Harold B. Lee
Born: 28 March 1899
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 10 April 1941
Called as First Counselor in the First Presidency: 23 January 1970 (Joseph Fielding Smith)
Sustained as President of the Church: 7 July 1972
Died: 26 December 1973
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 10 April 1941
Called as First Counselor in the First Presidency: 23 January 1970 (Joseph Fielding Smith)
Sustained as President of the Church: 7 July 1972
Died: 26 December 1973
Talks on Church WebsiteApr 1971 - Today's Young People
Apr 1971 - The Iron Rod Oct 1971 - "Watch, That Ye May Be Ready" Oct 1971 - Responsibilities of the Priesthood Apr 1972 - The Strength of the Priesthood Apr 1972 - A Time of Decision Oct 1972 - "May the Kingdom of God Go Forth" Oct 1972 - Teach the Gospel of Salvation Oct 1972 - Admonitions for the Priesthood of God Oct 1972 - A Blessing for the Saints Apr 1973 - Strengthen the Stakes of Zion Apr 1973 - Follow the Leadership of the Church Apr 1973 - "Stand Ye in Holy Places" Oct 1973 - Understanding Who We Are Brings Self-Respect Oct 1973 - President Harold B. Lee's General Priesthood Address Oct 1973 - Closing Remarks Image source: Improvement Era, May 1941
Image source: Improvement Era, July 1953
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Image source: Wikipedia, public domain
Image source: Instructor, July 1946
Image source: Relief Society Magazine, April 1970
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Biographical Articles
Improvement Era, May 1941, Harold B. Lee of the Council of the Twelve
Improvement Era, May 1941, Harold B. Lee
Relief Society Magazine, May 1941, Elder Harold B. Lee
Instructor, November 1941, Elder Harold Bingham Lee
Instructor, July 1946, Harold B. Lee
Improvement Era, July 1953, Harold B. Lee, Apostle of the Lord
Improvement Era, March 1970, President Harold B. Lee First Counselor in the First Presidency
Relief Society Magazine, April 1970, President Harold B. Lee Called as First Counselor
Ensign, August 1972, President Harold B. Lee Ordained Eleventh President of the Church
Ensign, November 1972, President Harold B. Lee: An Appreciation
Ensign, December 1972, President Lee Visits Europe and Middle East
Ensign, January 1973, The Sustaining of President Harold B. Lee
Ensign, January 1973, President Lee Visits Southern California
Ensign, February 1974, Speaking for Himself--President Lee's Stories
Ensign, February 1974, With President Lee in Mexico
Ensign, February 1974, Harold Bingham Lee: Humility, Benevolence, Loyalty
Ensign, January 2002, Harold B. Lee: Master Teacher
Improvement Era, May 1941, Harold B. Lee
Relief Society Magazine, May 1941, Elder Harold B. Lee
Instructor, November 1941, Elder Harold Bingham Lee
Instructor, July 1946, Harold B. Lee
Improvement Era, July 1953, Harold B. Lee, Apostle of the Lord
Improvement Era, March 1970, President Harold B. Lee First Counselor in the First Presidency
Relief Society Magazine, April 1970, President Harold B. Lee Called as First Counselor
Ensign, August 1972, President Harold B. Lee Ordained Eleventh President of the Church
Ensign, November 1972, President Harold B. Lee: An Appreciation
Ensign, December 1972, President Lee Visits Europe and Middle East
Ensign, January 1973, The Sustaining of President Harold B. Lee
Ensign, January 1973, President Lee Visits Southern California
Ensign, February 1974, Speaking for Himself--President Lee's Stories
Ensign, February 1974, With President Lee in Mexico
Ensign, February 1974, Harold Bingham Lee: Humility, Benevolence, Loyalty
Ensign, January 2002, Harold B. Lee: Master Teacher
Evans, Richard L. "Harold B. Lee of the Council of the Twelve." Improvement Era. May 1941. pg. 270-271.
Harold B. Lee of the Council of the Twelve By RICHARD L EVANS of the First Council of the Seventy With the announcement Sunday morning, April 6, that Harold Bingham Lee had been called to fill the existing vacancy in the Council of the Twelve Apostles, an audible wave of approval carried from the thousands who filled the Tabernacle and was joined in by the uncounted thousands to whom radio carried the message. Both members and non-members of the Church joined in the general satisfaction and well-wishing to this man, yet young, who had already proved his ability and integrity in public affairs, in Church service—and in the conduct of his own life. Most closely and tirelessly identified with the much-publicized Church Welfare Program since its inception in 1936, Harold B. Lee, managing director of the movement, even before then had won the right to recognition and trust. The mere citation of chronological facts does not begin to reveal the man behind these facts, but here, briefly, is the record: Born March 28, 1899, at Clifton, Idaho, a son of Samuel M. and Louisa Bingham Lee, he was reared on the family farm in Cache Valley. But a man's beginnings go back before his birth, and Harold B. Lee was richly endowed by heritage. Both his paternal and maternal ancestry go back to the early years of the Church, and his progenitors were identified with pioneering and colonizing and sacrifices for the cause of truth from Scotland and England, from Ohio and Indiana, across the plains, and down to Utah's Dixie, and on up to the hard-won lands of Southern Idaho. On his paternal side his great-grandfather, Francis Lee, and great-grandmother, Jane Vale Johnson, joined the Church in Indiana in 1832, and shared the tribulations of Liberty and Far West under the "exterminating order," and the Nauvoo evacuation, and first set foot in Salt Lake Valley in September, 1850. Besides the names of Bingham and Lee which he carries, in his veins flows the blood of other notable Church names from far back. Harold B. Lee, a member of a family of six children with hard-working parents and times not too easy, learned to work as a boy. District school at the age of five; Oneida Stake Academy at thirteen; debating, basketball, and a facility with the slide trombone are part of the picture of those earlier years. The Albion State Normal School at seventeen followed by a first teaching job near Weston, Idaho, were steps that led to an appointment as principal of the district school at Oxford, Idaho, at the age of eighteen. A call to the Western States Mission for which he departed in November, 1920, interrupted this activity. Here he served, latterly, as president of the Denver District. A few months of readjustment followed his mission release in December 1922, after which, in the summer of 1923, he took up his residence in Salt Lake City, attending summer sessions at the University of Utah when circumstances permitted, completing the remainder of his university education by correspondence courses and extension classes, and serving as principal of two schools in the Granite School District, Salt Lake County, from 1923 to 1928. Meanwhile he pursued various other ventures as opportunity afforded, later to become first a salesman and then intermountain manager for the Foundation