attentively to the objections raised, and then in a pleasing voice and manner, will explain his views and when through if no conversion is made, there will be a real conviction that something has been learned which was not understood before, and all will part friends. Through long experiences in public affairs, and because of faithful service rendered, it could not be otherwise. IN the multiplicity of his labors, Apostle Hinckley has ever regarded his good wife and their children as his greatest assets. This splendid woman, now far past life’s meridian, has been the mother of fourteen children, twelve of whom have reached maturity and can gather around her and call her blessed. The eldest son, Harold, filled a mission for the Church in New Zealand, and is now practicing medicine in California, having graduated from Utah University, and the Denver school of medicine, Rulon, the second son, is a graduate of the Brigham Young University, has filled a Church mission in Switzerland, and is now a seminary teacher in the Hinckley High School. The youngest son, Arza, is now a traveling Elder in the Northwestern states Mission. Of the daughters, Afton Badger, holds a Master's degree in domestic arts from the Brigham Young University. The other daughters have all received High School Diplomas. All of which bear a mute testimony of a generous father's preserving efforts and a loving mother's sincere devotion. |
APOSTLE ALONZO A. HINCKLEY AND HIS WIFE, ROSE ROBISON HINCKLEY
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Hinckley, Bryant S. "Greatness in Men--Arza Alonzo Hinckley." The Improvement Era, June 1935: pg. 347-350, 352.
GREATNESS IN MEN We take pleasure in having Bryant S. Hinckley, president of Liberty Stake and a frequent contributor to these pages, introduce in this formal manner our newest Apostle, his younger brother, Arza Alonzo Hinckley. Here is a story of one of the blossoms of a long line of two splendid American family trees. Arza Alonzo Hinckley[1] By BRYANT S. HINCKLEY President of Liberty Stake Four things a man must learn to do If he would make his record true; To think without confusion clearly; To love his fellow-men sincerely; To act from honest motives purely; To trust in God and Heaven securely. —Henry Van Dyke. THE progress of the world waits upon the feet of thoughtful men, men who do their own reckoning, who never lose their moorings, who are not carried away by every wind of doctrine. Such men constitute the bulwark of free government, the foundation upon which social security and moral progress rests. The value of any civilization is measured by its men. The output of factories, the production of farms, the speed of trains, the convenience of communication, the command of resources, the control of the forces and factors which contribute to human comfort, mean, in the final, very little unless expressed in rugged manhood. Libraries and laboratories, school houses and church spires, with all that they symbolize, are valuable in proportion to their ultimate contribution to character development. The highest values of manhood are measured in terms of thoughtfulness, intelligence, honesty, courage, kindness and human understanding. When a man possesses these virtues at their best he is the noblest asset of the world. Alonzo A. Hinckley holds in fine combination these basic essentials. In mental and moral fiber he ranks among the strong men of his time. In sympathy and human understanding he has few if any superiors. He thinks always in terms of human welfare. He acts always in the interest of justice and righteousness. All his efforts are constructive, stabilizing, and progressive. His inheritance and his surroundings have contributed to the development of a thoughtful, self-reliant, sympathetic man. His parents and their forbears were pioneers. Three hundred years ago Samuel Hinckley, the English immigrant, landed at Situate, Cape Cod, bringing with him the best ideals and traditions of his native England. He was a resourceful man of robust courage forty-six years of age. The new world was made better for his coming. His descendants are among the pioneers and patriots of America. Alonzo Hinckley descends in a direct line from Samuel, through his son, Thomas Hinckley, who was Governor of Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692. The record declared him to have been "A man of worth and piety." ON his mother's side he descends in a direct line from Thomas Noble, whose family is equally distinguished for its pioneering and patriotic service. Alonzo's great grandfather, Lorenzo Noble, died of fever contracted while serving in the War of 1812. Although the family record is far from complete it gives the names of thirty-seven who fought in the French and Indian War, fifty-one in the American Revolution, seventy-three in the War of 1812, and eighty in the Union Army. Members of the Noble family were among the early settlers of all the Northern and Western States. They were path-breakers and city builders. Alonzo's father, Ira N. Hinckley, came to Utah in the Fall of 1850. He was a widower twenty-two years of age, with one child, having buried his wife on the plains. His mother, Angeline Noble, with her parents and two sisters, came to Salt Lake City in the same fall, but in a different company. This young couple had never met. The two families (the Hinckleys and the Nobles) came to America three hundred years ago inspired. with a love for freedom and a desire to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience. Eighty-four years ago their descendants came to Utah inspired by the selfsame motives. Elder Hinckley's mother was one of the early school teachers of Salt Lake City. Aseneth Adams, mother of the famous and beloved Maude Adams, was one of the pupils. His father, Ira N. Hinckley, was by trade a blacksmith, a man who had been denied the advantages of schooling but who was a life-long patron of education. ELDER HINCKLEY was well born and he appreciates it. Speaking in the Salt Lake Tabernacle at the October conference, 1934, he said; "I owe much to my father. He led his family, as every man should do, by the eloquent life that he lived. His words were few but his example was true. No one, in the presence of my father, was ever permitted to lift his voice against the Authorities of this Church without his protest. He prayed; he didn't say prayers. We knew what was in his heart, and he had a great heart. "I am glad to pay tribute to my mother who, in the days when my father was called away from home, never permitted us to forget our prayers. Now I can understand, in these more mature years of my life, her spirit when she tiptoed up stairs, when all was quiet below and we were tucked away in our beds, and she would sit on the edge of the bed and make inquiries, intimate, dose inquiries: 'Have you said your prayers?' 'Yes.' 'Did you remember your father who is away?' Sometimes we had "to admit thinking father was one so big and great and strong he could meet any situation—had to admit perhaps we had not felt the necessity of praying for him. 'Did you pray for those who have not comfortable beds as you have? Did you pray for those who have not food to cat nor raiment to wear?' So today I pay tribute to that angel mother who left an impression so deep that it has never gone out of my heart. Peace to her memory! I owe much to her." IN the family archives is a letter written by President Brigham Young calling Ira N, Hinckley to go to Millard County and superintend the building of Cove Fort. He responded without hesitation, and the Fort was completed in 1867. For many years thereafter it was the home of the family. Cove Fort is situated midway between Fillmore and Beaver, a distance of sixty miles. In ox-team days this was a long and lonesome road through Indian territory. It was built as a protection against Indians and border ruffians. Under Ira N. Hinckley's management it proved to be not only a place of security to weary travelers of those early days but a haven of rest and comfort. On April 23, 1870, Alonzo Hinckley first saw the light of day in this historic place. Sixty years ago his father was made President of Millard Stake of Zion. As a boy of four years Alonzo moved with his mother to Fillmore, where his childhood and youthful days were spent. Here he worked on the farm in the summer and attended school during the winter. When thirteen years of age he entered the Intermediate department of Brigham Young Academy, remaining In the school for two years, afterwards attending the Millard Stake Academy in Fillmore. He returned later to the Brigham Young Academy where for two years he pursued his studies in the Academic department. HIS early education was not neglected. For a young man in his impressionable years to know Dr. Karl G. Maeser was a good beginning. That great teacher never left a boy as he found him. Apostle Hinckley taught school when he was a mere boy, and the school was a rough one—on the out-posts. In those days it required courage and physical prowess as well as scholarship and technique to master a school of that kind. Through his fearless stand for order and discipline he won the admiration of the community. Ten years later, on his return from Holland, he taught for a brief period. He was the moving spirit in establishing and maintaining the Millard Stake Academy at Hinckley, Utah, and was the president of the Board of that institution for thirteen years. He has educated with care, and at large expense, all of his children. The love for learning has always burned in his soul. In his twenty-second year he married Rose May Robison, of Fillmore. This was a fortunate day for both of them. She was a young school teacher of fine lineage and personal attractiveness. The years have proved the wisdom of his choice. The bloom of youth has never faded from her colorful cheeks. She is a tranquil, even-tempered woman of quiet wisdom who, in a gentle but efficient way, manages her household. No mother could be more devoted to her children. No wife could be more steadfast and loyal to her husband and his interests. Few women have ennobled and glorified motherhood as she has done and fewer wear its crown with more grace. She is the mother of fourteen children, twelve of whom are living. He is an ordained patriarch and a great father. THERE isn't much romance in pioneering, there is too much real work to be done, but this home has always been a happy one; a home where economy, work, and worship, that glorious trinity of virtues upon which the well being of the world rests, were practiced and delightfully inculcated. For forty-three years this couple have walked together through sunshine and shadow. Their pathway has not been strewn with roses—they have faced hardships, met disappointments, overcome difficulties. Shining through it all has been the hope and inspiration that comes from a triumphant faith. They have been blessed with the following children: Lois (deceased) Harold, Afton (Mrs- Frank Badger), Rulon, Mabel, (Mrs. Ivan Burgoyne), Susannah, Angeline, Ethel (Mrs. Stanley Irvine) Benjamin Ira (deceased), Mary (Mrs. Frank Craven), Arza, Nellie (Mrs. Byron Jones), Beulah, and Zina. Two died in childhood and twelve have grown to maturity—three sons and nine daughters. These children, a strong and shining group, are a distinct credit to their parents, to the Church to which they are devoted workers, to the communities in which they reside and the Republic to which they belong. IN training, ability and character, this is a remarkable family. Modest, self-reliant, educated, honest, cheerful in outlook, cooperative in spirit, trained to work and willing to work, genial, and in all essentials noble and genuine, these children are an example of what a home consecrated to the great ideals which the Latter-day Saints cherish can give to the world. Apostle Hinckley is not only a stalwart Church worker but he has been active in civil and commercial affairs. In 1896 he was elected Assessor and Collector of Millard County, which position he resigned to fill a mission to the Netherlands. On his return he was appointed Postmaster of Hinckley, subsequently he was elected as representative of Millard County in the state legislature and for five years served as State Commissioner of Agriculture. Referring to his work in this capacity Governor Charles R. Mabey said: "Twenty years ago we were closely associated in framing laws for the good of this state. My attention was soon called to A. A. Hinckley's ability in selecting good legislation and rejecting the bad. His ability in getting at the heart of any subject was uncanny and I sought his advice many times. Above all I found him to be aggressively honest and loyal. "When the people of Utah elected me to the Governorship and the reorganization of the state's administrative system was well under way, the question arose of finding a man to handle the newly created Department of Agriculture. Some one mentioned A. A. Hinckley, of Millard County. To me the thought was an inspiration. I sent for him, told him what was wanted and received this reply: 'I do not seek this position, but if I am needed and you think I can fill it, I will gladly accept.' "Needless to say he swiftly put the department in order and for four long years disposed of its business with efficiency and dispatch at a time when agriculture needed the touch of a guiding hand. "One act of his always impressed me as reflecting the man's true character. It was several days before I went out of office. He called to see me and presented a letter which he asked me to read. It was his resignation. I was dumbfounded, as his term of office didn't expire for several months. His simple remark was: 'I go out with my chief.' "Here was something new in politics. Here was a man willing to go up or down with his file leader. Usually it is not done that way. Can you