Who was Russell Marion Nelson? At 101, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dies

Russell Marion Nelson, the oldest-ever president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died on Saturday night (September 27). He was 101 years old.

Nelson died at his home in Salt Lake City, church spokesperson Candice Madsen was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

Who was Russell M. Nelson?

Born on September 9, 1924, Russell M. Nelson was an American religious leader and surgeon who became the 17th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He joined the religion in young adulthood.

Nelson reportedly spent four decades in the highest levels of church leadership after he was selected in 1984 to join a top church governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

He ascended to the presidency in January 2018 when Thomas S. Monson died. In 2024, he became the first president of the faith to hit the century mark.

Nelson held numerous positions of responsibility in the Church. He served as stake president of the Bonneville Stake from 1964 to June, 1971, when he was called as general president of the Sunday School.

Prior to his call to the Quorum of the Twelve, he was serving as a Regional Representative assigned to the Kearns Utah Region. He had previously served as Regional Representative for Brigham Young University.

Nelson and his first wife, Dantzel White, had 10 children together. After she died in 2005, Nelson married Wendy Watson in 2006.

Russell Nelson, a former heart surgeon

Russell M. Nelson was also a former heart surgeon. He was a doctor at the age of 22 and served a two-year Army medical tour of duty during the Korean War before resuming a medical career that included being director of thoracic surgery residency at the University of Utah.

Russell Nelson's education

According to his profile on the website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Nelson earned BA and MD degrees from the University of Utah (1945, 47).

Honorary scholastic societies include Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha.

He served his residency in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and at the University of Minnesota, where he was awarded his Ph.D. Degree in 1954.

He also received honorary degrees of Doctor of Science from Brigham Young University in 1970, Doctor of Medical Science from Utah State University in 1989, and Doctor of Humane Letters from Snow College in 1994.

His professional work included the positions of research professor of surgery and director of the Thoracic Surgery Residency at the University of Utah and chairman of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Nelson's key contribution towards the church

According to the report, Nelson had a vibrant and transformative tenure, especially in 2018, his first year, when he made a surprising announcement calling on people to stop using the shorthand names “Mormon” and “LDS” as substitutes for the full name of the religion, a sharp shift after previous church leaders spent millions to promote the moniker over decades.

Nelson’s administration was gentler and more welcoming to LGBTQ+ people than those of previous presidents. He made headlines when he repealed rules that banned baptisms for children of gay parents and labelled same-sex couples as sinners eligible for expulsion.

Nelson and one of his top counsellors described their approach to LGBTQ+ members as trying to balance the “love of the Lord and the law of the Lord.” However, the church's stance on same-sex marriage didn’t change.

Nelson’s administration also sharpened rules limiting the participation of members who pursue gender-affirming medical procedures or change their names, pronouns or how they dress, leading to criticism that it would marginalise transgender members.

Nelson was known for leading the church through the COVID-19 pandemic and severing the faith’s century-long ties with the Boy Scouts of America, creating the church’s own youth program that also could serve the more than half of its 17 million members who live outside the US and Canada.

Nelson also appointed non-American leaders to the all-white and mostly American top governing body and pushed to publish regional hymnbooks that celebrate local music and culture worldwide.

Who's the next church President?

The next president of the faith, known widely as the Mormon church, was not immediately named, but is expected to be Dallin H. Oaks, per church protocol. He is the next longest-tenured member of the church’s governing Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Associated Press reported.