Press, a library distributing organization. This position he relinquished in 1932 to accept an appointment as Salt Lake City Commissioner, being responsible for the department of streets and public properties. He resigned from the commissionership in December, 1936, to devote his full time as managing director of the Church Welfare Program, to which position he had been appointed some months previous. During his residence in Salt Lake City he has served as Pioneer Stake Religion Class superintendent, Sunday School superintendent, counselor in the stake presidency, and, from 1930 to 1937, as stake president. With his counselors he had instituted, in 1932, a stake welfare program and established a warehouse for storing and distributing food and other commodities. Practices worked out in this and other stake welfare programs which had originated during the same period were embodied in the general Church Welfare Program. The seven years of his presidency in Pioneer Stake were marked with progress and the development of many activities other than the welfare program among the stake membership. There was inaugurated a stake wide budget system, culminating in a recreational program for the entire stake membership and in which all, regardless of their circumstances, could participate. This necessitated the building of a stake gymnasium in which stake recreational activities were centralized. As stake president he launched the stake also upon a uniform and highly specialized program of leadership development and teacher training. These activities continue today. He was married November 14, 1923, to Fern L. Tanner, daughter of Stewart T. and Janet Coats Tanner of Salt Lake City. Brother and Sister Lee reside at 1208 South Eighth West Street with their two daughters, Maurine, 16, and Helen, 15. That, in a few words, is the record. But what this chronological citation does not reveal is Harold B. Lee's lovable personality; nor does it show the convincing sincerity for which men trust him; nor the example and teachings of his wise and stalwart parents who gave him so much, and whose gifts he so completely acknowledges; nor the loving devotion of his able and modest wife and their two girls whose worthiness and loyalty he gratefully speaks of; nor the struggles of his own early life against discouraging financial odds; nor the buoyancy of spirit, the zest for life, love of truth, and completeness of faith which are so much a part of him. Also, what the record does not show is the driving force and energy and understanding he has given without hesitation to the personal problems of countless perplexed and discouraged people, to the difficulties of stakes and wards, to the Churchwide activities and endless details of organization and execution of the Church Welfare Program. In all this he has been driven by his conviction of the urgent necessity for the fuller operation of the Welfare Plan against a day of eventualities—and while he has driven hard, and traveled much, and prayed earnestly, and reproved and encouraged and loved and persuaded, he has always stood by his principles, and made friends by doing it. Though in early youth and manhood Elder Lee trained for the field of education, his abilities as an executive were soon to put this other in the background. As a thirty-one-year- old stake president he launched himself upon a career of service which has emphasized this ability to be a leader. His leadership has been a strong force in whatever path it was directed, be it spiritual, temporal, or civil. This mantle of leadership has fallen often upon his young, strong shoulders and in no instance has it found him wanting in wisdom, executive ability, courage nor devotion to the highest of ideals. All this, and much more, is Harold B. Lee, of worthy heritage, and much promise, whom the Church now so warmly welcomes as a member of the Council of the Twelve. |
HAROLD BINGHAM LEE, WHO WAS SUSTAINED APRIL 6, 1941, AT THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE CHURCH, TO FILL A VACANCY IN THE QUORUM OF THE TWELVE
APOSTLES. A CHILDHOOD PICTURE OF HAROLD B. LEE (LEFT) AND HIS ELDEST BROTHER, S. PERRY LEE.
BROTHER AND SISTER HAROLD B. LEE AND THEIR FAMILY AT HOME.
HAROLD B. LEE'S FIRST TEACHING JOB AT AGE 17 (1916-17) WAS IN THIS SILVER STAR SCHOOL, ABOUT FIVE MILES SOUTH OF WESTON, IDAHO. ITS ONE ROOM ACCOMMODATED ALL, FIRST TO EIGHTH GRADES, WITH TWENTY TO TWENTY-FIVE PUPILS AND TWENTY-EIGHT CLASSES A DAY.
LOUISA EMELINE BINGHAM LEE AND SAMUEL MARION LEE, MOTHER AND FATHER OF HAROLD B. LEE.
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J. A. W. "Harold B. Lee." Improvement Era. May 1941. pg. 288.
Harold B. Lee
A surpassing vitality characterizes the Church of Christ. Thousands of qualified men and women stand ready to serve in the Kingdom of God. Of this army of faithful, devoted, capable Latter-day Saints, Elder Harold B. Lee is a splendid representative. The vast congregation assembled at the late General Conference gave spontaneous, hearty approval when Elder Lee was called to fill the existing vacancy in the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He is full of faith in the Lord; abundant in his love of his fellow men; loyal to Church and State; self forgetful in his devotion to the Gospel; endowed with intelligence, energy, and initiative; and gifted with eloquent power to teach the word and will of God. The Lord to whom he goes for help will make him a mighty instrument in carrying forward the eternal plan of human salvation. The Saints welcome Elder Lee among the leadership of the Church. He will be given strength beyond any yet known to him, as the prayers of the people ascend to the Lord in his behalf. May his ministry be full of service to the Church and rich in joy to him and his loved ones! ( See page 270 ) — J. A. W.
Harold B. Lee
A surpassing vitality characterizes the Church of Christ. Thousands of qualified men and women stand ready to serve in the Kingdom of God. Of this army of faithful, devoted, capable Latter-day Saints, Elder Harold B. Lee is a splendid representative. The vast congregation assembled at the late General Conference gave spontaneous, hearty approval when Elder Lee was called to fill the existing vacancy in the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He is full of faith in the Lord; abundant in his love of his fellow men; loyal to Church and State; self forgetful in his devotion to the Gospel; endowed with intelligence, energy, and initiative; and gifted with eloquent power to teach the word and will of God. The Lord to whom he goes for help will make him a mighty instrument in carrying forward the eternal plan of human salvation. The Saints welcome Elder Lee among the leadership of the Church. He will be given strength beyond any yet known to him, as the prayers of the people ascend to the Lord in his behalf. May his ministry be full of service to the Church and rich in joy to him and his loved ones! ( See page 270 ) — J. A. W.