wonder that my regard for him is so great?" FOR thirty years he made his home in Hinckley, Millard County, a town named in honor of his father. As a boy he worked for his brother-in-law, Lafayette Holbrook, in Frisco, Beaver Co., and subsequently for another brother-in-law, William A. Ray, in Deseret, Millard Co., both of whom were engaged in the mercantile business. This was a most valuable training and experience for Alonzo. These men were both capable business men and men of unquestioned integrity. In 1893 he established the Hinckley Cooperative Store, which he owned and managed for many years. In the meantime he acquired some extensive farm interest in this locality, and through wise management he was soon recognized as one of the most successful farmers in the state. His love for the soil is second only to his love for humanity. He has given long and valiant service, at home and abroad, to the Church which has honored him with a high place in its Councils. At home he served as counselor to the bishop in the Hinckley Ward. He succeeded his father as president of Millard Stake of Zion and for twenty-seven years presided there, and these were eventful years. This was a major job. While living in Salt Lake he was called as a special worker in the Salt Lake Temple, and taught the high priests' class in Capitol Hill Ward. AS a missionary abroad he spent three years in Holland (1897-1900), six months in the Southern States as a volunteer short-term missionary (1926), and three years as president of the California Mission (1932-1935). Wherever he has gone, in whatever capacity he has served, he has shown superior leadership and outstanding ability as an advocate and an administrator. He is cautious but courageous, kind but uncompromising. As president of a stake and as president of a mission he did a monumental work, marked by superior wisdom and great spiritual power. He is a religious leader. Religion with him is not "doctrine in cold storage," it is a practical thing, expressing itself in righteous behavior and in service to others. It is not something apart from life—but a way of living. THERE is a vast tract of alluvial land in western Millard County. This land is strongly impregnated with alkali and scantily supplied with water. The people who years ago established themselves there have made a brave and determined effort to maintain their homes and reclaim the soil, much of which became water-logged and unproductive. To reclaim this land large sections have been tile drained at great expense and in addition reservoirs have been constructed along the Sevier River to conserve the water, also at heavy expense. This vast outlay of money and expenditure of labor have been followed by repeated drouths and crop failures, all of which impoverished the people and involved them in obligations most difficult to meet. To maintain his own credit and the integrity of the people imposed an almost immeasurable burden which he courageously faced and patiently and intelligently struggled with. These difficult situations reveal his high sense of justice, his rugged honesty, the strength and fiber of his character. No pressure of circumstances could force him to countenance any intimation of repudiation. Alonzo Hinckley is intrinsically sound. Referring to him, a life-long friend and associate. Attorney J. A. Melville, said: "For many years prior to his departure to preside over the California Mission I became intimately associated with him in drainage, irrigation, and general reclamation work in Millard County. "In approaching the many intricate financial and administrative problems which confronted him his first effort was to determine the morally- right policy, rather than the most expedient policy to pursue. He contended that whatever was morally right must necessarily be legal. Clear thinking, applied to the solution of practical problems, and his final judgment was logically and forcefully expressed with a dignity that made him pre-eminently the outstanding figure at meetings of boards of directors, stockholders, as well as public gatherings." EMERGING from all of these struggles is a man of great patience, of profound thought, of unfaltering faith, of robust courage, of down-right honesty, and rare human sympathy. From close contact he knows the problems of the common people and the strength and worth of plain men. He has a clear and vigorous mind, with the capacity of holding to a problem until it is mastered and a solution is arrived at, and he has the faculty of presenting the matter in a clear and persuasive way. Alonzo Hinckley has a fine judicial mind and would have distinguished himself as a lawyer had he followed that profession. His association with investors, lawyers, law makers, judges, public officials and plain people has given him a modest self-confidence and a training in clarifying and presenting a case which has made him a powerful advocate of right and justice. To those who have known him best A. A. Hinckley will stand forever as the Tribune of the common people. He was chosen to fill the vacancy in the quorum of the Twelve Apostles occasioned by the death of the beloved President Anthony W. Ivins. In experience, training, mental power, and sympathetic understanding he bears a strong resemblance to that illustrious leader. Beneath a serious surface is a deep and delightful sense of humor which best manifests itself at home or in a family group. He is eloquent at the fire-side; his father before him was. Humor is not the dominant note in his life and is not frequently displayed in public. He has seen dark days and drab situations but there is no drab in his life. No cloud can shut out the sunlight of hope when a man's soul is filled with a radiant faith. Spurgeon remarked that "the best soldiers are gathered from the highlands of adversity." This is exemplified in the selection of Elder Hinckley for a place in the Quorum of Apostles. From the day of his appointment to the apostleship, to the end of his career, he will grow steadily and constantly in the confidence and affection of all the people. In his ministry among them he will not only stimulate faith in their hearts and inspire them with a new devotion to the truth, but he will make an enduring contribution to the stability and progress of the great Church to which he has, in the most practical and thorough-going way, consecrated his highest effort. An Intimate Word HE is my younger brother. I was there when he scored his first great triumph—standing alone. I applauded with childish glee his first faltering steps across the kitchen floor; I led him by the hand when he was too small to venture far from his mother's knee; I remember with pride when I could walk, a fair heel and toe walk, faster than my little brother could run. After three score years have come and gone, again I applaud. Now — his success as a father, his service to the state, his achievements in the ministry, his sterling worth as a man, the strength and purity of his character. With rising pride I applaud the triumphs and victories with which the years have crowned him. [1] Although Elder Hinckley was christened Arza Alonzo, for years he has signed his name Alonzo A. |
ALONZO A. HINCKLEY
A. A. HINCKLEY AND HIS WIFE ABOUT THE TIME HE FILLED A MISSION TO HOLLAND.
IRA N. AND ANGELINE NOBLE HINCKLEY
ALONZO A. HINCKLEY AND ROSE MAY ROBISON AT THE TIME TH EY WERE STUDENTS AT B R I G H A M YOUNG ACADEMY, PROVO.
MRS. HINCKLEY AND HER NINE LIVING DAUGHTERS—AFTON, MABEL, SUSANNAH, ANGELINE, ETHEL, MARY, NELLIE, BEULAH AND ZINA
OLD COVE FORT TAKEN ABOUT THE TIME A. A. HINCKLEY WAS BORN WITHIN ITS WALLS.
ELDER HINCKLEY AND HIS THREE SONS—HAROLD, BULON, AND ARZA.
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Wallis, James H. "Alonzo A. Hinckley." The Improvement Era, February 1937: pg. 76-78.
Alonzo A. Hinckley WHOSE MONUMENT NOW, EVEN AS IT WAS IN LIFE, IS A NOBLE FAMILY, THE ESTEEM OF HIS FELLOW MEN, AND UNSELFISH SERVICE IN THE CAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. By JAMES H. WALLIS IT is a glorious thing to live a life full of service to one's fellowmen; replete with deeds of unselfish devotion to a righteous cause; brimming with activities, crowned with successful achievements; at all times illustrating a nobility of character that can be set before the youth as an example to emulate; rich in acts of kindness; marked by the cardinal virtues of truth, honesty, and courage, coupled with rare mental attainments. Alonzo A. Hinckley lived such a life. He passed away like a beautiful ray of sunset, with an abiding assurance of a glorious and brilliant sunrise upon the morrow. Though he had been ill for a little more than a year, the death of Apostle Hinckley, Tuesday morning, December 22, 1936, came as a shock to his vast circle of friends and associates and to the Church membership. After having spent a year in California recuperating from a serious illness Elder Hinckley returned to Salt Lake in October. Though weak from his long confinement, he attended part of a Sunday session of the October, 1936, semi-annual Conference. It was his first public appearance for many months and also his last. The First Presidency, as soon as the death of Elder Hinckley was announced, paid the following high tribute to his life of activity and service: "We are deeply grieved this morning over the passing of our beloved associate and fellow worker, President Alonzo A. Hinckley. However, having known how serious was his ailment, we realize that it is only through the power of faith and President Hinckley's indomitable will that he had been with us during the last twelve months or more. We are grateful that his time with his loved ones has been thus prolonged. "Readiness to answer the final summons is everything; and President Hinckley was ready. As a husband and father he was ideal; as a community builder, outstanding; as a man, noble and gracious, pure in soul; as a leader, able and exemplary; as a friend, loyal and true; as an Apostle of the Lord, unwavering in his testimony of the living Christ. Truly, 'a prince and a great man has fallen this day.' "Our love and sympathy go out to his devoted wife and upright family. May the realization of their husband and father's nobility and of his many worthy achievements bring to them solace and peace in this hour of bereavement." His fellow associates of the General Authorities also joined in a public expression of their feelings, testifying to the good life and loyal service of their departed fellow-laborer. President Grant presided at the funeral services, which were held in the Tabernacle, Thursday, December 24. Speakers who paid glowing tribute to Elder Hinckley's remarkable accomplishments and devotion to his Church, community, and family were: President Grant, President McKay, Elders George Albert Smith, Joseph Fielding Smith, and former Governor Charles R. Mabey. At the conclusion of the impressive services, President Grant said: "I have no hesitancy in saying that those who knew this man best loved him most, and that God loved him. The many kind things that have been said here regarding him have not been overdrawn. There are occasions when death comes that people speak only good of the deceased, and of course it is right that they should do this, but many times the praise is almost more than the person is entitled to. There has not been a word said here today in praise of this man's integrity, honesty, and devotion to God and his religion, his family, his friends, and his state that is not absolutely true, because he is entitled to all the praise that has been spoken here." President David O. McKay's consoling address revealed the fact, unknown generally to the people, that as far back as November, 1935, doctors had told Elder Hinckley that his illness would be fatal. Thereupon he wrote to the First Presidency of the Church, expressing a feeling of resignation and reiterating his testimony to the restoration of the Gospel: President McKay read from the letter written by Apostle Hinckley: "This would be to a soul without faith doleful indeed. . . . "I assure you I am not deeply disturbed over the final results. I am reconciled and I reach my hands to take what my Father has for me, be it life or death. With a spirit of thanksgiving, and I trust free from vanity or boastfulness, I look over the past with satisfaction. I would not turn the leaf down on any chapter of my life. So far as I know, I have honored my Heavenly Father with my time, my humble talents, and all the means that He has blessed me with and I have dealt justly with all men. I have fought, but I have fought fairly. "As to the future, I have no misgivings. It is inviting and glorious and I sense rather clearly what it means to be saved by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ and to be exalted by his power and be with Him forevermore. "My only concern is for the present. Life is and ever has been sweet indeed to me. My wife, my eternal companion, has been and is all in all to me. What a mother! What a wife! For her I grieve. The children are all right. Twelve of them are living; all are grown; all are pure, clean, wholesome, faithful, fixed in their purpose, and devoted to the Church. "I come to one expression of regret — the possibly shortened period of intimate contact with you and the members of the Council of the Twelve. How I have longed to stand with you and thrust in my sickle with my might and reap a harvest for the Lord and then pass on when you could say, 'He wrought valiantly to the end.' If it is cut short now it will be hard for me to avoid thinking 'What an unprofitable servant.' "I discover my letter has reached undue proportions. It also seems to be gloomy. Quite to the contrary, I am not blue or despondent; I am prepared." This letter manifested the rich and abiding faith Elder Hinckley had in his Heavenly Father and his