Gordon Bitner Hinckley (23 June 1910 – 27 January 2008) was the fifteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of its most transformative leaders. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, he earned a degree in English from the University of Utah in 1932 and served a mission in London from 1933 to 1935, where he preached publicly in Hyde Park.
After returning from his mission, Hinckley devoted his life to Church service, working in public affairs and as executive secretary of the Church Radio, Publicity, and Literature committee. He was called as an Apostle in 1961 and served as counselor to three Church Presidents before becoming President himself on March 12, 1995. He married Marjorie Pay in 1937; they had five children.
Hinckley’s presidency was marked by an unprecedented temple-building program. More than half of all temples existing at his death were built under his leadership—over 70 temples in 21 countries. He oversaw the reconstruction of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple and the building of the 21,000-seat Conference Center. In 2001, he established the Perpetual Education Fund to help young members from developing countries receive higher education. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.
At his death at age 97, Hinckley was the oldest person to have presided over the Church. Approximately one-third of the Church’s membership had joined during his leadership, which saw growth from 9 million to nearly 13 million members. The most traveled President in Church history, he was the first to visit mainland China, bringing a global vision to Latter-day Saint leadership.