Smith, Henry A. "Elder Harold B. Lee." Relief Society Magazine. May 1941. pg. 349-351.
Elder Harold B. Lee Henry A. Smith Member of the Deseret News Editorial Staff ELDER HAROLD BINGHAM LEE, 42-year-old managing director of the Church welfare program, was sustained a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles at the general conference, April 6, 1941, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Elder Reed Smoot. Elder Lee is a man who has always seemed mature beyond his years; who has always manifested a remarkably simple, yet deep and abiding faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who has never sought personal aggrandizement and yet one who in the space of a few short years has arisen to positions of prominence because of marked ability, diligent effort and a willingness to sacrifice private desires in humble submission to the wishes of those who stand in authority. Many other things might be said of this man, glowing word tributes paid him by those more skilled in use of the pen, but to the Relief Society members of the Church he is most welcomed into this high Church council because of his humanitarianism and his profound, loving interest in the individuals of the Church. In the space of five short years, he has endeared himself not only to the Priesthood of the Church, but to the women as well, for his wise and efficient direction of the Church welfare program in which the Relief Society plays such a vital role. Elder Lee's contributions to the Church have been many, and as he has served the great welfare organization he has also served the Relief Society. Perhaps few of the General Authorities, prior to their appointment to present positions, have had such direct contact with this organization as has the new Apostle. As he has visited about among the stakes and wards in the interest of the welfare program, much of his work has been with the Relief Societies, to whom he has often given credit for carrying a great deal of the burden of the fast-growing program. On more than one occasion Elder Lee has attributed to the women of the Church the greatest proportion of accomplishments in welfare work. From the inception of this program. Elder Lee has envisioned the proper place in it of the Relief Society as aides to the Priesthood in doing good works and ''looking after the poor." Typical of his thinking along this line in the early days of the program is an excerpt from the March, 1937, issue of the Magazine: After quoting the words of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, made at the organization meeting of the Relief Society in Nauvoo, on March 17, 1842, Elder Lee said: "In this plain and direct statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the relationship of the Relief Society organization to the Priesthood quorums is clearly defined. It is the direct responsibility of each Priesthood quorum to look after its own members; and the Relief Society organization is an auxiliary to the Priesthood, or as the Prophet Joseph stated, they are 'to provoke the brethren to good works in looking to the wants of the poor' and to 'search out objects of charity' and relieve distress. . . ." THIS new Church leader enters upon his duties with an understanding of the problems of the Church gained from first-hand knowledge. He has been in the kitchens and welfare centers of the Relief Societies in all parts of the Church; he has stood in the fields and factories of the Priesthood quorums; he has gone into the timber lands and coal mines of the welfare program; he has shared in the problems is well as gloried in the accomplishments of the thousands of men and women who are engaged in this program. Elder Lee acquired his background for the great welfare program and its many problems when as a 31-year-old stake president he had these same problems to solve for his own people. He became president of the Pioneer Stake in 1929, at the start of the depression years. The members of his stake were in the vast majority dependent upon the mines, mills, smelters, railroads, and industries for their livelihood, and he soon found himself face to face with a fast-growing and almost insurmountable problem. With his associates he set about perfecting a program to provide opportunity for self-help and independence on the part of those in need of assistance. Out of this simple step, which grew from year to year as the needs advanced, Elder Lee gained first hand experience for a greater mission, which became his when he resigned from his stake presidency and gave up a promising political future as a member of the Salt Lake City Commission, to devote full time to launching and directing the Church welfare program. The other Church experiences of this new Apostle consist of service in Pioneer Stake as stake superintendent of Religion Classes and Sunday Schools, and one year as a counselor in the stake presidency. He also filled a mission in the Western States Mission. Elder Lee was born in Clifton, Idaho, March 28, 1899, a son of Samuel M. and Louisa Bingham Lee. His early education was received in Idaho, and after his return from the mission field he attended the University of Utah. He taught school in Idaho prior to his mission and afterward served five years as a principal in two schools of the Granite district in Salt Lake County. Elder Lee is a loving husband and the father of two fine daughters, Maurine, 16, and Helen, 15. The new Apostle has a friendly and likeable personality. He is a pleasant traveling companion and an intelligent conversationalist. He has few if any hobbies besides his family and his work, though he likes the out-of-doors and can often be found in the early hours of the morning at work in the gardens about his modest home. In his early manhood in Idaho, Elder Lee was a member of an orchestra, and now, ofttimes, he will be found at the keys of the piano. In many of the meetings out in the stakes when launching the great welfare program, it was interesting to find Elder Melvin J. Ballard leading the singing and Elder Lee at the piano. Those who are privileged to know Elder Lee intimately, have the reward of a loyal friendship and close association with a man whose humbleness and spirituality are a source of inspiration. |
"Elder Harold Bingham Lee." Instructor. November 1941. pg. 573.