willingness to yield to His divine will. His faith in the divine calling of his fellow associates was just as implicit and unshaken. This he manifested at the April, 1934, General Conference, when he bore a strong testimony to the value of following the counsels of those whom God has called and appointed to lead and direct the affairs of this Church. Said he: "It is fifty years ago today since I first took upon me the responsibility of the presidency of the deacons—fifty years of joy, fifty years of walking safely in the footsteps of the leaders of this Church. For fifty years I have been acquainted in a way with every president of the Church from Brigham Young to Heber J. Grant, and now with my hair white and my experience ripe, I testify that the path of safety is in following those whom God has called and appointed to lead the way and to carry responsibility in the Church. I testify they are called of Him and that they lead by divine authority." The following choice gem among the many truths in his discourses, has been left by President Hinckley: "Our greatest sermon in every case, I think, is our manner of life. Do we testify with our lives that we have found the truth,, that we love the truth, that we live the truth, and that the truth and the living of the truth bring into our lives soul satisfactions that cannot be found elsewhere or in any other way?" In a discourse, delivered at the April Conference, 1935, he related the following: "A few weeks ago I was permitted to attend a stake conference. They held a priesthood meeting; and as I looked into the faces of those 778 men, I was thrilled. Seven hundred seventy-eight men on a week-day evening, men who are busy making their honest living, there assembled to better qualify themselves to offer a consecrated service to the Lord! I thought as I looked at them, this is a sort of a vision of the strength and power and virility of this Church,—one stake out of the hundred and eleven! I thought: What is the army of the Lord? I looked at a segment of it. If I multiply it by one hundred and eleven I will get some glimpse of this mighty army —90,000 men bearing the holy Melchizedek Priesthood, and 90,000 young men bearing the Aaronic priesthood. What a .power! And in this great group of 180,000 men, every man knows his file leader; and that file leader looks to another file leader; and so it passes on until you reach the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the one and the only man who holds the sealing power and the keys of the priesthood." Apostle Hinckley was born April 23, 1870, at Cove Fort, Utah, a son of Ira Nathaniel Hinckley and Angeline Noble, New Englanders, who helped to pioneer Utah. His ancestry is traced back to the early settlers of the American Continent, who came in 1635. His father was a prominent pioneer, and his mother was one of the first school teachers in Salt Lake City, having taught in the old First ward. Among her pupils was the mother of Maud Adams, world-famed actress. In 1867, Brigham Young called the father to Cove Creek to supervise the building of the fort there. Elder Hinckley's early life was spent in Cove Fort, his father moving to Fillmore when appointed president of Millard stake in 1877. A graduate of Fillmore grammar school and Brigham Young University, Elder Hinckley taught school for a number of years in Deseret, Millard county. As a dairyman, he aided his father and carried on his stock-raising interests after his father's death. In 1892 he married Rose May Robison and lived in Deseret one year before moving to Hinckley, where he made his home. He left home on July 24, 1897, to spend three years in Holland on a mission. He was then the father of three children with the near advent of another. Elder Hinckley served two terms in the legislature, representing Millard county. When Charles R. Mabey was elected governor, he appointed him state commissioner of agriculture. Elder Hinckley was chosen in 1902, at the age of 32 years, to succeed his father as president of the Millard Stake and presided over that stake until it was divided into the Millard and Deseret Stakes and he became president of the latter. In 1929 he was honorably released. Through his long leadership there Elder Hinckley became as a father to the people in that section. He won their respect and admiration through his sympathy and understanding. During his serious illness several months ago, these people held a county-wide day of fasting and prayer in his behalf. From his early youth Elder Hinckley had assumed positions of responsibility that made of him a wise general in the battle of life. As a stake president, later as a mission president, and, during the past several years, as one of the Council of Twelve Apostles, Elder Hinckley has given counsel and comfort to many who have had occasion to appreciate this advice for its true value. For him life held its share of sorrow and joy, hardships and happiness, yet he arose from them all unscathed to become one of God's true noblemen. Behind the scenes of his worthy accomplishments in life are found a loving wife and a large devoted family. They remain as a worthy monument to a life well lived and an example of his abiding faith. Of a quiet and unassuming disposition, he had at his command an infinite store of wisdom gleaned from years of wide experience. He never sought honors yet they came as rewards for conscientious service. He exhibited a sympathetic understanding of the problems of life and was sought constantly as an advisor. Following his release from the Millard stake presidency, Elder Hinckley made his home for a short time in Salt Lake City, laboring as a special worker in the Salt Lake Temple, until his appointment as president of the California Mission. On October 3, 1934, he was called to fill a vacancy in the Council of Twelve Apostles caused by the death of President A, W. Ivins to whom he bore a very striking resemblance. Both were more or less self-made; both were ardent spreaders of the Gospel as missionaries and mission presidents; both were in the stake presidency, one as the first citizen of St. George stake, the other as the first citizen of Millard stake; both led well-balanced lives with a hand in an amazing number of business, economic, and industrial ventures; both were outdoor men. It is a parallel that is at once striking and significant. While a member of the Council of Twelve he visited many of the stakes of the Church. However, his continuing ill health in 1935 caused him to relinquish his active duties and he spent most of the winter and summer of 1935-1936 on the Pacific Coast recuperating from a serious ailment. When Apostle Hinckley was 33 years of age,—the year following his being called to preside over the Millard Stake,—Patriarch John Ashman, at Fillmore, Millard County, gave him an unsolicited patriarchal blessing, in which he was told he would "be numbered with the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." The promise was so startling that Elder Hinckley kept the blessing to himself and for many years no one knew of its contents except the Patriarch himself, and George A. Seamen who was his first counselor in the Stake Presidency and scribe at the home that this blessing was given. When he was called to the apostleship he read the blessing to his family. Apostle Hinckley stands at the head of a noble posterity. His good wife is the mother of fourteen children, twelve of whom are living, two having died in childhood. In the order of their ages they are as follows: Lois, deceased; Dr. Harold Alonzo, Hunford, Calif.; Afton, Mrs. Frank Badger, Holden, Utah; Rulon T., Hinckley, Utah; Mabel, Mrs. Ivan Burgoyne, Salt Lake City; Mrs. Susannah Palmer, Salt Lake City; Angeline, Salt Lake City; Ethel, Mrs. Stanley Irvine, Salt Lake City; Mary, Mrs. Frank Craven, Salt Lake City; Arza A., Salt Lake City; Nellie, Mrs. Byron Jones, Los Angeles; Beulah, Zina, both of Salt Lake; Benjamin, deceased. Harold filled a four year mission to New Zealand; Rulon, three years in the French Mission, and Arza, two years in the Northwestern States. Alonzo A. Hinckley was loved and honored, not only by reason of his great heart and his distinctive personality, but because of his rare qualities of sincerity, courage, and candor. There was no element of deception or of equivocation in his character. Frank, open, outspoken, with reason and conscience for his guides, there was never any question about where he stood on any issue of right and wrong. He was found always firm and unyielding for the right, warm in his friendships, deeprooted in his attachments, true to the interests of his Church and state; he commanded the love and confidence of those with whom he came in contact, and the respect and admiration of all who knew of his life. His gains were never at the expense of his soul. Truly could it be said of him: "His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him, that nature might stand up and say to all the world, 'This was a man'," |
ALONZO A. HINCKLEY
A. A. HINCKLEY AND HIS WIFE ABOUT THE TIME HE FILLED A MISSION TO HOLLAND.
ELDER HINCKLEY AND HIS THREE LIVING SONS
MRS. HINCKLEY AND HER NINE LIVING DAUGHTERS.
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"Alonzo A. Hinckley: An Incident and a Prophecy." The Instructor. February 1937: pg. 54, 56.
ALONZO A. HINCKLEY AN INCIDENT AND A PROPHECY Millard Stake had just closed its quarterly conference. It was the first one since the new president, Alonzo A. Hinckley had been installed. That was back in 1903, thirty- Born April 23, 1870. Died Dec. 26, 1936 four years ago, and the new officer was succeeding his father. He was in his thirty-third year. Elder Hinckley had been born in Cove, Utah. He had lived in Millard county all his life, with the exception of two years in Holland, where he was a missionary for the Church. His father, Ira N. Hinckley, had helped to build Fort Laramie years before Alonzo's birth, and always turned his best horses and cattle in as tithing, instead of the poorest. Alonzo had graduated in the priesthood, having missed only one degree—that of elder. One of his main qualifications for president was his ability to settle disputes. For always, if he could get two disputants together, he could bring them to the point where they would shake hands and be friends. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall see God." It happened also that, in Millard Stake, there lived a man named John Ashman. John Ashman wore a beard, had come from England, and usually taught one of the classes in the lesser priesthood, where he told stories up to the most interesting point and then said, "We will finish the story next time." Another of his religious duties was to give patriarchal blessings. Usually people came to him for this purpose, but sometimes he went to them. He earned his living by whitewashing fences and houses and other buildings, when they needed it. At this particular quarterly conference Patriarch Ashman was present. He was more than present. For, while President Hinckley was officiating in his new calling, Brother Ashman's patriarchal spirit manifested itself. He saw more than met the eye. After the close of the meeting the Patriarch asked the President if he would not stay for a few minutes. "I want to give you a blessing," he explained. Although Brother Hinckley thought the request somewhat odd, and although he was in a hurry to get home, yet he consented to stay. This occurred at Fillmore, and the President lived at Deseret, some miles away. President Hinckley, Patriarch Ashman, and George A. Seaman, one of the counselors in the Stake Presidency, retired to a room by themselves, where they would not be disturbed. And under these circumstances a blessing was given to the new president. The blessing was even more extraordinary than the request. Said the patriarch, among other things: "If you continue to labor with the zeal you have started in with, you will be numbered with the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That, remember, was back in 1903. Time passed. Elder Hinckley remained president of the Millard Stake for many years. Then he moved to Salt Lake City, to take an office under the State government. Finally he was called to preside over the California mission. Meantime, he paid no particular attention to the blessing. As a matter of fact, he was inclined to believe it to have originated in a strong desire on the part of the Patriarch, rather than dictated by the Spirit. Patriarch Ashman had taught him for many years in the Aaronic Priesthood, he had liked him and praised him as one of the good boys in the ward, and it was only natural that his teacher should desire blessing for him of a signal character. Indeed, at the time the blessing was given President Hinckley requested the Patriarch to say nothing about the matter to any one. President Hinckley himself never mentioned it to even his wife or any member of his family. In the year 1934, thirty-one years after the blessing, Elder Hinckley was called to be one of the Twelve Apostles. Says Brother Seaman, who took down the blessing: "I acted as scribe, and felt the inspiration that prompted the words of the blessing. I have waited patiently for their fulfilment, knowing that you [Elder Hinckley] have unceasingly followed the admonition therein given, and by your labors merited those blessings, and even greater ones." This was said in a letter to Elder Hinckley after he was made an Apostle. After his call to the Apostleship Elder Hinckley said to one of his sons, "I feel as if I would like to go down on my knees to Brother Ashman and ask his forgiveness for doubting, even for a moment, his inspiration as he gave me that blessing." |
Alonzo A. Hinckley
Born April 23, 1870. Died Dec. 26, 1936 |
McKay, David O. "Alonzo A. Hinckley--The Man." The Relief Society Magazine, February 1937: pg. 69-70.
