Historical Summary

The following chronology provides a brief overview of major events from the life and ministry of President Thomas S. Monson, 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

August 21, 1927	Born to G. Spencer Monson and Gladys Condie Monson in Salt Lake City, Utah.
1945 and 1946	Serves in the United States Naval Reserve.
1948	Graduates with honors from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
1948 and 1949	Begins working at the Deseret News as assistant classified advertising manager, then as manager of the classified advertising department.
October 7, 1948	Marries Frances Beverly Johnson in the Salt Lake Temple.
1950 to 1955	Serves as bishop of Sixth-Seventh Ward in Salt Lake City.
1953 to 1959	Becomes assistant sales manager of the Deseret News Press, then sales manager, then assistant general manager.
1955 to 1957	Serves as second counselor in the Temple View Stake presidency.
1959 to 1962	Serves as president of the Canadian Mission, headquartered in Toronto.
March 1962	Becomes general manager of the Deseret News Press.
1962 and 1963	Serves on the Church’s Priesthood Missionary Committee, Priesthood Genealogy Committee, Adult Correlation Committee, and Priesthood Home Teaching Committee.
October 4, 1963	Sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve; ordained an Apostle and set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve by President Joseph Fielding Smith on October 10, 1963.
1965 to 1968	Supervises the work of the Church in the South Pacific.
November 9–10, 1968	Makes his first visit to Görlitz, then in the former German Democratic Republic, where he promises Church members, “If you will remain true and faithful … , every blessing any member of the Church enjoys in any other country will be yours.”
1972 to 1985	Serves as chairman of the Bible Study Aids Committee, which became the Scriptures Publication Committee. Has a major role in publishing the Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Bible in 1979 and new editions of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price in 1981.
April 1974	Receives a master’s degree in business administration from Brigham Young University.
April 27, 1975	Dedicates the German Democratic Republic for missionary work.
August 29, 1982	Creates the first stake in the former German Democratic Republic in Freiberg.
April 23, 1983	Presides at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Freiberg Germany Temple.
June 29, 1985	Participates in the Freiberg Germany Temple dedication.
November 10, 1985	Called to serve as Second Counselor to President Ezra Taft Benson.
June 5, 1994	Called to serve as Second Counselor to President Howard W. Hunter.
March 12, 1995	Called to serve as First Counselor to President Gordon B. Hinckley.
February 3, 2008	Ordained and set apart as the 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
February 10, 2008	Dedicates the Rexburg Idaho Temple, the first of 46 temples that were dedicated or rededicated during his presidency, 19 of which he dedicated or rededicated himself.
April 10, 2008	Announces the construction of the Gilbert Arizona Temple and The Gila Valley Arizona Temple, the first of 45 temples he would announce during his time as President.
June 20, 2009	Dedicates the Church History Library, using the pulpit from the old Sixth-Seventh Ward chapel, where he had served as bishop.
August 29, 2010	Dedicates the Kyiv Ukraine Temple, the first temple built in a nation of the former Soviet Union.
October 23, 2010	Breaks ground for the Rome Italy Temple.
April 2011	The 150 millionth copy of the Book of Mormon is published.
October 6, 2012	Lowers the age for recommendation for missionary service to 18 years for young men and 19 years for young women.
May 17, 2013	His wife, Frances, dies.
October 5, 2013	Announces that Church membership had surpassed 15 million.
October 5, 2013	Announces that the number of full-time missionaries serving had increased from 58,500 to more than 80,000 in the past year.
March 29, 2014	The general women’s meeting is held as part of general conference for the first time.
October 5, 2016	In honor of President Monson’s lifelong service to youth, a new Boy Scout lodge is named after him and is dedicated by President Henry B. Eyring.
April 2017	Gives his last general conference address after having spoken in general conferences for more than 53 years.
January 2, 2018	Dies at his home in Salt Lake City, Utah.