ELDER HAROLD BINGHAM LEE (Subject of Our Cover Picture) When Elder Reed Smoot died, in February, 1941, there was a vacancy in the Council of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Harold B. Lee was chosen to fill the vacancy, at the April Conference of this year (1941). The new Apostle was born March 28, 1899, in Clifton, Idaho. His parents are Samuel M. and Louisa (Bingham) Lee. Elder Lee was reared on a farm in Cache Valley. His education was obtained in the district schools, in the Oneida Stake Academy, the Albion State Normal School, and the University of Utah. For a time he taught in the district school in Weston, Idaho. Then he became principal of the district school in Oxford, also in the Gem State. He was only eighteen at the time. After a mission to the Western States, with headquarters in Colorado, he resumed his vocation of teacher, becoming principal of a school in the Granite district. In 1932 he was appointed one of the five commissioners in Salt Lake City, a position to which he was later, elected. In 1936 he resigned the commissionership to become manager of the Church Welfare Program. Religiously Elder Lee has always been active. As just stated, he served as a missionary for the customary two years. In the Pioneer Stake, where he lived after he first took up his residence in Salt Lake City, he became successively Stake Religion Class superintendent, Sunday School superintendent. Counselor in the Stake Presidency, then Stake president. He married Fern L. Tanner, in November, 1923, and they have two daughters, Maurine and Helen. Elder Lee whose picture is on the front cover of this issue of The Instructor, has the good wishes of the great Sunday School organization for a successful career as a preacher of the gospel. |
Elder Harold B. Lee
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Smith, Henry A. "Harold B. Lee." Instructor. July 1946. pg. 312, 329.
Harold B. Lee
Henry A. Smith
Gospel Doctrine classes of the Sunday Schools are to study the Church Welfare Plan during the next six months. On the cover of this issue of The Instructor we present the picture of one who has been prominently identified with the Plan from its beginning and to whom goes much credit for its accomplishments. He is Elder Harold B. Lee of the Council of the Twelve, and since its beginning, managing director of the Church Welfare Plan. When the welfare program was launched in the spring of 1936 — ten years ago—Elder Lee under appointment of the First Presidency went throughout the Church organizing regions and setting up the machinery through which the program has operated. His two associates were the late Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Council of the Twelve, who was chairman, and Elder Mark Austin, still a member of the committee.
Elder Lee entered upon his tasks in the Church Welfare Plan with a background of practical experience and an understanding of the problems of the vast numbers of needy persons then among the Church membership. He had been president of a stake in Salt Lake City where in the depression years 60 per cent of the membership was wholly or partially in need of assistance. He and his associates had organized to help the people of his stake care for themselves, and with this experience born of necessity he was qualified to step out and direct the Welfare Plan as it came from the inspired lips of the Church leaders.
Elder Lee is one of the youngest of the present Apostles. At the time of his appointment in April, 1941 he was 42 years old, yet he came to this position rich in experience and possessing qualities of wisdom and understanding beyond his years. His appointment came as a climax of an already prominent career. He had been a school principal in Idaho and later, also a principal in the Granite School district of Salt Lake County. He was for four years a member of the Salt Lake City commission. He had served as stake superintendent of religion classes in Pioneer Stake and later became stake Sunday School Superintendent. At the same time he was a member of the stake high council. At the age of 30 in 1929 he was appointed second counselor in the stake presidency and a year later became stake president. In December of 1936, a few months after becoming director of the Welfare Plan, at the request of
the First Presidency Elder Lee resigned from the city commission. He was released as president of Pioneer Stake the following year because of the welfare program's demands on his time.
Elder Lee has other major responsibilities. He is chairman of the committee in charge of Latter-day Saint servicemen and has directed the vast program of the Church for these 100,000 young men and women. He is a member of the general priesthood committee, the Church publications committee, and the Church music committee, and is an advisor to the Primary Association.
A capable speaker and constant student of the scriptures, Elder Lee has endeared himself to the Church membership through his untiring service and devotion to duty.
Harold B. Lee
Henry A. Smith
Gospel Doctrine classes of the Sunday Schools are to study the Church Welfare Plan during the next six months. On the cover of this issue of The Instructor we present the picture of one who has been prominently identified with the Plan from its beginning and to whom goes much credit for its accomplishments. He is Elder Harold B. Lee of the Council of the Twelve, and since its beginning, managing director of the Church Welfare Plan. When the welfare program was launched in the spring of 1936 — ten years ago—Elder Lee under appointment of the First Presidency went throughout the Church organizing regions and setting up the machinery through which the program has operated. His two associates were the late Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Council of the Twelve, who was chairman, and Elder Mark Austin, still a member of the committee.
Elder Lee entered upon his tasks in the Church Welfare Plan with a background of practical experience and an understanding of the problems of the vast numbers of needy persons then among the Church membership. He had been president of a stake in Salt Lake City where in the depression years 60 per cent of the membership was wholly or partially in need of assistance. He and his associates had organized to help the people of his stake care for themselves, and with this experience born of necessity he was qualified to step out and direct the Welfare Plan as it came from the inspired lips of the Church leaders.
Elder Lee is one of the youngest of the present Apostles. At the time of his appointment in April, 1941 he was 42 years old, yet he came to this position rich in experience and possessing qualities of wisdom and understanding beyond his years. His appointment came as a climax of an already prominent career. He had been a school principal in Idaho and later, also a principal in the Granite School district of Salt Lake County. He was for four years a member of the Salt Lake City commission. He had served as stake superintendent of religion classes in Pioneer Stake and later became stake Sunday School Superintendent. At the same time he was a member of the stake high council. At the age of 30 in 1929 he was appointed second counselor in the stake presidency and a year later became stake president. In December of 1936, a few months after becoming director of the Welfare Plan, at the request of
the First Presidency Elder Lee resigned from the city commission. He was released as president of Pioneer Stake the following year because of the welfare program's demands on his time.
Elder Lee has other major responsibilities. He is chairman of the committee in charge of Latter-day Saint servicemen and has directed the vast program of the Church for these 100,000 young men and women. He is a member of the general priesthood committee, the Church publications committee, and the Church music committee, and is an advisor to the Primary Association.
A capable speaker and constant student of the scriptures, Elder Lee has endeared himself to the Church membership through his untiring service and devotion to duty.
Romney, Marion G. "Harold B. Lee, Apostle of the Lord." Improvement Era. July 1953. pg. 504-508, 522, 524.