Alonzo A. Hinckley-The Man By President David O. McKay WHEN we pay tribute to Alonzo A. Hinckley as a man we need not qualify or limit what we say. Everyone who knows him will bear witness that in describing President Hinckley's uprightness, superlatives may be used without exaggeration. His character is like a clear spring that flows from the rock uncontaminated. If I speak of him as I knew him I can use only those terms which apply to a superior man. It was my privilege and pleasure to accompany President Hinckley through the California Mission when he was first appointed to succeed President Joseph L. McMurrin as President of that Mission. Our continued close association gave me a clearer insight into his outstanding qualities as a leader of men. I had opportunity to observe, also, how ideally happy he was in his congenial home life. If I had been asked at that time to name his most outstanding virtue, I would have said it was an abiding faith in God, and in the efficacy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was evident not only from what he said, and from the testimonies he bore to audiences we met, but by what he constantly radiated in his daily conversations and associations. His keen sense of humor was equally outstanding, but I would say it was more reserved than brilliant, more suggestive than poignant, as was illustrated in his answer to an Eastern lady who on one occasion asked, "Are all your children boys, Mr. Hinckley?" "All but ten" was the prompt but genial reply. Inheritance, environment, and self-effort are three important factors that shape and make men's lives. All three of these influences combined favorably in molding President Hinckley's character. HIS was a noble heritage. His father could have said to his sons, and in different words undoubtedly did say to them, what we find in David Livingston's legacy: "My lads, I have looked back through our history as far as I could find it, and I have never found a dishonest man in all the line. I want you to understand that you inherit good blood ; you have no excuse for doing wrong. My lads, be honest." President Hinckley has added luster to his worthy ancestry. PRESIDENT HINCKLEY'S environment from boyhood to manhood kept him close to nature and to his fellowmen. His home training and companionship in youth taught him early in life the value of self-control as contrasted with looseness and self-indulgence. On the ranch in the bright sunshine, or at night as he lay under the glittering stars, he learned from observation and practical experience that the law of compensation and the law of retribution are as constant as the law of gravitation, and that cause and effect are continuously operative. His keen observation among men taught him that sin and sorrow are inseparable, as also are virtue and happiness. Consequently by self-effort he devoted his youth and early manhood to the cultivation of those cardinal virtues which contribute to the fullest life. He cherished honor as he prized life itself. He was courageous, temperate, loyal and reverent —qualities which contribute to nobility of soul. Paraphrasing a tribute once paid to George Washington, we can say truly President Hinckley was sound at heart, and on the surface of his nature full at once of integrity and sagacity; "speaking ever from the level of his character, and always ready to substantiate opinions with deeds ; a man without any morbid egotism or pretension or extravagance; simple, modest, dignified, incorruptible ; never giving advice which events did not endorse as wise, never lacking fortitude to bear calamities which resulted from his advice being overruled." Men of such sterling worth are the veritable bulwarks of society. The world is better for their having lived, and poorer when they are taken from it. IN the home President Hinckley was respected and beloved as a devoted husband and honored father. In the community he was looked upon as a practical, progressive builder. In his friendships, he was true and loyal. As an ambassador of truth, and as an Apostle of the Lord, he was unwavering in his testimony of the living Christ. "His life was gentle, and the elements So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up, And say to all the world, 'This was a man!' " |
ALONZO A. HINCKLEY
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Alonzo A. Hinckley
“Submit yourselves therefore to God...”
–James 4:7
–James 4:7
Ordained: 11 October 1934 at age 64 by Heber J. Grant
Biography
Alonzo “Lon” Arza Hinckley [According to his brother, Bryant S. Hinckley, he was christened Arza Alonzo, but had signed his name Alonzo A. for years. Here we keep to the traditional order of his first and middle names.] was born 23 April 1870 at Cove Fort, Utah to Ira Nathaniel Hinckley and Angeline Noble. Cove Fort was built halfway between the cities of Beaver and Fillmore to serve as a refuge from the dangers of travel in lonely country, and his father was called to establish it. He was the younger brother of Bryant S. Hinckley and uncle of Gordon B. Hinckley, later President of the Church.
Lon told this story of his early childhood in Cove Fort:
In days long since past, when I was a boy, having been born at Cove Fort, and my father being sent there under the direction of President Brigham Young, and kept that place as a stage station, and with all of the visitors that traveled that way on that overland route, I remember one hour in the morning and one hour, or occasion, in the evening that were sacred to my father; drawing his family away from worldly men and worldy [sic] thoughts with this one sentence : "Let us go over aside." We knew that that meant family prayer. I cannot remember hearing my father pray when he did not sustain, in his prayer before the Lord, the general authorities of the Church. I remember that it was in my father's prayer that he prayed for the President of the United States. He prayed for those who carried heavy responsibility. I remember that my father taught his children that when you sustain with uplifted hand the brethren, as prophets, seers and revelators, you sustain them with your life, your works, as well as your prayers; and I thank the Lord that up to the present that spirit has obtained with me. (A. A. Hinckley 1923, 71-72)
When he was four years old, the family moved to Fillmore, Utah, where his father served as President of the Millard Stake. Lon was ordained a deacon there and served as president of his quorum. Later he was sent to school in Provo, Utah, where he studied for two years at Brigham Young Academy and two more years at the Millard Stake Academy in Fillmore. He later returned to Brigham Young Academy to finish up his studies in the Academic department. In between he worked in his brother-in-law’s store in the mining camp of Frisco, Beaver County.
Of his childhood and his developing testimony, he had this to say:
I cannot recall a moment in my life when I doubted the divinity of this work. I have always looked upon the Authorities of this Church as being servants of the Lord. I can remember in my childhood when President Young used to make his trips through the stakes. My father pointed him out to me as the servant of the Lord, and I looked upon him as a Prophet of God. From that day to this, I have looked upon the various Presidents of the Church as Prophets of the Lord, and I have felt to sustain them, not only by my faith and prayers, but by my works as the Lord should manifest unto me what there was for me to do. The Lord has given me a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. I know it is true, and I doubt not. (A. A. Hinckley 1904, 22)
As a young adult, he taught school in Deseret, Utah, and worked in another brother-in-law’s store during the summer.
In 1892, Lon married Rose May Robison of Fillmore. Despite being told by doctors that she could not safely have any children, the two of them became the parents of fourteen children, twelve of which lived to adulthood.
The couple started married life in Deseret where Lon served as assistant to the Stake Sunday School Superintendent. Afterwards, the couple moved to Hinckley, a town named after his father, where Lon started his own store called the Hinckley Cooperative Store. The store was a continued success until it burned down in July of 1915 and wasn’t rebuilt.
Lon showed himself an enterprising businessman. He purchased an eighty acre farm and sold hay bales to mining camps in Nevada, where the need was greater than the supply.
Lon was elected county collector for the years 1896-1897. Around this time, he was ordained a Seventy and called on a mission to the Netherlands. He resigned his county post to fill it, remaining in the Netherlands for three years. He left his wife pregnant with their fourth child to serve.
He told the following story of his missionary experience:
When I was called upon a mission to the Netherlands and placed in one of the cities there, unable to speak a word of the language, I gazed into the faces of those people as I walked along, and, feeling that they were honest, a yearning desire filled my heart to be able to bear testimony unto them of the truthfulness of the Gospel. … There was a time when I was almost discouraged, and felt that I could not acquire that language, but upon one occasion the power of the Lord rested upon me, and I think I would be justified in mentioning the incident in this conference. I had learned from some Dutch brethren a few simple sentences, which enabled me to go around delivering tracts. As I delivered each tract I would say that it was a Latter-day Saint tract, and that I would call for it in a few days; but if the people wished to converse with me I could not understand them. One Friday, Brother B. G. Thatcher and I were out and gathered nearly every tract, leaving about 12 out. He was called to remain in the office at Rotterdam on the morning when this incident took place, and it occurred to me that inasmuch as I was able to ask for a tract, I might as well gather these tracts that were still out. The first house I went to, the lady opened the door, passed me the tract, and said, "Who are you?" I could understand that, and I had learned to say that I was a missionary, representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She said, "Why didn't you say 'Mormons?'" I did not realize at the time what a change had taken place in my hearing through the power of the Lord, but I could understand every word that that lady spoke to me. She said many vile things against the Church, which I knew were false, and I was filled with a yearning desire to be able to speak to her, and refute the slanderous statements she made against an innocent people. I testify to you, my brethren and sisters, I did receive upon that occasion, through the power of the Lord, the gift of tongues sufficiently to bear testimony to the divinity of the work of God, and to defend an innocent people, so much so that the woman herself was impressed by the Spirit of the Lord, for she broke down in tears and said: "There may be bad people among the Latter-day Saints, but I know that you are a servant of the Lord." (A. A. Hinckley 1904, 22-23)
His mission president in the Netherlands was President Rulon S. Wells. He loved his mission president and had this to say about him:
I am exceedingly happy this morning. We have just listened to the remarks of Elder Rulon S. Wells. My heart has thrilled as he has spoken unto us. He was my mission president in days long ago. While upon that mission the Lord sent unto me a son, and it was in the heart of the mother of that son to name him "Rulon." I loved this man in the days of my younger manhood. I loved him for his faith, for his devotion, for his tenderness. I love him today. As I sat here today and looked up into his face, heard his ringing testimony, and his declaration anew of the first principles of the Gospel, and of their fundamental endurance, and the part they take in every action of our lives, I was fed. God bless him during his remaining days with peace and all the sweetness that he has earned. (A. A. Hinckley 1933, 50)
Upon returning from his mission, he was ordained a high priest and called as counselor in the bishopric of the Hinckley ward. He was also appointed postmaster of Hinckley which he filled for several years, eventually resigning because he could no longer give the post his personal attention.
He was quite concerned with the education of the community. He was the motivation behind the establishment and maintenance of the Millard Stake Academy in Hinckley, Utah. He served as president of the board for 13 years.
In 1902, a year after his call to the bishopric, he received a call to serve as President of the Millard Stake, succeeding his aging father.
The Patriarch of the Millard Stake asked President Hinckley if he may give him a blessing shortly after his calling as Stake President. President Hinckley consented, the Patriarch having been his teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood as a boy. He found himself surprised when his former teacher proclaimed: “If you continue to labor with the zeal you have started in with, you will be numbered with the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” He humbly requested that the Patriarch and his scribe never tell anyone what was said. He didn’t even tell his family about the prophecy. He only revealed it after he was called as apostle. (Alonzo A. Hinckley: An Incident and a Prophecy 1937, 54)
It was not uncommon at that time for stake presidents to speak in general conference. His first conference address was as Stake President of the Millard Stake. Here was his report.
On the twenty-first of next month it will be two years since I was called to take the position that was filled by my father for twenty-five years in the Millard Stake. It is one of the largest stakes geographically in this State, having the same boundary lines as Millard county. We have 11 organized wards, with a population of 6,000 souls, a little over 5,000 belonging to the Church. …. We are united in our labors, and the people are a good people. The population of the Stake remains about stationary, and has done ever since I can remember—and I was born in Millard Stake. (A. A. Hinckley 1904, 21-22)
Despite his expectation that the stake would remain static, shortly thereafter, due to unprecedented growth in the county, the Millard Stake was divided, and President Hinckley was called to serve as President of the newly-organized Deseret Stake. The reason for the sudden growth was as follows, “There is no county within the State of Utah that has as much available land, and as much water that is available to apply upon this land, as the County of Millard.” (A. A. Hinckley 1911, 82-83) As Stake President, he was described as a father to the people in that area. Many sought his advice on personal matters.
In 1916, Lon represented Millard County in the state legislature, and in 1921, he was appointed State Commissioner of Agriculture by the governor, and was retained for a time four years later when the political party changed.
