Alvin R. Dyer

First Quorum of the Seventy

October 1, 1976 – March 6, 1977

Called by

Spencer W. Kimball

Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

January 18, 1970 – October 1, 1976

Called by

Joseph Fielding Smith

End reason

Position abolished

Counselor in the First Presidency

April 6, 1968 – January 18, 1970

Called by

David O. McKay

End reason

Death of David O. McKay

LDS Church Apostle

October 5, 1967 – March 6, 1977

Called by

David O. McKay

Reason

David O. McKay's discretion^[1]

Reorganization
at end of term

No apostles ordained^[2]

Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

October 11, 1958 – October 5, 1967

Called by

David O. McKay

End reason

Called as a counselor in the First Presidency

Personal details

Born

Alvin Rulon Dyer
January 1, 1903
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Died

March 6, 1977 (aged 74)
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Cause of death

Stroke

Resting place

Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park
40°41′52.08″N 111°50′30.12″W / 40.6978000°N 111.8417000°W

Spouse(s)

May E. Jackson

Children

Parents

Alfred L. Dyer
Harriet Walsh

Alvin Rulon Dyer (January 1, 1903 – March 6, 1977) was an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and served as a member of the church's First Presidency from 1968 to 1970.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, he was ordained as an apostle on October 5, 1967 (but was not added as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) and subsequently was set apart as a counselor in the First Presidency to church president David O. McKay. After the death of McKay in 1970, he was eventually returned to a position as an Assistant to the Twelve Apostles, and later to the First Quorum of the Seventy when it was reconstituted in 1976. Dyer is the only person in the history of the LDS Church to be ordained to the office of seventy after having been ordained to the office of apostle.

Life

Born and raised in Utah, Dyer was an accomplished baseball player as a youth, but put baseball aside to serve as a missionary for the LDS Church in the Eastern States Mission from 1922 to 1924. In 1926 he was married to May Elizabeth Jackson in the Salt Lake Temple.

After his mission, he had the opportunity to play professional baseball, but declined the offer because he would have to play on Sundays.^[3] Instead he studied mechanical drafting and technical engineering in order to become a sheet metal journeyman. He later managed the heating and air conditioning department of Utah Builders Supply. Eventually, he formed the Dyer Distributing Company which he owned until 1954, when he dissolved all his business interests upon being called to full-time service as a Mission President in the church.

Alvin R. Dyer's grave marker

In addition to his service as a general authority, he served in many capacities within the church holding such callings as bishop and stake high councilor. He served as president over the Central States Mission of the church beginning in 1954, and over the European Mission from 1960 to 1962. While leading the European Mission, Dyer was an enthusiastic supporter of President Moyle's Baseball Baptism Program that accelerated the rate of baptisms among young people. He told the missionaries, "you can teach...everything that a person needs to know to be baptised in this Church in less than three minutes.^[4]

Aside from his business and church activities, he was active in both the Missouri Historical Society and the Jackson County Historical Society. He authored a book on LDS Church history in Missouri, The Refiner's Fire, Historical Highlights of Missouri (Deseret Book, 1960).

In 1961, Dyer taught that the reason black people were prohibited from holding the LDS Church's priesthood was because they were descended from Cain and thus were a "cursed lineage".^[5] The priesthood ban was removed by the church in 1978.

In August 1967, McKay resolved to appoint Dyer as one of his counselors. McKay made the decision without consulting his other counselors Hugh B. Brown and N. Eldon Tanner. The appointment caused some tension between Brown and Tanner and the newly called Dyer over what Dyer's role would be and whether his calling was as a counselor "to" the First Presidency or "in" the first presidency.^[6]

In 1972, Dyer suffered a stroke that limited his activity. He died at his home in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1977.

Notes

↑ Dyer was ordained and added as a counselor in the First Presidency. Dyer was never a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, but he retained the apostleship throughout the remainder of his life.
↑ Because Dyer was not a member of the First Presidency or the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles when he died, his death did not result in any new apostles being called.
↑ “Elder Alvin R. Dyer Dies,” Ensign, May 1977, p. 119.
↑ Quinn, Michael. "1-THOU VS. 1-IT CONVERSIONS: THE MORMON "BASEBALL BAPTISM" ERA" (PDF). Sunstone. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
↑ “For What Purpose?,” Missionary Conference, Oslo, Norway, March 18, 1961, printed in The Negro in Mormon Theology, pp. 48–58.
↑ Bergera, Gary James (2006). "Tensions in David O. McKay's First Presidencies". Journal of Mormon History 33. |access-date= requires |url= (help)

External links

Members of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Presidents of
the Church

J. Smith, Jr. (1830–44)
B. Young, Sr. (1847–77)
Taylor (1880–87)
Woodruff (1889–98)
Snow (1898–1901)
J.F. Smith, Sr. (1901–18)
Grant (1918–45)
G.A. Smith (1945–51)
McKay (1951–70)
J.F. Smith, Jr. (1970–72)
Lee (1972–73)
Kimball (1973–85)
Benson (1985–94)
Hunter (1994–95)
Hinckley (1995–2008)
Monson (2008–)

