Franklin D. Richards (grandson of Apostle Franklin D. Richards)
Born: 17 November 1900
Called as Assistant to the Twelve: 8 October 1960
Called to Presidency of the Seventy: 1 October 1976
Called to First Quorum of the Seventy: 1 October 1983
Died: 13 November 1987
Called as Assistant to the Twelve: 8 October 1960
Called to Presidency of the Seventy: 1 October 1976
Called to First Quorum of the Seventy: 1 October 1983
Died: 13 November 1987
Talks on Church WebsiteApr 1971 - The Law of Abundance
Oct 1971 - The Purpose of Life: To Be Proved Apr 1972 - The Importance of Prayer Oct 1972 - "Thy Will Be Done, O Lord" Apr 1973 - The Continuing Power of the Holy Ghost Apr 1974 - Testimony Oct 1974 - The Blessings of Peace Apr 1975 - The Message of Easter Apr 1976 - "Seek Not for Riches But for Wisdom" Oct 1976 - Perfecting the Saints Apr 1977 - Lengthening Your Stride as a Missionary Apr 1979 - Personal and Family Financial Preparedness Apr 1981 - Life--A Great Proving Ground Oct 1982 - LDS Hymns--Worshiping with Song Oct 1983 - Be a Peacemaker Oct 1986 - Happiness and Joy in Temple Work Oct 1987 - Opportunities to Serve Image source: Improvement Era, January 1961
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Image source: Wikipedia, public domain
Image source: Relief Society Magazine, December 1960
Image source: Improvement Era, November 1967
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Biographical Articles
Relief Society Magazine, December 1960, Franklin D. Richards Appointed Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
Improvement Era, January 1961, Fishers of Men: Elder Franklin Dewey Richards, "A Valiant Expounder of God's Word!"
Improvement Era, November 1967, Franklin D. Richards Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
Ensign, November 1983, Elder Richards Appointed Washington Temple President
Ensign, January 1988, Elder Franklin D. Richards Eulogized
Improvement Era, January 1961, Fishers of Men: Elder Franklin Dewey Richards, "A Valiant Expounder of God's Word!"
Improvement Era, November 1967, Franklin D. Richards Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
Ensign, November 1983, Elder Richards Appointed Washington Temple President
Ensign, January 1988, Elder Franklin D. Richards Eulogized
Richards, LeGrand. "Franklin D. Richards Appointed Assistant to the Council of the Twelve." Relief Society Magazine. December 1960. pg. 804-806.
Franklin D. Richards Appointed Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Elder LeGrand Richards Of the Council of the Twelve THE call of Franklin D. Richards as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve adds to the General Authorities of the Church, a man of broad experience, with great capacity and faith. Like Nephi of old, he was born of goodly parents. His father was Charles C. Richards, an outstanding leader in the development of the Territory and State of Utah, and a devoted and faithful member of the Church. His father was a regent of the University of Deseret, Secretary and acting Governor of the Territory of Utah, Speaker of the House in the Utah State Legislature, Assistant Page 804 Attorney General of U. S., member of the Civil Service Commission and active member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of Utah and of the U. S. for over sixty-two years. He also had a broad experience in Church activity. With his father, Franklin D. Richards, Charles C. Richards visited David Whitmer, one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and in answer to his query, he replied: "Read the printed testimony of the three witnesses, which you will find in one of the front pages of the Book of Mormon—and I say to you that every word of it is true.” While he and his father were touring the Church historic places, they called on Lewis C. Bidamon, the husband of the Prophet's wife, Emma, at Nauvoo, and acquired from him, sixty pages of the original manuscript of The Book of Mormon, taken from the box in the cornerstone of the Mansion House. This sacred relic was presented to President George Albert Smith in 1946, and is now a possession of the Church. Elder Richards' grandfather, Franklin Dewey Richards, for whom he was named, was one of the outstanding missionaries of the Church, and was President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the time of his death. Out of the first fourteen years of his married life, he spent ten of those years in the mission field. With such a heritage, the Church can well expect much from Elder Richards. He, too, has exhibited great traits of leadership and devotion which have brought to him his present call to full-time Church service, to which call he has responded in a most pleasing and enthusiastic manner. He was born November 17, 1900 at Ogden, Utah, son of Charles C. Richards and Louisa Letitia Peery. He graduated from the Weber Academy in Ogden and from the University of Utah in 1923 with an L. L. B. degree. He practiced law in Salt Lake City from 1923 to 1934; he was appointed first Utah State Director for F. H. A. in 1934; Assistant Commissioner of F. H. A., Washington, D. C. in 1941 for the eleven Western States, Alaska, and Hawaii; Assistant Commissioner F. H. A., Washington, D. C. for the entire U. S. in 1945, in charge of field operations; appointed F. H. A. Commissioner for the entire U. S. in 1947 by President Harry S. Truman. He resigned as F. H. A. Commissioner June 30, 1952 and organized Franklin D. Richards and Company, a Nation-wide mortgage financing company with offices in Washington, D. C, New York City, and Salt Lake City, Utah. He returned to Salt Lake in 1954 and organized the Richards-Woodbury Mortgage Company, with the F. Orin Woodbury family. He is an officer of several business institutions. He filled his mission in the Eastern States from 1920 to 1922, where he was Conference President in Brooklyn and Boston; he served as a member of the Liberty Stake Sunday School Board; President of an elders quorum in Washington Stake; chairman of Chevy Chase Ward Building Committee in 1946; Sunday School Superintendent Silver Spring Ward, Washington; Chairman Genealogical Committee, East Millcreek Second Ward, Salt