In 1926, he served a six month volunteer mission to the Southern States under President Charles A. Callis. He very much enjoyed serving in a missionary capacity and made these remarks about his experience in Florida:
I have been privileged the last few months to be in the missionary field, under the direction of President Charles A. Callis, in the Southern States mission. I was assigned to the Florida conference. Not being acquainted with the other conferences of the Southern States, I am prone to believe, from the short experience that I had in Florida, that perhaps the Florida conference is one of the choicest conferences of the Southern States. I bring to you the greetings of the Saints in Florida, and I can speak of them as Saints. The majority of those who are members of the Church are devoted in their service to the Lord. I have felt that it is one of the greatest opportunities that has come into my life to be privileged to become renewed in the spirit of proclamation, even the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ; to feel the missionary spirit; to feel the spirit of testimony; to be associated with young men in the Florida conference. … I speak of Florida frequently as of Holland. I don't know why it should be, after a lapse of twenty-five years, that when I speak I should mix the names of Holland and Florida, only for the same spirit of testimony which is discovered. (A. A. Hinckley 1926, 96-97)
He continued to serve as Stake President until 1929, serving in the two stakes a total of 27 years. Following his release as Stake President, he moved to Salt Lake City and purchased a larger farm there which became a dairy farm. He was also called as a special worker in the Salt Lake Temple. Around this time, he was ordained a Patriarch by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith.
In 1932, he was called to serve as Mission President of the California Mission. A few of his reports from the mission field were as follows:
I come with a cheering report from the California Mission. No man could live in California a winter and a summer and not feel led to speak well of that great country, as well as of her people. The California Mission includes most of California, most of Arizona, and most of Nevada, and represents millions of choice people. Our place in that mission seems to be firmly taken. Our numbers there increase steadily. Our stability seems to be assured. The happiness of the people is continuous. I find a satisfaction among them that is very gratifying. (A. A. Hinckley 1932, 69)
I should, of course, bear testimony of the Elders. Thirty-nine of them are all we have—the choicest of the choice—down in California. To their fathers, their mothers, their friends, their bishops, I say they are pure; they are sweet; they are wholesome. They are offering a consecration unto the Lord, their time and their talents, their very best service. Twelve lady missionaries likewise; all well, all happy, all sowing the seeds of truth, witnessing the results of their work. In these last nine months there have come into the Church, through the testimony that has gone out unto them, four hundred members, who declare that to them this is a new world!
I never was happier. I know the truth. I love it. I pray for power to live it and to be able to consecrate my life to his service, henceforth and forever... (A. A. Hinckley 1933, 52-53)
Then, in October of 1934, Alonzo A. Hinckley was called to serve as Apostle by President Heber J. Grant.
At the time of his call, he felt rather overwhelmed. “My brethren and sisters, my soul is subdued. I had never dreamed of such a thing, never heard an intimation of such a thing as my being called into the Council of the Twelve. I stand before you as one who needs your supporting power for a few minutes.” (A. A. Hinckley 1934, 53)
In November of 1935, Elder Hinckley became ill. The diagnosis was terminal stomach cancer. He went to California to rest. The entire Church was asked to pray for him which, undoubtedly, prolonged his life. His former Stake of Deseret held several special fasts on his behalf. He returned to Salt Lake in October 1936 and attended part of a Sunday session of general conference. It was his first public appearance for many months and would also be his last. He died 22 December 1936 at age 66 as a result of his illness.
At the time of his diagnosis, he wrote the First Presidency a letter in which he said:
I assure you I am not deeply disturbed over the final results. I am reconciled and I reach my hands to take what my Father has for me, be it life or death. With a spirit of thanksgiving, and I trust free from vanity or boastfulness, I look over the past with satisfaction. I would not turn the leaf down on any chapter of my life. So far as I know, I have honored my Heavenly Father with my time, my humble talents, and all the means that He has blessed me with and I have dealt justly with all men. I have fought, but I have fought fairly.
As to the future, I have no misgivings. It is inviting and glorious and I sense rather clearly what it means to be saved by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ and to be exalted by his power and be with Him forevermore.
My only concern is for the present. Life is and ever has been sweet indeed to me. My wife, my eternal companion, has been and is all in all to me. What a mother! What a wife! For her I grieve. The children are all right. Twelve of them are living; all are grown; all are pure, clean, wholesome, faithful, fixed in their purpose, and devoted to the Church.
I come to one expression of regret —the possibly shortened period of intimate contact with you and the members of the Council of the Twelve. How I have longed to stand with you and thrust in my sickle with my might and reap a harvest for the Lord and then pass on when you could say, “He wrought valiantly to the end.” If it is cut short now it will be hard for me to avoid thinking “What an unprofitable servant.” (Wallis 1937, 77)
Quotes
President Hinckley and later Elder Hinckley’s general conference addresses were generally relatively short and full of personal stories and experiences to illustrate his points. His favorite topics were parenting, testimony of the living prophets and stories from the mission field. He only spoke three times as an Apostle, and his addresses were laden with testimony and appreciation for the living prophets.
His strong testimony was born as follows:
I desire to bear testimony to a knowledge that we are engaged in the work of the Lord. I have not been privileged to see any marvelous manifestations connected with the work of the Lord, only as I have seen it progress, but the Lord has made manifest unto my soul the divinity of this work. He has made manifest unto me that development, comfort, and blessings come unto all those who are faithful, and that disappointment comes unto those who prove derelict in their duty.
May the Lord help us to be faithful, that we may cherish a love for the truth; and while we may seek the favor of the world, that we shall never sacrifice principle, but that we shall declare the truth by word and deed every moment of our lives, serving the Lord with full purpose of heart… (A. A. Hinckley 1907, 101)
Shortly before his call to the apostleship, he reminisced about having served in the priesthood for fifty years.
It is fifty years ago today since I first took upon me the responsibility of the presidency of the deacons—fifty years of joy, fifty years of walking safely in the footsteps of the leaders of this Church. For fifty years I have been acquainted in a way with every President of the Church from Brigham Young to Heber J. Grant, and now with my hair white and my experience ripe I testify that the path of safety is in following those whom God has called and appointed to lead the way and to carry responsibility in this Church. I testify that they are called of him and that they lead by divine authority. (A. A. Hinckley 1934, 129)
His final conference address before his diagnosis and eventual death, found him bearing another kind of testimony, this time a prophetic one. Elder Hinckley died before the outbreak of World War II, yet he felt its coming.
God bless the leaders of Zion and bring into our hearts a renewed feeling of reverence; that henceforth their voices, as they speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost, shall be unto us as the voice of God. In this hour when war drums are rolling, fleets are massing, soldiers are being marshaled and all the powers of destruction are being assembled, let us remember the word of the Lord who said: "When that day shall come that peace shall be taken from the earth, when the devil shall have dominion over his own, I the Lord shall rule in the hearts of Zion and shall come down in judgment upon the earth." (A. A. Hinckley 1935, 25-26)
Public speaking was not President Hinckley’s favorite activity. He expressed his continued nervousness in addressing the Saints in general conference as follows:
Notwithstanding I have spent three years of my life upon a foreign mission, calling men unto repentance and bearing witness to the divinity of the work of the Lord, and that I am the father of fourteen children, one of my boys being now in a foreign clime proclaiming this same gospel, yet I am undergoing for the first time in my life, right now, the experience of speaking to a congregation in the open, and I tremble in every part of my body. I feel and sense the need of help and inspiration, and I pray that the Lord will be my helper and my inspirer. (A. A. Hinckley 1917, 91-92)
Elder Hinckley loved to speak about his parents. He specifically mentioned their righteous influence at the time of his calling to the apostleship.
I have thought in the last few minutes of my father, who is dead and gone. I have grown up in the Church, known all the Authorities since Brigham Young and loved them, sustained them, honored them, have been impressed by them, inspired by them. But my father, to him is the glory of having taught his family by a noble example, by devotion to the truth, by a humble reverence for the Authorities of the Church and loyalty to them all. To my father I give credit, leading his family, as man should lead, by the eloquent life that he led. His words were few but his example was true. No soul, in the presence of my father, was ever permitted to lift his voice and speak words against the Authorities of this Church, without my father offering an objection. I think of him in his teachings, in his prayers. My father prayed; he didn't say his prayers. We knew what was in his heart. We knew that for which he struggled, and we followed him.
May I pay a tribute to my mother, who, in the days when my father was called away from home, never permitted us to forget our prayers, never failed to kneel in the group. Now I can understand, in these more mature years of my life, her spirit when she tiptoed upstairs, when all was quiet below and we were tucked away in our beds, and she would sit on the edge of the bed and make inquiries, intimate, close inquiries: "Have you said your prayers?" "Yes." "Did you remember your father who is away?" Sometimes we had to admit thinking father was so big and great and strong he could meet any situation, had to admit perhaps we had not felt the necessity of praying for him. "Did you pray for those who have not comfortable beds as you have? Did you pray for those who have not food to eat nor raiment to wear?" So today I pay tribute to that angel mother who left an impression so deep that it has never gone out of the hearts of her children. Blessed be her name! (A. A. Hinckley 1934, 53-54)
Family was of utmost importance to him. He thought of his family often when we was away from them. He described:
It has been my high privilege to travel over land and sea. Never did the sun go down without in my heart I could feel, and in the vision of my mind I could see the children in my own home, not by compulsion, but with tenderness and sweetness, drawn to the knee of their mother where they lisped their prayers, and looked to God for help. That is as it should be. (A. A. Hinckley, Greetings to the Relief Society 1935, 337)
He loved to speak of his children. He communicated his joy when his oldest son expressed a desire to serve a mission.
I thank the Lord that this spirit that has come down to me from my father has also made itself manifest in our children, and I hope that I will not be charged with speaking in any personal way but only as all fathers feel, I believe. When we came out of a priesthood meeting the other day, where a call had been made for missionaries, my son a young man but eighteen years of age, when I came home said, "Papa, do you think I am old enough to go abroad and proclaim the gospel? I would like to accept that mission." My heart was melted with joy when that boy made that voluntary offer. "I will go abroad and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.” …I thank the Lord for the spirit that prompted the boy to proffer to go abroad and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to feel in his youth that it is the truth. I believe that the gospel demands of you and me not that we wait till our age is advanced and then give our service, but that we give the strength of our youth, the strength of our manhood, the best that we possess, all that we have and all that we are for the Church and kingdom of God. If this gospel is anything it is everything to us… (A. A. Hinckley 1913, 41)
They eventually decided as a family to have him wait a year or two before leaving on his mission. His oldest son was later called to serve in New Zealand and served faithfully there for four years.
Now I am very happy, in my visit at this conference, to have with me my son, a boy of twenty years of age, who stands up to his father's height, and looks me in the face and says: "Father, I am glad that I am here to be blessed and set apart to go and bear testimony, as you have borne before, to the nations of the earth that this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ." When asked, "Wouldn't you rather go to some English-speaking people than to go to far-off New Zealand?" "No," he said, "I would rather go where the Lord wishes me to go, for He knows where I can accomplish the best work." (A. A. Hinckley 1915, 100)
His son, who he had so touchingly sent into the mission field, had a similarly touching homecoming.