HUMILITY BEFORE GOD-the key to the character of Harold B. Lee, Apostle Of The Lord by Marion G. Romney OF THE COUNCIL OF THE TWELVE Harold B. Lee is a powerful man in modern Israel. The source of his strength is in his knowledge that he lives in the shadow of the Almighty. To him, his Heavenly Father is a senior partner, daily giving him guidance. His contacts with heaven are direct and regular. To him the gospel of Jesus Christ is eternal truth, and he finds therein the solution to every human problem. "The dispensation in which you and I live," says he, "is intended to be a demonstration of the power and effectiveness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to meet [our] everyday problems here and now." (Conference Report, October 1941, p. 110.) This conviction has come to him out of his own experiences, as witness the following: "I know there are powers that can draw close to one who fills his heart with . . . love. . . . I came to a night, some years ago, when on my bed, I realised that before I could be worthy of the high place to which I had been called, I must love and forgive every soul that walked the earth, and in that 504 time I came to know and I received a peace and a direction, and a comfort, and an inspiration, that told me things to come and gave me impressions that I knew were from a divine source." (Ibid., October 1946, p. 146.) In responding to his call to the Council of the Twelve, he said: "Since nine o'clock last night I have lived an entire lifetime in retrospect and in prospect. . . . Throughout the night, as I thought of this most appalling and soul-stirring assignment, there kept coming to me the words of the Apostle Paul, 'Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.' . . . Therefore I shall take the word of the Apostle Paul. I shall come boldly unto the throne of grace and ask for mercy and his grace to help me in my time of need. With that help I cannot fail. Without it I cannot succeed." (Ibid., April 1941, pp. 119-120.) Humility before God—and fearlessness before men—is the key to his character. His ministry is characterized by an uncommon originality and daring. He is not hampered and restricted by the learning of the world and the forms of men. We, who sit with him daily, are frequently startled by the scope of his vision and the depth of his understanding. With forthrightness, he separates the wheat from the chaff and comes directly to the truth. I first met him about twenty years ago. Across a back lot, I ran at noontime to the neighborhood grocery store. The operator introduced me to his brother-in-law, Harold B. Lee. He was then, as always, in the service of others. Dressed in striped coveralls, his left hand on his breast, he reached out his right to shake my hand. Captivated by his magnetic presence, I knew I had found a friend. I soon thereafter learned that he lived in a modest cottage on Indiana Avenue. It was equipped in part with furniture fashioned by his own hands and furnishings made by his accomplished wife, Fern. That humble home was hallowed by the love he bore for his sweetheart and two bright-eyed little girls, Maurine and Helen. The country was then in the midst of the great depression of the 1930's. Harold was president of Pioneer Stake. Few people in the Church were more severely punished by want and discouragement than were the members of his stake. Although harassed with problems incident to securing for himself and his loved ones the necessities of life, he grappled mightily with the larger problem of looking after the needs of his total stake membership. Many there were in that day who, having faltered, turned to state and federal governments for help. Harold B. Lee was not among them. Taking the Lord at his word, that man should earn his bread in the sweat of his face (See Gen. 3:19), and believing that "all things are possible to him that believeth," (Mark 9:23), he struck out boldly with the fearless ingenuity and courage of a Brigham Young, to pioneer a way whereby his people could, by their own efforts and the help of their brethren in the Church, be supplied the necessities of life. By light from heaven he was directed. Through building projects, production projects, and a variety of other rehabilitation activities, he gave a demonstration of love for his fellow men seldom equaled in any generation. Those who were close to him in those dark days know that he wept over the sufferings of his people. But more than that, he did something for them. For his efforts in this one phase of his life's activities alone, he richly merited the honorary Doctor of Humanities degree recently awarded to him by the Utah State Agricultural College. The field in which the doctorate was awarded—humanities —could not have been more appropriately chosen, for with all his heart he loves and serves his fellow men. He loves the poor, for he has been one of them. "I have loved you. I have come to know you intimately. Your problems, thank the Lord, have been my problems, because I know, as you know, what it means to walk when you have not the money to ride. I know what it means to go without meals to buy a book to go to the university. I thank God now for these experiences. I have loved you because of your devotion and faith. God bless you that you won't fail." {Ibid., April 1951, p. 122.) In the view of destiny, Harold B. Lee's experience caring for the people of his stake was in preparation for things to come—his call to a wider service in the general Church welfare program. "On April 20, 1935," he says, "I was called to the office of the First Presidency. . . . My humble place in this [welfare] program at that time was described. I left there about noontime (and) drove ... to the head of City Creek Canyon. I got out, after I had driven as far as I could, and I walked up through the trees. I sought my Heavenly Father. As I sat down to pore over this matter, wondering about an organization to be perfected to carry on this work, I received a testimony, on that beautiful spring afternoon, that God had already revealed the greatest organization that ever could be given to mankind, and that all that was needed now was that that organization be set to work, and the temporal welfare of the Latter-day Saints would be safeguarded." (Ibid., April 1941, pp. 120-121.) From that day until now, neither his interest nor his labors in Church welfare have ever slackened. Through the years he has rendered welfare service second only to that of the First Presidency. Responding to this call to Church welfare, Harold B. Lee left a promising political career. He was then serving as a Salt Lake City commissioner, to which office he had been first appointed and later elected. Since that time he has refused to re-enter the political arena, notwithstanding the fact that powerful pressure has been put upon him to do so. With the late Apostle Melvin J. Ballard, and under assignment of the First Presidency, he toured the Church introducing and organizing the welfare plan. Sunday morning, April 6, 1941, Harold Bingham Lee was unanimously sustained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by the Church in general conference assembled. The following Thursday, April 10, President Heber J. Grant ordained and set him