Melvin J. Ballard

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

January 7, 1919 – July 30, 1939

Called by

Heber J. Grant

LDS Church Apostle

January 7, 1919 – July 30, 1939

Called by

Heber J. Grant

Reason

Death of Joseph F. Smith; reorganization of First Presidency

Reorganization
at end of term

No additional apostles ordained^[1]

Personal details

Born

Melvin Joseph Ballard
February 9, 1873
Logan, Utah Territory, United States

Died

July 30, 1939 (aged 66)
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Resting place

Salt Lake City Cemetery
40°46′37.92″N 111°51′28.8″W / 40.7772000°N 111.858000°W

Spouse(s)

Martha A. Jones

Melvin Joseph Ballard (February 9, 1873 – July 30, 1939) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). His grandson, M. Russell Ballard, also became an apostle.

Birth and early life

Ballard was born at Logan, Utah Territory, to Henry Ballard and Margaret McNeal. His father was a native of England and had immigrated to Utah in 1852 to gather with the Latter-day Saints. Henry Ballard had been aboard the Saluda when it exploded at Lexington, Missouri, and was injured in that incident. He later served under Porter Rockwell in the Nauvoo Legion when it made efforts to prevent the entry of Johnston's Army into Utah Territory. In 1858, Henry was the first settler of Logan, and he served as bishop of the Logan 2nd Ward from 1861 until 1900.^[2]

Prior to Ballard's birth, his mother had an experience that led her to believe her son would be an apostle. In Ballard's patriarchal blessing, this was reaffirmed.

Ballard attended Brigham Young College; he graduated in 1884.

Career and early church service

In June 1896, Ballard married Martha A. Jones. The following month he left with B. H. Roberts and George D. Pyper on a mission to the large cities of the eastern United States. He was later reassigned to the Northern States Mission. Ballard returned to Utah in December 1898.

In 1899, Ballard organized the Logan Knitting Factory along with Joseph E. Cardon. In 1900, he became a counselor in the bishopric of the Logan 2nd Ward.^[2]

Mission President

Ballard served for several years as president of the Northwestern States Mission of the church. While serving in this capacity, he organized missionary work on some of the Native American reservations in Montana.

Apostleship

When new church president Heber J. Grant was pondering whom to call as an apostle to replace the vacancy caused by the death of his predecessor, Joseph F. Smith, he decided to select his good friend Richard W. Young, as many suspected he would. As Grant met with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to announce his decision, he found himself saying that the Lord wanted Melvin J. Ballard to serve in the position. Grant used this experience to teach about revelation and to testify that the Lord gives inspiration to the President of the Church.^[3]

Ballard was ordained an apostle and became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on January 7, 1919. As an apostle, Ballard opened up missionary work in South America in 1925 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Ballard served in the Quorum until his death in Salt Lake City from leukemia.^[4] Sylvester Q. Cannon was called to fill the vacancy caused by Ballard's death. Ballard was buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Ballard when ordained as an apostle (1919)
West view of Grave marker
East View of grave marker

Published works

Ballard, Melvin J (1966). Melvin J. Ballard, Crusader for Righteousness. Bookcraft. 1.
--- (1922). Three Degrees of Glory: A Discourse. Deseret Book Company. 2.

Biographies by others

Hinckley, Bryant S., ed. (1949). Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard. Deseret Book Company. 3.

Notes

↑ Sylvester Q. Cannon was added to the Quorum of the Twelve to take Ballard's place; however, Cannon had been ordained an apostle the year before.
1 2 Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, vol. 1, p. 418–19.
↑ "Chapter 38: Change and Consistency", Church History in the Fulness of Times, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Church Educational System, 2000) p. 496.
↑ State of Utah Death Certificate.

External links

Melvin J. Ballard at Find a Grave

References

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles
Preceded by Richard R. Lyman	Quorum of the Twelve Apostles January 7, 1919 – July 30, 1939	Succeeded by John A. Widtsoe

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.

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)

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