First Counselors

Gause (1832)
Rigdon (1832–44)
Kimball (1847–68)
G.A. Smith (1868–75)
J.W. Young (1876–77)
Cannon (1880–1901)
J.F. Smith, Sr. (1901)
Winder (1901–10)
Lund (1910–21)
Penrose (1921–25)
Ivins (1925–34)
Clark (1934–51; 1959–61)
S.L. Richards (1951–59)
Moyle (1961–63)
Brown (1963–70)
Lee (1970–72)
Tanner (1972–82)
Romney (1972–85)
Hinckley (1985–95)
Monson (1995–2008)
Eyring (2008–)

Second Counselors

Rigdon (1832)
Williams (1833–37)
H. Smith (1837–41)
Law (1841–44)
W. Richards (1847–54)
Grant (1854–56)
Wells (1857–77)
J.F. Smith, Sr. (1880–1901)
Clawson (1901)
Lund (1901–10)
J.H. Smith (1910–11)
Penrose (1911–21)
Ivins (1921–25)
Nibley (1925–31)
Clark (1933–34; 1951–59)
McKay (1934–51)
Moyle (1959–61)
Brown (1961–63)
Tanner (1963–72)
Romney (1972–82)
Hinckley (1982–85)
Monson (1985–95)
Faust (1995–2007)
Eyring (2007–08)
Uchtdorf (2008–)

Additional
Counselors

Assistant Counselors	Cowdery (1837–38) H. Smith (1837) John Smith (1837–44) J. Smith, Sr. (1837–40) J.W. Young (1874–76) Cannon (1874–77) B. Young, Jr. (1874–77) Snow (1874–77) Carrington (1874–77)

Counselors	Lyman (1843–44) J.F. Smith, Sr. (1866–77) J.W. Young (1873–77) Cannon (1873–74) B. Young, Jr. (1873–74) Snow (1873–74) Carrington (1873–74) Isaacson (1965–70) J.F. Smith, Jr. (1965–70) Dyer (1968–70) Hinckley (1981–82)

Third Counselors	Brown (1961)

Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

J. Smith (1829–44)^[1]
Cowdery (1829–38)^[1]^[2]
Whitmer (1829–38)^[1]^[2]
Harris (unknown–1837)^[1]^[2]
Marsh (1835–39)^[2]
Patten (1835–38)
B. Young, Sr. (1835–77)
H.C. Kimball (1835–68)
Hyde (1835–78)
McLellin (1835–38)^[2]
P.P. Pratt (1835–57)
L.S. Johnson (1835–37)^[2]
Wm. Smith (1835–45)^[2]
O. Pratt (1835–81)
Boynton (1835–37)^[2]
L.E. Johnson (1835–38)^[2]
Page (1838–46)^[2]
J. Taylor (1838–87)
W. Woodruff (1839–98)
G.A. Smith (1839–75)
W. Richards (1840–54)
Wight (1841–48)^[2]
H. Smith (1841–44)^[1]
A.M. Lyman (1842–67)^[3]
Benson (1846–69)
Rich (1849–83)
L. Snow (1849–1901)
E. Snow (1849–88)
F.D. Richards (1849–99)
J.M. Grant (1854–56)^[1]
Wells (1857–91)^[1]
J.W. Young (1855–1924)^[1]
G.Q. Cannon (1860–1901)
J.A. Young (1864–75)^[1]
B. Young, Jr. (1864–1903)
J.F. Smith, Sr. (1866–1918)
Carrington (1870–85)^[2]
Thatcher (1879–1909)
F.M. Lyman (1880–1916)
J.H. Smith (1880–1911)
Teasdale (1882–1907)
H.J. Grant (1882–1945)
J.W. Taylor (1884–1911)^[2]
M.W. Merrill (1889–1906)
Lund (1889–1921)
A.H. Cannon (1889–96)
M.F. Cowley (1897–1911)^[4]
A.O. Woodruff (1897–1904)
Clawson (1898–1943)
Smoot (1900–41)
H.M. Smith (1901–18)
G.A. Smith (1903–51)
Penrose (1904–25)
G.F. Richards (1906–50)
Whitney (1906–31)
McKay (1906–70)
Ivins (1907–34)
J.F. Smith, Jr. (1910–72)
Talmage (1911–33)
S.L. Richards (1917–59)
R.R. Lyman (1918–43)^[2]
M.J. Ballard (1919–39)
Widtsoe (1921–52)
J.F. Merrill (1931–52)
Callis (1933–47)
Clark (1934–61)
A.A. Hinckley (1934–36)
Bowen (1937–53)
S.Q. Cannon (1938–43)
Lee (1941–73)
S.W. Kimball (1943–85)
Benson (1943–94)
Petersen (1944–84)
M. Cowley (1945–53)
Moyle (1947–63)
Stapley (1950–78)
Romney (1951–88)
L. Richards (1952–83)
Bennion (1953–58)
Evans (1953–71)
Morris (1954–62)
Brown (1958–75)
Hunter (1959–95)
G.B. Hinckley (1961–2008)
Tanner (1962–82)
Monson (1963–)
Dyer (1967–77)^[1]
Packer (1970–2015)
Ashton (1971–94)
McConkie (1972–85)
Perry (1974–2015)
Haight (1976–2004)
Faust (1978–2007)
Maxwell (1981–2004)
Nelson (1984–)
Oaks (1984–)
M.R. Ballard (1985–)
Wirthlin (1986–2008)
Scott (1988–2015)
Hales (1994–)
Holland (1994–)
Eyring (1995–)
Uchtdorf (2004–)
Bednar (2004–)
Cook (2007–)
Christofferson (2008–)
Andersen (2009–)
Rasband (2015–)
Stevenson (2015–)
Renlund (2015–)