Four years ago, this October, the mother and father and the children that are here upon this occasion were here to bid farewell to the oldest son of the family and wish him God speed upon his journey to New Zealand. We are here today to bid him welcome home from that field of labor. I hope you will pardon me for indulging in this kind of personal or family talk, but I stand before you as a father in Israel, one whose heart is full of thanksgiving, and I take it that it is fitting and proper that I should offer thanksgiving, even at this time, unto the Lord. The other night when that missionary boy crawled in bed with his father, the first time for four years and more, he said:
"Father, it has been a long time, hasn't it?"
"Yes," said I, "It has been a long time, son but, oh, how rapidly that time has gone and how grateful to the Lord, I have been every day, that he has permitted you to be out in his service.” When I awoke in the morning I discovered that boy's head on my arm while he still slept, and thought if he could but know what a warm pulsation of this father's heart that is his, and how I lie here offering thanksgiving unto God for him, O how anxious he would be that he should never falter, never fall back, never lose that spirit and that sweetness which characterize him now. (A. A. Hinckley 1919, 158-159)
Elder Hinckley had a strong testimony of the divine calling of the general authorities of the Church.
I bear testimony that my brethren live in the love and favor of God and that they carry their responsibilities with fidelity. I bear testimony of the unity and the feeling of brotherly love that exist in the presiding councils. I bear testimony of the deference and reverence that are given to the President of the Church, in recognition of his long life of faithful devotion to the cause of truth, his known unswerving integrity under every condition of life that has ever confronted him, his generous spirit, his heart of understanding and his ear that is open to the petitions of the just and the good.
We rejoice with him in the inspiration that came to him in the happy choice that he made of his counselors. President Clark, a born straight thinker, a righteous defender of the truth, is a man of undeviating and unfaltering devotion to the Church, who is never given to expediency and cannot be lured by position or place away from the high standards of the Church. President McKay, with his manly physique, a perfect physical specimen, it seems to me, presided over by a trained and a keen mind, enjoys a spirituality that has made him, not of his own volition but by common consent, the idol of youth, the foremost Sunday School teacher and officer of his day. The sweetness of his life flows into ours in richness and lifts in us every good quality and ambition.
These men constitute the Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the oracles of God chosen to receive the mind and the will and the word of the Lord and to impart it unto the people. I bear testimony that the avenues of revelation are open. The brethren are worthy. Jesus is at the helm. This is his work and he leads his servants. (A. A. Hinckley 1935, 24)
His older brother, Bryant S. Hinckley, occasionally wrote articles for the Church magazines and volunteered to write the article about his brother when he was called as an Apostle. He had this to say about him:
In mental and moral fiber he ranks among the strong men of his time. In sympathy and human understanding he has few if any superiors. He thinks always in terms of human welfare. He acts always in the interest of justice and righteousness. All his efforts are constructive, stabilizing, and progressive. His inheritance and his surroundings have contributed to the development of a thoughtful, self-reliant, sympathetic man. …
From the day of his appointment to the apostleship, to the end of his career, he will grow steadily and constantly in the confidence and affection of all the people. In his ministry among them he will not only stimulate faith in their hearts and inspire them with a new devotion to the truth, but he will make an enduring contribution to the stability and progress of the great Church to which he has, in the most practical and thorough-going way, consecrated his highest effort. (B. S. Hinckley 1935, 347, 352)
At the time of his death, his associate, David O. McKay, wrote of him:
It was my privilege and pleasure to accompany President Hinckley through the California Mission when he was first appointed to succeed President Joseph L. McMurrin as President of that Mission. Our continued close association gave me a clearer insight into his outstanding qualities as a leader of men. I had opportunity to observe, also, how ideally happy he was in his congenial home life. If I had been asked at that time to name his most outstanding virtue, I would have said it was an abiding faith in God, and in the efficacy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was evident not only from what he said, and from the testimonies he bore to audiences we met, but by what he constantly radiated in his daily conversations and associations.
His keen sense of humor was equally outstanding, but I would say it was more reserved than brilliant, more suggestive than poignant, as was illustrated in his answer to an Eastern lady who on one occasion asked, "Are all your children boys, Mr. Hinckley?" "All but ten" was the prompt but genial reply. …
Consequently by self-effort he devoted his youth and early manhood to the cultivation of those cardinal virtues which contribute to the fullest life. He cherished honor as he prized life itself. He was courageous, temperate, loyal and reverent —qualities which contribute to nobility of soul. Paraphrasing a tribute once paid to George Washington, we can say truly President Hinckley was sound at heart, and on the surface of his nature full at once of integrity and sagacity… (McKay 1937, 70)
Another article appeared at the time of his death outlining his character.
It is a glorious thing to live a life full of service to one's fellowmen; replete with deeds of unselfish devotion to a righteous cause; brimming with activities, crowned with successful achievements; at all times illustrating a nobility of character that can be set before the youth as an example to emulate; rich in acts of kindness; marked by the cardinal virtues of truth, honesty, and courage, coupled with rare mental attainments. Alonzo A. Hinckley lived such a life. He passed away like a beautiful ray of sunset, with an abiding assurance of a glorious and brilliant sunrise upon the morrow. (Wallis 1937, 76)
A prediction was published in the Relief Society Magazine which, unfortunately, was not fulfilled. “The needful training and introduction into the Church, and the services therein rendered … have contributed to make his useful life one that will long be remembered.” (Robison 1935, 6)
Conclusion
What kind of man was Alonzo A. Hinckley? He was a family man. He was a submissive and obedient son and later a devoted husband and father. He was a Church leader. He devoted as much of his time as he could to serving the people in his ward and later in his stake and mission. He loved missionary work and served two missions as a missionary and one more as mission president.
He gave advice to the people about all kinds of problems, acting in place of their fathers. Then, when it became apparent that his life was coming to an end, he was once again the submissive and obedient son, relinquishing his will to that of his Father.
Hinckley, Alonzo A. 1904. Seventy-Fifth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 21-23.
—. 1907. Seventy-Eighth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 99-101.
—. 1911. 81st Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 82-85.
—. 1913. Eighty-third Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 40-42.
—. 1915. Eighty-Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 100-101.
—. 1917. Eighty-Seventh Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 91-94.
—. 1919. Ninetieth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 158-162.
—. 1923. Ninety-Third Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 71-74.
—. 1926. Ninety-Sixth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 96-99.
—. 1932. One-Hundred and Third Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 69-71.
—. 1933. One Hundred Fourth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 50-53.
—. 1934. One Hundred Fourth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 126-130.
—. 1934. One Hundred Fifth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 53-54.
—. 1935. One Hundred Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 23-26.
—. 1935. "Greetings to the Relief Society." The Relief Society Magazine, June: 335-338.
Hinckley, Bryant S. 1935. "Greatness in Men--Arza Alonzo Hinckley." The Improvement Era, June: 347-350, 352.
McKay, David O. 1937. "Alonzo A. Hinckley--The Man." The Relief Society Magazine, February: 69-70.
Robison, Willis E. 1935. "Elder Alonzo A. Hinckley." The Relief Society Magazine, January: 4-7.
The Instructor. 1937. ""A Mother in Israel" What Motherhood Meant to Mrs. Alonzo A. Hinckley." May: 191-192.
The Instructor. 1937. "Alonzo A. Hinckley: An Incident and a Prophecy." February: 54, 56.
Wallis, James H. 1937. "Alonzo A. Hinckley." The Improvement Era, February: 76-78.
Biography
Alonzo “Lon” Arza Hinckley [According to his brother, Bryant S. Hinckley, he was christened Arza Alonzo, but had signed his name Alonzo A. for years. Here we keep to the traditional order of his first and middle names.] was born 23 April 1870 at Cove Fort, Utah to Ira Nathaniel Hinckley and Angeline Noble. Cove Fort was built halfway between the cities of Beaver and Fillmore to serve as a refuge from the dangers of travel in lonely country, and his father was called to establish it. He was the younger brother of Bryant S. Hinckley and uncle of Gordon B. Hinckley, later President of the Church.
Lon told this story of his early childhood in Cove Fort:
In days long since past, when I was a boy, having been born at Cove Fort, and my father being sent there under the direction of President Brigham Young, and kept that place as a stage station, and with all of the visitors that traveled that way on that overland route, I remember one hour in the morning and one hour, or occasion, in the evening that were sacred to my father; drawing his family away from worldly men and worldy [sic] thoughts with this one sentence : "Let us go over aside." We knew that that meant family prayer. I cannot remember hearing my father pray when he did not sustain, in his prayer before the Lord, the general authorities of the Church. I remember that it was in my father's prayer that he prayed for the President of the United States. He prayed for those who carried heavy responsibility. I remember that my father taught his children that when you sustain with uplifted hand the brethren, as prophets, seers and revelators, you sustain them with your life, your works, as well as your prayers; and I thank the Lord that up to the present that spirit has obtained with me. (A. A. Hinckley 1923, 71-72)
When he was four years old, the family moved to Fillmore, Utah, where his father served as President of the Millard Stake. Lon was ordained a deacon there and served as president of his quorum. Later he was sent to school in Provo, Utah, where he studied for two years at Brigham Young Academy and two more years at the Millard Stake Academy in Fillmore. He later returned to Brigham Young Academy to finish up his studies in the Academic department. In between he worked in his brother-in-law’s store in the mining camp of Frisco, Beaver County.
Of his childhood and his developing testimony, he had this to say:
I cannot recall a moment in my life when I doubted the divinity of this work. I have always looked upon the Authorities of this Church as being servants of the Lord. I can remember in my childhood when President Young used to make his trips through the stakes. My father pointed him out to me as the servant of the Lord, and I looked upon him as a Prophet of God. From that day to this, I have looked upon the various Presidents of the Church as Prophets of the Lord, and I have felt to sustain them, not only by my faith and prayers, but by my works as the Lord should manifest unto me what there was for me to do. The Lord has given me a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. I know it is true, and I doubt not. (A. A. Hinckley 1904, 22)
As a young adult, he taught school in Deseret, Utah, and worked in another brother-in-law’s store during the summer.
In 1892, Lon married Rose May Robison of Fillmore. Despite being told by doctors that she could not safely have any children, the two of them became the parents of fourteen children, twelve of which lived to adulthood.
The couple started married life in Deseret where Lon served as assistant to the Stake Sunday School Superintendent. Afterwards, the couple moved to Hinckley, a town named after his father, where Lon started his own store called the Hinckley Cooperative Store. The store was a continued success until it burned down in July of 1915 and wasn’t rebuilt.
Lon showed himself an enterprising businessman. He purchased an eighty acre farm and sold hay bales to mining camps in Nevada, where the need was greater than the supply.
Lon was elected county collector for the years 1896-1897. Around this time, he was ordained a Seventy and called on a mission to the Netherlands. He resigned his county post to fill it, remaining in the Netherlands for three years. He left his wife pregnant with their fourth child to serve.