apart to that high office. He was thus called in his young manhood to what he considers to be the most sacred service required of mortal men. He came to it well qualified and in the strength of great humility. Of his call, it was said at the time: "... an audible wave of approval carried from the thousands who filled the Tabernacle and was joined in by the uncounted thousands to whom radio carried the message. Both members and non- members of the Church joined in the general satisfaction and well-wishing to this man, yet young, who had already proved his ability and integrity in public affairs, in Church service—and in the conduct of his own life." (Improvement Era, May 1941, p. 270.) As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he has, from the beginning, carried an unusually heavy load. His assignments have been varied and freighted with responsibility. They have required him, among other things, to serve as chairman of the servicemen's, music, and general priesthood committees; as managing director of the general Church welfare committee; as adviser to the general board of the Primary Association; and as a member of the publications, garment, and expenditures committees. By special assignment, he has handled numerous difficult and delicate problems and situations of great moment to the Church. Those who seek his advice and counsel are legion. From The Improvement Era reports published at the time he was called to the Council of the Twelve, we learn of his rich ancestral heritage and of his early achievements. "Born March 28, 1899, at Clifton, Idaho, a son of Samuel M. and Louisa Bingham Lee, he was reared on the family farm in Cache Valley. But a man's beginnings go back before his birth, and Harold B. Lee was richly endowed by heritage. Both his paternal and maternal ancestry go back to the early days of the Church, and his progenitors were identified with pioneering and colonizing and sacrifices for the cause of truth from Scotland and England, from Ohio and Indiana, across the plains, and down to Utah's Dixie, and on up to the hard-won lands of Southern Idaho. On his paternal side his great-grandfather Francis Lee, and great-grandmother, Jane Vale Johnson, joined the Church in Indiana in 1832, and shared the tribulations of Liberty and Far West under the 'exterminating order,' and the Nauvoo evacuation, and first set foot in Salt Lake Valley in September, 1850. Besides the names of Bingham and Lee which he carries, in his veins flows the blood of other notable Church names from far back. "Harold B. Lee, a member of a family of six children with hardworking parents and times not too easy, learned to work as a boy. District school at the age of five; Oneida Stake Academy at thirteen; debating, basketball, and a facility with the slide trombone are part of the picture of those earlier years. The Albion State Normal School at seventeen followed by a first teaching job near Weston, Idaho, were steps that led to an appointment as principal of the district school at Oxford, Idaho, at the age of eighteen. A call to the Western States Mission for which he departed in November, 1920, interrupted this activity. Here he served, latterly, as president of the Denver District. "A few months of readjustment followed his mission release in December, 1922, after which, in the summer of 1923, he took up his residence in Salt Lake City, attending summer sessions at the University of Utah when circumstances permitted, completing the remainder of his university education by correspondence courses and extension classes, and serving as principal of two schools in the Granite School District, Salt Lake County, from 1923 to 1928. Meanwhile he pursued various other ventures as opportunity afforded, later to become first a salesman and then intermountain manager for the Foundation Press, a library distributing organization. "This position he relinquished in 1932 to accept an appointment as Salt Lake City commissioner, being responsible for the department of streets and public properties. He resigned from the commissionership in December, 1936, to devote his full time as managing director of the Church welfare program, to which position he had been appointed some months previous. "During his residence in Salt Lake City he has served as Pioneer Stake Religion Class superintendent, Sunday School superintendent, counselor in the stake presidency, and, from 1930 to 1937, as stake president. With his counselors he had instituted in 1932, a stake welfare program and established a warehouse for storing and distributing food and other commodities. Practices worked out in this and other stake welfare programs which had originated during the same period were embodied in the general Church welfare program. "The seven years of his presidency in Pioneer Stake were marked with progress and the development of many activities other than the welfare program among the stake membership. There .-. was inaugurated a stake-wide budget system, culminating in a recreational program for the entire stake membership, and in which all, regardless of their circumstances, could participate. This necessitated the building of a stake gymnasium in which stake recreational activities were centralized. As stake president he launched the stake also upon a uniform and highly specialized program of leadership development and teacher training. These activities continue today. "He was married November 14, 1923, to Fern L. Tanner, daughter of Stewart T. and Janet Coats Tanner of Salt Lake City." (Ibid., May 1941, p. 270.) His two lovely daughters, Maurine Lee Wilkins, wife of Ernest J. Wilkins, and Helen Lee Goates, wife of Bishop L. Brent Goates, have borne him five grandchildren, all boys. With these fine grandsons, Harold is experiencing the thrills and joys he hoped to have with sons whom the Lord did not see fit to give him. The fiber of Harold B. Lee's character was toughened and tested in the hard but priceless school of necessity. He gives us a glimpse of it in one of his talks to youth: "I have thought of the discipline of the boy and girl of my youthful days in a rural community. We began to do 'chores' shortly after daybreak so we could 'start' with the day's work by sunup. When the day's work was finished, we had yet to do our evening 'chores,' usually by aid of a lantern. Despite the fact that there were no wages and hours regulations or child labor laws, we did not seem to be stunted from our exertions. Sleep requirements did not admit of too frequent frivolities. Returns from our labors were small and usually came on a once-a-year basis at harvesttime. Homes of that day went throughout the summer with but very little ready money, but from our cows we were provided milk, butter, and cheese; in our granaries there was usually sufficient wheat to be taken to the mill for flour and cereals. We had our own chickens and garden and fruits in season. Large families required Mother to remodel the suits and dresses of the eldest to meet the needs of the youngest who rarely had a 'boughten' suit from the store. I do not know how we would have managed with the advanced teachings we have today about vitamins, diets, and minimum food budgets that require food items as though they were a necessity that