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Never a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Term ended by excommunication. ↑ Term ended by removal of apostleship; was later excommunicated. ↑ Term ended by suspension of priesthood.

Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Anderson (1970–76)
Ashton (1969–71)
Bangerter (1975–76)
Bennett (1970–76)
Brockbank (1962–76)
Brown (1953–58)
Burton (1960–76)
Christiansen (1951–75)
Critchlow (1958–68)
Cullimore (1966–76)
Dyer (1958–67)
Faust (1972–76)
Fyans (1974–76)
Haight (1970–76)
Hales (1975–76)
Hanks (1968–76)
Hinckley (1958–61)
Isaacson (1961–65, 1970)
Komatsu (1975–76)
Longden (1951–69)
Maxwell (1974–76)
McKay (1941–58)
Morris (1951–54)
Packer (1961–70)
Perry (1972–74)
F. Richards (1960–76)
S. Richards (1951–53)
Romney (1941–51)
Sill (1954–76)
Simpson (1972–76)
Smith (1941–45)
Sonne (1941–76)
Stone (1972–76)
Tanner (1958–67)
Taylor (1958–76)
Vandenberg (1972–76)
Wirthlin (1975–76)
Young (1941–58)

General presidencies of the Young Men of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

General Presidents/Superintendents	Wells (1876–80) Woodruff (1880–98) Snow (1898–1901) J.F. Smith (1901–18) Ivins (1918–21) G.A. Smith (1921–35) Bowen (1935–37) Morris (1937–48) E. Curtis (1948–58) Bentley (1958–62) G.C. Smith (1962–69) Eldredge (1969–72) Backman (1972–74) Schaerrer (1977–79) Backman (1979–85) Featherstone (1985–90) Goaslind (1990–98) Dellenbach (1998–2001) Hammond (2001–04) Dahlquist (2004–09) Beck (2009–15) Owen (2015–)

First Counselors/Assistants	M. Hardy (1876–80) J.F. Smith (1880–1901) Grant (1901–18) Roberts (1918–22) Lyman (1922–1935) Morris (1935–37) J. Cannon (1937-45) Giles (1945-48) Stevenson (1948–58) Dyer (1958) G.C. Smith (1958–61) Ashton (1961–69) Hill (1969–71) G. Cannon (1972) L. Curtis (1972–74) Doxey (1977–79) Featherstone (1979–85) Pinegar (1985–89) Holland (1989–90) L. Curtis (1990–91) Dellenbach (1991–92) Nadauld (1992–96) Featherstone (1996–97) Stanley (1997) Dellenbach (1997–98) Hammond (1998–2001) Pace (2001–03) Robbins (2003–04) Burgess (2004–09) Gibson (2009–15) Holmes (2015–)

Second Counselors/Assistants	Badger (1876–80) Thatcher (1880–98) Grant (1898–1901) Roberts (1901–18) Lyman (1918–22) Ballard (1922–35) West (1935–37) Farnsworth (1937–45) Hatch (1945–48) R. Hardy (1948) King (1948–58) Ashton (1958–61) Scott (1961) Buehner (1961–67) Hill (1967–69) G. Cannon (1969–72) Blackman (1972) Goaslind (1972–74) McKay (1977–79) Pinegar (1979–85) Simpson (1985–86) Rector (1986–88) Harbertson (1988–89) M. Brough (1989–90) Dellenbach (1990–91) Nadauld (1991–92) Kendrick (1992–93) Featherstone (1993–96) Stanley (1996–97) Dellenbach (1997) Hammond (1997–98) Madsen (1998–2001) Condie (2001–03) Hallstrom (2003–04) Neider (2004–09) Ochoa (2009–13) Ridd (2013–15) J. Brough (2015–)

Additional Assistants	Roberts (1898–1901)

Authority control	WorldCat VIAF: 35977930 LCCN: n87847270

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Alvin R. Dyer

Life

See also

Notes

External links