He told the following story of his missionary experience:
When I was called upon a mission to the Netherlands and placed in one of the cities there, unable to speak a word of the language, I gazed into the faces of those people as I walked along, and, feeling that they were honest, a yearning desire filled my heart to be able to bear testimony unto them of the truthfulness of the Gospel. … There was a time when I was almost discouraged, and felt that I could not acquire that language, but upon one occasion the power of the Lord rested upon me, and I think I would be justified in mentioning the incident in this conference. I had learned from some Dutch brethren a few simple sentences, which enabled me to go around delivering tracts. As I delivered each tract I would say that it was a Latter-day Saint tract, and that I would call for it in a few days; but if the people wished to converse with me I could not understand them. One Friday, Brother B. G. Thatcher and I were out and gathered nearly every tract, leaving about 12 out. He was called to remain in the office at Rotterdam on the morning when this incident took place, and it occurred to me that inasmuch as I was able to ask for a tract, I might as well gather these tracts that were still out. The first house I went to, the lady opened the door, passed me the tract, and said, "Who are you?" I could understand that, and I had learned to say that I was a missionary, representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She said, "Why didn't you say 'Mormons?'" I did not realize at the time what a change had taken place in my hearing through the power of the Lord, but I could understand every word that that lady spoke to me. She said many vile things against the Church, which I knew were false, and I was filled with a yearning desire to be able to speak to her, and refute the slanderous statements she made against an innocent people. I testify to you, my brethren and sisters, I did receive upon that occasion, through the power of the Lord, the gift of tongues sufficiently to bear testimony to the divinity of the work of God, and to defend an innocent people, so much so that the woman herself was impressed by the Spirit of the Lord, for she broke down in tears and said: "There may be bad people among the Latter-day Saints, but I know that you are a servant of the Lord." (A. A. Hinckley 1904, 22-23)
His mission president in the Netherlands was President Rulon S. Wells. He loved his mission president and had this to say about him:
I am exceedingly happy this morning. We have just listened to the remarks of Elder Rulon S. Wells. My heart has thrilled as he has spoken unto us. He was my mission president in days long ago. While upon that mission the Lord sent unto me a son, and it was in the heart of the mother of that son to name him "Rulon." I loved this man in the days of my younger manhood. I loved him for his faith, for his devotion, for his tenderness. I love him today. As I sat here today and looked up into his face, heard his ringing testimony, and his declaration anew of the first principles of the Gospel, and of their fundamental endurance, and the part they take in every action of our lives, I was fed. God bless him during his remaining days with peace and all the sweetness that he has earned. (A. A. Hinckley 1933, 50)
Upon returning from his mission, he was ordained a high priest and called as counselor in the bishopric of the Hinckley ward. He was also appointed postmaster of Hinckley which he filled for several years, eventually resigning because he could no longer give the post his personal attention.
He was quite concerned with the education of the community. He was the motivation behind the establishment and maintenance of the Millard Stake Academy in Hinckley, Utah. He served as president of the board for 13 years.
In 1902, a year after his call to the bishopric, he received a call to serve as President of the Millard Stake, succeeding his aging father.
The Patriarch of the Millard Stake asked President Hinckley if he may give him a blessing shortly after his calling as Stake President. President Hinckley consented, the Patriarch having been his teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood as a boy. He found himself surprised when his former teacher proclaimed: “If you continue to labor with the zeal you have started in with, you will be numbered with the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” He humbly requested that the Patriarch and his scribe never tell anyone what was said. He didn’t even tell his family about the prophecy. He only revealed it after he was called as apostle. (Alonzo A. Hinckley: An Incident and a Prophecy 1937, 54)
It was not uncommon at that time for stake presidents to speak in general conference. His first conference address was as Stake President of the Millard Stake. Here was his report.
On the twenty-first of next month it will be two years since I was called to take the position that was filled by my father for twenty-five years in the Millard Stake. It is one of the largest stakes geographically in this State, having the same boundary lines as Millard county. We have 11 organized wards, with a population of 6,000 souls, a little over 5,000 belonging to the Church. …. We are united in our labors, and the people are a good people. The population of the Stake remains about stationary, and has done ever since I can remember—and I was born in Millard Stake. (A. A. Hinckley 1904, 21-22)
Despite his expectation that the stake would remain static, shortly thereafter, due to unprecedented growth in the county, the Millard Stake was divided, and President Hinckley was called to serve as President of the newly-organized Deseret Stake. The reason for the sudden growth was as follows, “There is no county within the State of Utah that has as much available land, and as much water that is available to apply upon this land, as the County of Millard.” (A. A. Hinckley 1911, 82-83) As Stake President, he was described as a father to the people in that area. Many sought his advice on personal matters.
In 1916, Lon represented Millard County in the state legislature, and in 1921, he was appointed State Commissioner of Agriculture by the governor, and was retained for a time four years later when the political party changed.
In 1926, he served a six month volunteer mission to the Southern States under President Charles A. Callis. He very much enjoyed serving in a missionary capacity and made these remarks about his experience in Florida:
I have been privileged the last few months to be in the missionary field, under the direction of President Charles A. Callis, in the Southern States mission. I was assigned to the Florida conference. Not being acquainted with the other conferences of the Southern States, I am prone to believe, from the short experience that I had in Florida, that perhaps the Florida conference is one of the choicest conferences of the Southern States. I bring to you the greetings of the Saints in Florida, and I can speak of them as Saints. The majority of those who are members of the Church are devoted in their service to the Lord. I have felt that it is one of the greatest opportunities that has come into my life to be privileged to become renewed in the spirit of proclamation, even the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ; to feel the missionary spirit; to feel the spirit of testimony; to be associated with young men in the Florida conference. … I speak of Florida frequently as of Holland. I don't know why it should be, after a lapse of twenty-five years, that when I speak I should mix the names of Holland and Florida, only for the same spirit of testimony which is discovered. (A. A. Hinckley 1926, 96-97)
He continued to serve as Stake President until 1929, serving in the two stakes a total of 27 years. Following his release as Stake President, he moved to Salt Lake City and purchased a larger farm there which became a dairy farm. He was also called as a special worker in the Salt Lake Temple. Around this time, he was ordained a Patriarch by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith.
In 1932, he was called to serve as Mission President of the California Mission. A few of his reports from the mission field were as follows:
I come with a cheering report from the California Mission. No man could live in California a winter and a summer and not feel led to speak well of that great country, as well as of her people. The California Mission includes most of California, most of Arizona, and most of Nevada, and represents millions of choice people. Our place in that mission seems to be firmly taken. Our numbers there increase steadily. Our stability seems to be assured. The happiness of the people is continuous. I find a satisfaction among them that is very gratifying. (A. A. Hinckley 1932, 69)
I should, of course, bear testimony of the Elders. Thirty-nine of them are all we have—the choicest of the choice—down in California. To their fathers, their mothers, their friends, their bishops, I say they are pure; they are sweet; they are wholesome. They are offering a consecration unto the Lord, their time and their talents, their very best service. Twelve lady missionaries likewise; all well, all happy, all sowing the seeds of truth, witnessing the results of their work. In these last nine months there have come into the Church, through the testimony that has gone out unto them, four hundred members, who declare that to them this is a new world!
I never was happier. I know the truth. I love it. I pray for power to live it and to be able to consecrate my life to his service, henceforth and forever... (A. A. Hinckley 1933, 52-53)
Then, in October of 1934, Alonzo A. Hinckley was called to serve as Apostle by President Heber J. Grant.
At the time of his call, he felt rather overwhelmed. “My brethren and sisters, my soul is subdued. I had never dreamed of such a thing, never heard an intimation of such a thing as my being called into the Council of the Twelve. I stand before you as one who needs your supporting power for a few minutes.” (A. A. Hinckley 1934, 53)
In November of 1935, Elder Hinckley became ill. The diagnosis was terminal stomach cancer. He went to California to rest. The entire Church was asked to pray for him which, undoubtedly, prolonged his life. His former Stake of Deseret held several special fasts on his behalf. He returned to Salt Lake in October 1936 and attended part of a Sunday session of general conference. It was his first public appearance for many months and would also be his last. He died 22 December 1936 at age 66 as a result of his illness.
At the time of his diagnosis, he wrote the First Presidency a letter in which he said:
I assure you I am not deeply disturbed over the final results. I am reconciled and I reach my hands to take what my Father has for me, be it life or death. With a spirit of thanksgiving, and I trust free from vanity or boastfulness, I look over the past with satisfaction. I would not turn the leaf down on any chapter of my life. So far as I know, I have honored my Heavenly Father with my time, my humble talents, and all the means that He has blessed me with and I have dealt justly with all men. I have fought, but I have fought fairly.
As to the future, I have no misgivings. It is inviting and glorious and I sense rather clearly what it means to be saved by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ and to be exalted by his power and be with Him forevermore.
My only concern is for the present. Life is and ever has been sweet indeed to me. My wife, my eternal companion, has been and is all in all to me. What a mother! What a wife! For her I grieve. The children are all right. Twelve of them are living; all are grown; all are pure, clean, wholesome, faithful, fixed in their purpose, and devoted to the Church.
I come to one expression of regret —the possibly shortened period of intimate contact with you and the members of the Council of the Twelve. How I have longed to stand with you and thrust in my sickle with my might and reap a harvest for the Lord and then pass on when you could say, “He wrought valiantly to the end.” If it is cut short now it will be hard for me to avoid thinking “What an unprofitable servant.” (Wallis 1937, 77)
Quotes
President Hinckley and later Elder Hinckley’s general conference addresses were generally relatively short and full of personal stories and experiences to illustrate his points. His favorite topics were parenting, testimony of the living prophets and stories from the mission field. He only spoke three times as an Apostle, and his addresses were laden with testimony and appreciation for the living prophets.
His strong testimony was born as follows:
I desire to bear testimony to a knowledge that we are engaged in the work of the Lord. I have not been privileged to see any marvelous manifestations connected with the work of the Lord, only as I have seen it progress, but the Lord has made manifest unto my soul the divinity of this work. He has made manifest unto me that development, comfort, and blessings come unto all those who are faithful, and that disappointment comes unto those who prove derelict in their duty.
May the Lord help us to be faithful, that we may cherish a love for the truth; and while we may seek the favor of the world, that we shall never sacrifice principle, but that we shall declare the truth by word and deed every moment of our lives, serving the Lord with full purpose of heart… (A. A. Hinckley 1907, 101)
Shortly before his call to the apostleship, he reminisced about having served in the priesthood for fifty years.
It is fifty years ago today since I first took upon me the responsibility of the presidency of the deacons—fifty years of joy, fifty years of walking safely in the footsteps of the leaders of this Church. For fifty years I have been acquainted in a way with every President of the Church from Brigham Young to Heber J. Grant, and now with my hair white and my experience ripe I testify that the path of safety is in following those whom God has called and appointed to lead the way and to carry responsibility in this Church. I testify that they are called of him and that they lead by divine authority. (A. A. Hinckley 1934, 129)
His final conference address before his diagnosis and eventual death, found him bearing another kind of testimony, this time a prophetic one. Elder Hinckley died before the outbreak of World War II, yet he felt its coming.
God bless the leaders of Zion and bring into our hearts a renewed feeling of reverence; that henceforth their voices, as they speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost, shall be unto us as the voice of God. In this hour when war drums are rolling, fleets are massing, soldiers are being marshaled and all the powers of destruction are being assembled, let us remember the word of the Lord who said: "When that day shall come that peace shall be taken from the earth, when the devil shall have dominion over his own, I the Lord shall rule in the hearts of Zion and shall come down in judgment upon the earth." (A. A. Hinckley 1935, 25-26)
Public speaking was not President Hinckley’s favorite activity. He expressed his continued nervousness in addressing the Saints in general conference as follows:
Notwithstanding I have spent three years of my life upon a foreign mission, calling men unto repentance and bearing witness to the divinity of the work of the Lord, and that I am the father of fourteen children, one of my boys being now in a foreign clime proclaiming this same gospel, yet I am undergoing for the first time in my life, right now, the experience of speaking to a congregation in the open, and I tremble in every part of my body. I feel and sense the need of help and inspiration, and I pray that the Lord will be my helper and my inspirer. (A. A. Hinckley 1917, 91-92)
Elder Hinckley loved to speak about his parents. He specifically mentioned their righteous influence at the time of his calling to the apostleship.