then were only available as luxuries at Christmas time or on other like gala occasions. Education was provided and was within the reach of all who were willing to work, although it involved saving in the summer and 'batching' and working one's way through school by part-time employment in" the winter." (Youth and the Church, pp. 12-13.) Concerning his childhood, we have the following from his brother Perry: "We were decked out in short knee 'pants,' for all too many years, with flowing white starched cuffs folded back over the coat sleeves and a white sailor collar draped down over our shoulders. "And then there were the ringlets. Carefully combed and painstakingly hand curled, they dangled down our backs for all the world to see—and pull—and scoff. Harold was sent to school at the age of five still with his mass of beautiful hair. It may be that then was when he first went into training for the hard knocks of life to come. Suffice to record that those curls caused more skinned knuckles and black eyes than either politics or religion. "Finally he had had enough, and I remember now how our mother wept when he purloined a pair of scissors and literally 'sawed' off one of the frontal danglers, spoiling the whole effect which made it necessary to delete the remainder—O welcome relief. He was at last a boy—a fat, chubby one and a pet of all the teachers. "We lived about three miles from school and our earliest means of transportation was a small sorrel pony hitched to the shafts of a two-wheeled cart. The delight of the day was when we took turns driving the patient little animal to and from school. "I remember now the solicitude of our mother (Father was away a good deal of the time in those days), who helped hitch the little mare to the cart, hoist a bundle of hay on the back for its noonday meal, and then tuck us warmly in the two-wheeler for the joyous ride to school." Harold first learned to play the baritone; later he played the trombone in a "dance orchestra which toured a circuit of nearby communities. "Earlier he had studied the piano with a Scotch lady music teacher. Hour after hour and at noontime his pleasure was to play the piano—his favorites the resounding, swinging military marches. Some of his most pleasurable hours came later after his marriage and the advent of Helen and Maurine when he could play piano duets with Maurine and accompany Helen when she learned to play the violin. "Since becoming a member of the Twelve, he has often surprised and pleased ward and stake officers about the Church when he has offered to substitute for an absent organist." He is an appreciative, grateful, helpful man, blessing all who touch his life. He loves the youth and is intimate with their problems. During 1945 he delivered a series of radio addresses, titled Youth and the Church —now available in book form—in which he developed the thesis that the sure solution to youth's problems is to be found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the final chapter he writes: "During the preparation of this book, I have lived intimately with the problems of youth. I have tried to lead you to see and understand how the restored principles, powers and ordinances of our glorious gospel dispensation may be applied to the lives of the youth of today." (Ibid., p. 233.) He loves the servicemen and is interested in their problems. During World War II he traveled from camp to camp seeking out, encouraging, comforting, and inspiring the men and women of the Church and their friends in every branch of the armed forces. His love and interest draw them to him. He is in great demand for temple marriages, and there are many couples who, but for the interest manifested in them by him and his devoted wife, would not have reached the sacred marriage altar together. He loves his friends and associates. To their intimate friends he and his wife are "Harold and Fern" and both are favorites. Harold is the first one any of us calls upon in time of need. He has never failed or even hesitated to respond. We never expect him to do so. He loves the brethren with and under whom he labors. From his own statements it is clear that one of the things which sustains him in his boldness is his certain conviction that the leadership of the Church is inspired. Over and over again he has borne witness that the President of the Church and his counselors are prophets of God, that "as in olden times, so in our day, holy men of God speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost." (Conference Report, April 1946, p. 67.) "We have come to understand, and it is my firm conviction, that the thing most needed in the Church today is a membership stimulated to action by a fervent conversion to the divinity of the calling of the brethren who preside as leaders of this Church." (Ibid., April 1942, p. 86.) He loves his family. The loyalty, affectionate consideration and love for one another shown by parents, children, and grandchildren in his home is a worthy example to the Church. He loves the Lord and the truth. "God bless us," he said, "to seek always the face of our Heavenly Father. May we without fear, even unto death, protect the fountains of truth. . . . May we do so willingly and with the seal of approval of our Heavenly Father upon us." (Ibid., October 1943, p. 105.) Such is Harold B. Lee, who now stands, not at the end of his career but on its threshold. He knows his course, is recognized for what he is, and is on his way. Behind him is a record of high attainment. Before him, "hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise." Sustained by the conviction that he lives in the shadow of the Almighty, he will not falter. The future must reckon with Harold B. Lee. |
A childhood picture of Harold B. Lee.
A high school photograph taken of Elder Lee.
Louisa Emeline Bingham Lee, mother of Harold B. Lee.
Samuel Marion Lee, father of Elder Lee.
Elder Lee deep sea fishing off the coast of Florida.
Elder Lee, being entertained at a luau in Hawaii, 1945.
Harold E. Lee about the time he was a student at Oneida Stake Academy.
Harold B. Lee, right, and Sparrel Huff, official debating team for Oneida Stake Academy, 1915-16.
Fern L. Tanner Lee, photograph taken prior to her marriage.
Elder Lee as a missionary to the Western States, 1921.
Maurine Lee Wilkins, eldest daughter of the Lees.
Helen Lee Goates, the Lees' youngest daughter.
Elder Lee was City Commissioner in 1933, when this picture was taken.
Harold B. Lee in the early days of the Church Welfare Program, with Ted DeBry, secretary.
Elder Lee on the steps of the school at Oxford, Idaho, when he was principal in 1918.
Sister Lee with the five grandchildren.
At the Oahu Stake (Hawaii) welfare faro field in 1934... Work
being done with a water buffalo. At a hukelau at Laie, with former stake President Ralph
Woolley and some Hawaiian Saints in 1945. Dr. E. G. Peterson, acting president of the Utah State Agricultural College, congratulates Elder Lee on receiving an honorary doctor of humanities degree, June 1, 1953.
Fishing in Hebgen Lake, Montana, west of Yellowstone National Park.
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"President Harold B. Lee, First Counselor in the First Presidency." Improvement Era. March 1970. pg. 9-10.
