Today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that President Russell M. Nelson has been ordained as the 17th President of the Church. Dallin H. Oaks was called as the first counselor in the First Presidency and Henry B. Eyring was called as second counselor.

Because Dallin H. Oaks is the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, but also serving in the First Presidency, M. Russell Ballard was named the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Read the press release and watch a message from President Nelson to members of the Church. Read a transcript of President Nelson’s message.

About President Russell M. Nelson

President Nelson is older than President Monson. In fact, at age 93, he is the second oldest prophet to be ordained in history. (Joseph Fielding Smith was older, by one month, when he became Church president in 1970.)

But he is remarkably healthy. He was still snow skiing as recently as last season and still has the “precision mentality” he used as a renowned surgeon.

Prior to being ordained an Apostle on April 7, 1984, President Nelson was a world-renowned heart surgeon. He became a doctor at age 22, earned two degrees at the University of Utah in the 1940s, worked as a research professor of surgery and director of the Thoracic Surgery Residency at the University of Utah, and was chairman of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City.

He helped develop the first artificial heart-lung machine (that functions for the heart and lungs during heart surgery). He then used it to perform the first open-heart surgery in Utah. He went on to perform open-heart surgeries on many people, including President Spencer W. Kimball.

He served as president of the Society for Vascular Surgery, a director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, chairman of the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery for the American Heart Association, and president of the Utah State Medical Association.

• Read a biography of Russel M. Nelson.
• Watch his video Special Witness of Christ.