Lake City, 1954 to 1956; East Millcreek Stake Mission President 1956 to 1959; called to preside over the Northwestern States Mission 1960; set apart as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 9, 1960. He married Helen Kearns in the Salt Lake Temple, August 1, 1923, and they have four children: Mrs. Robert L. (Louise) Judd, Franklin D. Richards Jr., David K. Richards, and Nancy Richards, all living in Salt Lake City. Elder and Sister Richards are, at heart, real missionaries and have accomplished a great work during the year they have presided over the Northwestern States Mission. In his reports in the meetings of the mission presidents in the Temple, he greatly impressed the other mission presidents and the General Authorities as he outlined the activities and accomplishments of his mission. He has greatly simplified the work in his mission, cutting out all unnecessary matters, making it much easier for the missionaries to prepare themselves to present the gospel message impressively. He has introduced a program of getting groups together, greatly multiplying the effectiveness of the missionaries' time. When missionaries seem the least bit discouraged, he reminds them that President McKay is not discouraged — that he is not discouraged, and that when they see him discouraged they can become discouraged also. As his cousin and associate in the ministry, I feel confident that in his new calling, Elder Richards will demonstrate to members of the entire Church, as they become acquainted with him, the inspiration of the Lord that has called him to his present high calling. |
Courtesy the Deseret News
ELDER FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS Hal Rumel
ELDER FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS AND HIS FAMILY Front row, grandchildren, left to right: Caroline Judd; Rinda Richards; Franklin D. Richards III; Daniel Judd; Lisa Richards. Second row, left to right: Gloria Smith Richards and Lance; Helen Kearns Richards and grandson Steven Judd; Elder Franklin D. Richards; Louise R. Judd and Robert Judd. Back row, standing, left to right: Franklin D. Richards, Jr.; David K. Richards; Nancy Richards; Robert L. Judd. |
Grant, Carter E. "Fishers of Men: Elder Franklin Dewey Richards, "A Valiant Expounder of God's Word!"." Improvement Era. January 1961. pg. 21-23, 62-63.
Fishers of Men ELDER FRANKLIN DEWEY RICHARDS "A VALIANT EXPOUNDER OF GOD'S WORD!" BY CARTER E. GRANT EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE "I testify to you, my brothers and sisters, that the greatest message that we have is that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored, the power of God unto salvation," declared Elder Franklin D. Richards in general conference, after he had been sustained an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 8, 1960. "I know that God lives," he testified, "and that Jesus is indeed his Son, the Redeemer of the world, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God —one of the greatest prophets that has lived on this earth, according to the word of the Lord contained in our holy book of Doctrine and Covenants! I know that David O. McKay is the prophet of the Lord today. I propose to sustain President McKay with all of my might and strength. I say this and dedicate myself to the Church, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." "What a solemn dedication!" I whispered to myself as I watched the new Assistant take his appointed seat with the other General Authorities of our Church. In the same talk he also said: "I have love in my heart this morning, President McKay, for you and for my brethren that are presiding over the affairs of the kingdom of God, and I have love in my heart for my fellow men. I can truthfully say that I have no enmity nor hatred toward any man, and I pray that the Lord will sustain me in this position," for, said he, "I feel wholly inadequate as an individual." Elder LeGrand Richards, who also spoke at that conference, said that he and Franklin had the same grandfather, Franklin D. Richards, a Mormon pioneer and an apostle for fifty years, who also became President of the Quorum the latter part of his life. "Out of the first fourteen years of his married life," Elder Richards said, "he spent ten years of it in the mission field away from his family." Is it any wonder that these two grandsons, along with many other descendants of "Grandfather Richards," are valiant expounders of God's restored kingdom today? From visits with the children of Brother and Sister Franklin D. Richards— Louise (Mrs. Robert L. Judd and four children), Mr. and Mrs. Franklin, Jr., and four children; David, and his sister Nancy, a junior at the University of Utah, I learned that the oldest son, Franklin, had filled a mission to Uruguay and David had gone to Mexico and Central America. "Love and respect for our parents and for our brothers and sisters," they said, "are vital factors in our family life and have been from our childhood. We remember that while we were youngsters at home that Father continued to call us back to the dining room table after the evening meal, suggesting that we aid him to clear the table. And while he washed the dishes, we wiped them and listened to his fascinating stories about his missionary experiences as a young elder traveling in the Eastern states. These stories and many other faith-promoting experiences helped our family to take for granted that the boys, at least, must go on missions. . . ." Answering a question about faith and prayer in their father's home, the elder girl stated that, from her earliest childhood remembrance, family and bedside prayers had been a vital factor in their lives. They also reported that they continued to read the Bible and the Book of Mormon in their home, and that on the Sabbath day they regularly went to Sunday School and Sacrament meeting. "Our first experience regarding administering to the sick in our home," they said, "came to us when David here was four or five years old. During many days he lay critically ill with pneumonia, and we remember how worried we were. One night Grandfather Charles C. Richards and Father—while Mother and the rest