Ezra Taft Benson

Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson
	Official portrait, 1953
13th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
	In office; November 10, 1985 – May 30, 1994
Preceded by	Spencer W. Kimball
Succeeded by	Howard W. Hunter
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
	In office; December 30, 1973 – November 10, 1985
Preceded by	Spencer W. Kimball
Succeeded by	Marion G. Romney
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
	In office; October 7, 1943 – November 10, 1985
Appointed by	Heber J. Grant
LDS Church Apostle
	In office; October 7, 1943 – May 30, 1994
Appointed by	Heber J. Grant
15th United States Secretary of Agriculture
	In office; January 21, 1953 – January 20, 1961
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	Charles F. Brannan
Succeeded by	Orville Freeman
Personal details
Born	Ezra Taft Benson; August 4, 1899; Franklin County, Idaho, U.S.
Died	May 30, 1994 (aged 94); Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Flora Amussen (m. 1926; d. 1992)
Children	6, including Reed
Education	Oneida Stake Academy Utah State University, Logan; Brigham Young University (BS); Iowa State University (MS); University of California, Berkeley
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Ezra Taft Benson (August 4, 1899 – May 30, 1994) was an American farmer, politician, and religious leader. He was the 15th United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1953 until 1961. He was the 13th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1985 until his death in 1994.

Benson died on May 30, 1994, of congestive heart failure in his Salt Lake City apartment, at age 94.^[1]

References

↑ Haws, J. B. (March 2, 2019). "LDS Church Presidency Years, 1985-1994". In Harris, Matthew (ed.). Thunder from the Right: Ezra Taft Benson in Mormonism and Politics. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-05108-1. Retrieved 8 April 2025.

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