President Harold B. Lee First Counselor in the First Presidency "Harold B. Lee is a powerful man in modern Israel. The source of his strength is in his knowledge that he lives in the shadow of the Almighty. To him, his Heavenly Father is a senior partner, daily giving him guidance. His contacts with heaven are direct and regular. To him, the gospel of Jesus Christ is eternal truth, and he finds therein the solution to every human problem."[1] A pillar of faith and works is this man whom President Joseph Fielding Smith has selected as his first counselor. President Lee is also senior member and president of the Council, of the Twelve. Since April 1941, as an apostle of the Lord, he has raised his voice and made his presence felt for righteousness in the far and near places of the Church. Even before that, beginning in 1936, when he was appointed to be managing editor of the then infant Church Welfare Program, his influence was soon felt Churchwide. Born March 28, 1899, at Clifton, Idaho, one of six children to bless the home of Samuel M. and Louisa Bingham Lee, President Lee knew the discipline of youthful days in a rural community. With his brother Perry, he took turns driving a small sorrel pony hitched to the shafts of a two-wheeled cart three miles to the district school. He had entered the district school at the age of five and enrolled in the Oneida Stake Academy at 13. To him learning was fascinating, and he made it so later for his students. He entered Albion State Normal School in Idaho at the age of 17, and was teaching near Weston, Idaho, before his appointment as principal of the district school at Oxford, Idaho, at the age of 18. School for him extended beyond the horizon of books and papers; he participated in basketball and debating, and he played the slide trombone, a talent that gave him joyful hours as a member of dance bands. Early in his life President Lee studied the piano, and some of his most pleasurable hours have come in sharing music with his family. After he became a member of the Council of the Twelve, he would often accompany the brethren on the piano as they sang in their council meetings. Stake and ward officers have been surprised and pleased when he has offered to substitute for an absent organist. With the love of truth and completeness of faith that are so much a part of him, he accepted a call to the Western States Mission, for which he departed in November 1920. During his two-year mission he served as president of the Denver District. After his release, he moved to Salt Lake City, where he attended summer sessions at the University of Utah. From 1923 to 1928 he continued his education by correspondence courses and extension classes, while serving as principal of two schools in the Granite School District, Salt Lake County. He then became first a salesman and later intermountain manager for a library distributing organization. This position he held until 1932, when he agreed to accept an appointment as a Salt Lake City commissioner. He gained the respect of many of his fellow townspeople for the way he handled his responsibilities for the departments of streets and public properties, and he was elected for a second term. He resigned the commissionership in 1936 when he was called as managing director of the Church Welfare Program. During the late 1920s he served the Church as Pioneer Stake religion class superintendent, Sunday School superintendent, and counselor in the stake presidency. In 1930 he was made president of Pioneer Stake, a position he held for seven years. During this time Pioneer Stake made great strides in leadership and teacher training programs, in a ward budget plan, and in a youth recreational program, including the building of a gymnasium for stake activities. At that time the country was in the midst of a great depression, and President Lee was faced with the tremendous problem of looking after the needs of his stake membership. Believing that "all things are possible to him that believeth," he encouraged the establishment of practices of self-help among his people. He instituted a stake welfare program and established a warehouse for storing food and other commodities. These practices, combined with the ideas and welfare programs of other stakes at that time, embodied the heart and core of the general Church Welfare Program. For his efforts in this one phase of his life's activities alone, he richly merited the honorary doctor of humanities degree awarded to him by Utah State Agricultural College (now Utah State University). President Lee believes that "this dispensation in which you and I live is intended to be a demonstration of the power and effectiveness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to meet our every-day problems here and now." The buoyancy of spirit and zest for life that characterize Harold B. Lee have kept him always in tune with the needs of the people of the Church. His constant counsel to the young people of the Church to "put on the breastplate of righteousness" is worthy advice to all of us. On November 14, 1923, Harold B. Lee married Fern Lucinda Tanner in the Salt Lake Temple. They were blessed with two daughters, Maurine Wilkins (deceased) and Helen (Mrs. L. Brent Goates). In 1962 Sister Lee passed away, and in 1963 President Lee married Freda Joan Jensen. The example and teachings of his wise and stalwart parents and the constant strength and support that he has found in his own home and its understanding relationships have given underlying meaning to the great emphasis President Lee has placed in recent years on the family home evening, home teaching, and the strengthening of the priesthood in the home. He has shown his deep love for his fellowmen in the leadership and drive he has given as chairman of the executive committee of the Church Correlation Program. As he now assumes his new position in the First Presidency, his rich heritage and experience, his wisdom and courage, his strong testimony and great faith will find even wider expression in carrying out the purposes of Church correlation: to make the Church more closely knit and to build the kingdom of God on earth. [1] Marion G. Romney, "Harold B. Lee: Apostle of the Lord,” The Improvement Era, July 1953, p. 504. |
A recent photograph of President Harold B. Lee
President and Sister Lee at home
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"President Harold B. Lee Called as First Counselor." Relief Society Magazine. April 1970. pg. 248-249.
President Harold B. Lee Called As First Counselor to President Smith January 23, 1970 Relief Society sisters throughout the world rejoice at the appointment of Elder Harold B. Lee to become First Counselor to President Joseph Fielding Smith in the First Presidency of the Church as of January 23, 1970. President Lee has served as an adviser to Relief Society from the Council of the Twelve since 1963. He has a thorough understanding of the work of Relief Society and has given invaluable advice to the General Presidency over the years. He was called to the Council of the Twelve in April 1941, and becomes the senior member of that body with the calling of President Smith as the prophet, seer, and revelator of the Church. President Lee has been prominent in the organization and administration of the Church Welfare Program, and since 1960 has served as general chairman of the Church Correlation Program. President Lee was born in Clifton, Idaho, March 28, 1899, one of six children of Samuel Marion and Louisa Emeline Bingham Lee. He was reared in Cache Valley, Idaho, on a farm and received his education at Oneida Stake Academy and Albion Normal School where he received a teaching certificate. At the age of seventeen he was teaching and serving as principal of a small school in Southern Idaho. His own school activities were varied and interesting. He played in the school band, on the basketball team, was a debater, and played in an orchestra. In November 1920, he was called to labor as a missionary in the Western States Mission. Following his mission he took up residence in Salt Lake City and attended the University of Utah. On November 14, 1923, President Lee was married to Fern Lucinda Tanner in the Salt Lake Temple. They had two daughters, Helen Lee Goates, and Maurine Lee Wilkins, who passed away in 1966. There are ten grandchildren. Sister Lee passed away in 1962. President Lee was married on June 17, 1963, to Freda Joan Jensen who is a member of the Primary General Board and who sustains him in all his labors. Prior to his call as a General Authority, President Lee was a prominent educator, and served on the Salt Lake City Commission. In 1930 he was sustained as president of the Pioneer Stake, at that time, the youngest stake president in the Church. This was during the depression years, and it was here, under his leadership, that the Welfare Program demonstrated its worth. In 1937, at the request of the First Presidency, he became the managing director of the Church Welfare Plan. Relief Society sisters throughout the Church remember the many addresses President Lee has delivered at Relief Society Annual General Conferences which have been published in The Relief Society Magazine. They remain available for study, enjoyment, and inspiration. The sustaining power of Relief Society members is exercised in behalf of President Lee. |
Sister Lee, a member of the General Board of the Primary, sustains President Lee in every calling.
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