I have thought in the last few minutes of my father, who is dead and gone. I have grown up in the Church, known all the Authorities since Brigham Young and loved them, sustained them, honored them, have been impressed by them, inspired by them. But my father, to him is the glory of having taught his family by a noble example, by devotion to the truth, by a humble reverence for the Authorities of the Church and loyalty to them all. To my father I give credit, leading his family, as man should lead, by the eloquent life that he led. His words were few but his example was true. No soul, in the presence of my father, was ever permitted to lift his voice and speak words against the Authorities of this Church, without my father offering an objection. I think of him in his teachings, in his prayers. My father prayed; he didn't say his prayers. We knew what was in his heart. We knew that for which he struggled, and we followed him.
May I pay a tribute to my mother, who, in the days when my father was called away from home, never permitted us to forget our prayers, never failed to kneel in the group. Now I can understand, in these more mature years of my life, her spirit when she tiptoed upstairs, when all was quiet below and we were tucked away in our beds, and she would sit on the edge of the bed and make inquiries, intimate, close inquiries: "Have you said your prayers?" "Yes." "Did you remember your father who is away?" Sometimes we had to admit thinking father was so big and great and strong he could meet any situation, had to admit perhaps we had not felt the necessity of praying for him. "Did you pray for those who have not comfortable beds as you have? Did you pray for those who have not food to eat nor raiment to wear?" So today I pay tribute to that angel mother who left an impression so deep that it has never gone out of the hearts of her children. Blessed be her name! (A. A. Hinckley 1934, 53-54)
Family was of utmost importance to him. He thought of his family often when we was away from them. He described:
It has been my high privilege to travel over land and sea. Never did the sun go down without in my heart I could feel, and in the vision of my mind I could see the children in my own home, not by compulsion, but with tenderness and sweetness, drawn to the knee of their mother where they lisped their prayers, and looked to God for help. That is as it should be. (A. A. Hinckley, Greetings to the Relief Society 1935, 337)
He loved to speak of his children. He communicated his joy when his oldest son expressed a desire to serve a mission.
I thank the Lord that this spirit that has come down to me from my father has also made itself manifest in our children, and I hope that I will not be charged with speaking in any personal way but only as all fathers feel, I believe. When we came out of a priesthood meeting the other day, where a call had been made for missionaries, my son a young man but eighteen years of age, when I came home said, "Papa, do you think I am old enough to go abroad and proclaim the gospel? I would like to accept that mission." My heart was melted with joy when that boy made that voluntary offer. "I will go abroad and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.” …I thank the Lord for the spirit that prompted the boy to proffer to go abroad and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to feel in his youth that it is the truth. I believe that the gospel demands of you and me not that we wait till our age is advanced and then give our service, but that we give the strength of our youth, the strength of our manhood, the best that we possess, all that we have and all that we are for the Church and kingdom of God. If this gospel is anything it is everything to us… (A. A. Hinckley 1913, 41)
They eventually decided as a family to have him wait a year or two before leaving on his mission. His oldest son was later called to serve in New Zealand and served faithfully there for four years.
Now I am very happy, in my visit at this conference, to have with me my son, a boy of twenty years of age, who stands up to his father's height, and looks me in the face and says: "Father, I am glad that I am here to be blessed and set apart to go and bear testimony, as you have borne before, to the nations of the earth that this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ." When asked, "Wouldn't you rather go to some English-speaking people than to go to far-off New Zealand?" "No," he said, "I would rather go where the Lord wishes me to go, for He knows where I can accomplish the best work." (A. A. Hinckley 1915, 100)
His son, who he had so touchingly sent into the mission field, had a similarly touching homecoming.
Four years ago, this October, the mother and father and the children that are here upon this occasion were here to bid farewell to the oldest son of the family and wish him God speed upon his journey to New Zealand. We are here today to bid him welcome home from that field of labor. I hope you will pardon me for indulging in this kind of personal or family talk, but I stand before you as a father in Israel, one whose heart is full of thanksgiving, and I take it that it is fitting and proper that I should offer thanksgiving, even at this time, unto the Lord. The other night when that missionary boy crawled in bed with his father, the first time for four years and more, he said:
"Father, it has been a long time, hasn't it?"
"Yes," said I, "It has been a long time, son but, oh, how rapidly that time has gone and how grateful to the Lord, I have been every day, that he has permitted you to be out in his service.” When I awoke in the morning I discovered that boy's head on my arm while he still slept, and thought if he could but know what a warm pulsation of this father's heart that is his, and how I lie here offering thanksgiving unto God for him, O how anxious he would be that he should never falter, never fall back, never lose that spirit and that sweetness which characterize him now. (A. A. Hinckley 1919, 158-159)
Elder Hinckley had a strong testimony of the divine calling of the general authorities of the Church.
I bear testimony that my brethren live in the love and favor of God and that they carry their responsibilities with fidelity. I bear testimony of the unity and the feeling of brotherly love that exist in the presiding councils. I bear testimony of the deference and reverence that are given to the President of the Church, in recognition of his long life of faithful devotion to the cause of truth, his known unswerving integrity under every condition of life that has ever confronted him, his generous spirit, his heart of understanding and his ear that is open to the petitions of the just and the good.
We rejoice with him in the inspiration that came to him in the happy choice that he made of his counselors. President Clark, a born straight thinker, a righteous defender of the truth, is a man of undeviating and unfaltering devotion to the Church, who is never given to expediency and cannot be lured by position or place away from the high standards of the Church. President McKay, with his manly physique, a perfect physical specimen, it seems to me, presided over by a trained and a keen mind, enjoys a spirituality that has made him, not of his own volition but by common consent, the idol of youth, the foremost Sunday School teacher and officer of his day. The sweetness of his life flows into ours in richness and lifts in us every good quality and ambition.
These men constitute the Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the oracles of God chosen to receive the mind and the will and the word of the Lord and to impart it unto the people. I bear testimony that the avenues of revelation are open. The brethren are worthy. Jesus is at the helm. This is his work and he leads his servants. (A. A. Hinckley 1935, 24)
His older brother, Bryant S. Hinckley, occasionally wrote articles for the Church magazines and volunteered to write the article about his brother when he was called as an Apostle. He had this to say about him:
In mental and moral fiber he ranks among the strong men of his time. In sympathy and human understanding he has few if any superiors. He thinks always in terms of human welfare. He acts always in the interest of justice and righteousness. All his efforts are constructive, stabilizing, and progressive. His inheritance and his surroundings have contributed to the development of a thoughtful, self-reliant, sympathetic man. …
From the day of his appointment to the apostleship, to the end of his career, he will grow steadily and constantly in the confidence and affection of all the people. In his ministry among them he will not only stimulate faith in their hearts and inspire them with a new devotion to the truth, but he will make an enduring contribution to the stability and progress of the great Church to which he has, in the most practical and thorough-going way, consecrated his highest effort. (B. S. Hinckley 1935, 347, 352)
At the time of his death, his associate, David O. McKay, wrote of him:
It was my privilege and pleasure to accompany President Hinckley through the California Mission when he was first appointed to succeed President Joseph L. McMurrin as President of that Mission. Our continued close association gave me a clearer insight into his outstanding qualities as a leader of men. I had opportunity to observe, also, how ideally happy he was in his congenial home life. If I had been asked at that time to name his most outstanding virtue, I would have said it was an abiding faith in God, and in the efficacy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was evident not only from what he said, and from the testimonies he bore to audiences we met, but by what he constantly radiated in his daily conversations and associations.
His keen sense of humor was equally outstanding, but I would say it was more reserved than brilliant, more suggestive than poignant, as was illustrated in his answer to an Eastern lady who on one occasion asked, "Are all your children boys, Mr. Hinckley?" "All but ten" was the prompt but genial reply. …
Consequently by self-effort he devoted his youth and early manhood to the cultivation of those cardinal virtues which contribute to the fullest life. He cherished honor as he prized life itself. He was courageous, temperate, loyal and reverent —qualities which contribute to nobility of soul. Paraphrasing a tribute once paid to George Washington, we can say truly President Hinckley was sound at heart, and on the surface of his nature full at once of integrity and sagacity… (McKay 1937, 70)
Another article appeared at the time of his death outlining his character.
It is a glorious thing to live a life full of service to one's fellowmen; replete with deeds of unselfish devotion to a righteous cause; brimming with activities, crowned with successful achievements; at all times illustrating a nobility of character that can be set before the youth as an example to emulate; rich in acts of kindness; marked by the cardinal virtues of truth, honesty, and courage, coupled with rare mental attainments. Alonzo A. Hinckley lived such a life. He passed away like a beautiful ray of sunset, with an abiding assurance of a glorious and brilliant sunrise upon the morrow. (Wallis 1937, 76)
A prediction was published in the Relief Society Magazine which, unfortunately, was not fulfilled. “The needful training and introduction into the Church, and the services therein rendered … have contributed to make his useful life one that will long be remembered.” (Robison 1935, 6)
Conclusion
What kind of man was Alonzo A. Hinckley? He was a family man. He was a submissive and obedient son and later a devoted husband and father. He was a Church leader. He devoted as much of his time as he could to serving the people in his ward and later in his stake and mission. He loved missionary work and served two missions as a missionary and one more as mission president.
He gave advice to the people about all kinds of problems, acting in place of their fathers. Then, when it became apparent that his life was coming to an end, he was once again the submissive and obedient son, relinquishing his will to that of his Father.
Hinckley, Alonzo A. 1904. Seventy-Fifth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 21-23.
—. 1907. Seventy-Eighth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 99-101.
—. 1911. 81st Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 82-85.
—. 1913. Eighty-third Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 40-42.
—. 1915. Eighty-Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 100-101.
—. 1917. Eighty-Seventh Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 91-94.
—. 1919. Ninetieth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Deseret News. 158-162.
—. 1923. Ninety-Third Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 71-74.
—. 1926. Ninety-Sixth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 96-99.
—. 1932. One-Hundred and Third Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 69-71.
—. 1933. One Hundred Fourth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 50-53.
—. 1934. One Hundred Fourth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 126-130.
—. 1934. One Hundred Fifth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 53-54.
—. 1935. One Hundred Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 23-26.
—. 1935. "Greetings to the Relief Society." The Relief Society Magazine, June: 335-338.
Hinckley, Bryant S. 1935. "Greatness in Men--Arza Alonzo Hinckley." The Improvement Era, June: 347-350, 352.
McKay, David O. 1937. "Alonzo A. Hinckley--The Man." The Relief Society Magazine, February: 69-70.
Robison, Willis E. 1935. "Elder Alonzo A. Hinckley." The Relief Society Magazine, January: 4-7.
The Instructor. 1937. ""A Mother in Israel" What Motherhood Meant to Mrs. Alonzo A. Hinckley." May: 191-192.
The Instructor. 1937. "Alonzo A. Hinckley: An Incident and a Prophecy." February: 54, 56.
Wallis, James H. 1937. "Alonzo A. Hinckley." The Improvement Era, February: 76-78.