Elder L. Whitney Clayton

Of the Presidency of the Seventy

Along with being raised in a loving home, two pivotal events in Elder Lyndon Whitney Clayton’s life have made all the difference, he says. One was serving as a missionary in Peru. The second was marrying his wife, Kathy Ann Kipp, on August 3, 1973, in the Salt Lake Temple. They are parents of seven children.

“Our children joke that time at home with Mother and Dad often turns into spontaneous family firesides,” says Elder Clayton. “And that is a fairly accurate description.” The Clayton family loves to sit and discuss a wide variety of subjects; they also love to sing together.

Elder Clayton was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, on February 24, 1950, to L. Whitney Clayton Jr. and Elizabeth Touchstone Clayton. He grew up in Whittier, California, USA, received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Utah and a law degree from the University of the Pacific in California.

In 1970 he was called to serve in the Andes Mission in Peru. It was there that he learned to love studying the scriptures. “One of the great joys of my life is a quiet hour each day studying the scriptures,” he says. “I find great comfort and peace and guidance in that.”

Elder Clayton has served as branch president, bishop, mission president’s counselor, and Area Seventy. Serving as bishop in a Spanish-language ward in Santa Ana, California, “was a tremendous blessing,” he says. “It enhanced my ability to see that those who keep the commandments are happy.”

He has found the same to be true in his travels as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. “No matter where people live in this world, the Lord will bless them if they keep the commandments,” he says. “Those who put their trust in Him will find that He will enrich their lives in every way.”