of us knelt by the bed—gave him a blessing. From that hour he began to breathe more easily and recovered rapidly. This experience has influenced our lives, especially when sickness has come to our homes." The father of this family, Franklin D. Richards, who was born to Charles C. Richards and Letitia Peery Richards at Ogden, Utah, November 17, 1900, received his early education in his home town schools, including the Weber Academy, where he was a member of the state high school championship debating team, having for one of his debating companions Ernest L. Wilkinson, now president of Brigham Young University. Franklin, as he was known among the students, was business manager of the Weber Academy publications —the Acorn and the Weber Herald. It was during these years that he made the acquaintance of the President of the Academy Board, David O. McKay, a man greatly loved and respected by all students. While Franklin was laboring in the Eastern States Mission as a young man, he was chosen president of the Brooklyn and Boston conferences, and when the Patriarch to the Church, Hyrum G. Smith, visited the mission, he gave Elder Richards a patriarchal blessing, declaring to him that he would be "called to hold offices of presidency and leadership in both sacred and civil positions." In June 1923, Franklin was graduated from the University of Utah School of Law and received his LLB degree. While at the university he had become well acquainted with Henry D. Moyle, one of his favorite instructors, and that friendship has lasted through the years. On August 1, 1923, Franklin married Helen Kearnes in the Salt Lake Temple. As a practising attorney Elder Richards became successful, especially as a counselor at law for various corporations—local at first, but national later. For eighteen years, 1934 to 1952, he served with the Federal Housing Administration, finally becoming FHA commissioner with headquarters at Washington, D.C. During this period of time, Elder Richards and his family were actively engaged in their Church work, Elder Richards serving as chairman of the building committee while the beautiful chapel for the Chevy Chase Ward was built. In 1952 he opened his own mortgage, banking, and brokerage business in three different localities, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Salt Lake City. In 1954 he and his family returned to Utah, where he was made president of Richards-Woodbury Mortgage Company and Franklin D. Richards and Company. He is also an official of several other loan and investment companies. With all the press and responsibility of his daily business affairs, he and his family have continued busy in the Church, teaching and officiating in ward and stake. For three and a half years before he was called to preside over the Northwestern States Mission, January 1, 1960, he was president of the East Millcreek Stake Mission. Elder Richards, is scheduled to return to Salt Lake City from the Northwestern States Mission early in 1961, to throw his strength and inspired guidance into his new calling as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve Apostles. |
Elder Franklin D. Richards
Surrounded by their children and grandchildren, are Elder and Mrs. Franklin D. Richards (seated center ) . The other adults are, 1. to r., Franklin D. Jr., David K., and Nancy Richards, Robert L. Judd. (seated) Gloria S. Richards,
Louise Richards Judd. |
"Franklin D. Richards Assistant to the Council of the Twelve." Improvement Era. November 1967. pg. 49.
Franklin D. Richards Assistant to the Council of the Twelve “Follow the leaders of the Church, and never turn down an opportunity to serve." These words of counsel from his parents have been a guiding philosophy for Elder Franklin D. Richards, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, who has devoted his life to service to his community, his nation, and his Church. Elder Richards was born November 17, 1900, in Ogden, Utah, a son of Charles C. and Letitia Peery Richards. As a boy he was industrious, working on his father's farm to earn school expenses as well as taking an active part in debate activities and school publications. He was graduated from Weber Academy, Ogden, and then studied at the University of Utah before receiving a call to the Eastern States Mission. After he returned, he completed work on his LL.B. degree at the university in 1923 and entered law practice in Salt Lake City. On August 1, 1923, he married Helen Kearnes in the Salt Lake Temple. They have two sons and two daughters. Elder Richards was named first Utah director of the Federal Housing Administration in 1934, and later was appointed zone commissioner for 13 western states, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. In 1947 he was appointed national FHA commissioner, and during his term of office the nation enjoyed the largest residential building program of its history. After resigning from the FHA in 1952, he opened his own mortgage banking and brokerage business, with offices in New York, Washington, and Salt Lake City, and in 1954 he returned to Utah. As a young man Elder Richards received his patriarchal blessing, in which he was blessed that he would be "called to hold offices of presidency and leadership in sacred and civil positions." That promise has truly been fulfilled, for in addition to holding responsible public positions, he has also been a leader in his priesthood quorums and the auxiliary organizations of the Church. Elder Richards was serving as president of the East Mill Creek Stake mission when, in 1959, he was called to preside over the Northwestern States Mission. There he directed one of the most fruitful mission areas of the Church and developed a new missionary handbook incorporating the mission's most effective teaching plans. On October 8, 1960, just ten months after he became mission president, it was announced in general conference that he had been called as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. His mission activities have continued, for his assignments as a General Authority have included supervision of missions on the East Coast of the United States and, more recently, in South America. |