D. Todd Christofferson
Encyclopedia
David Todd Christofferson (born January 24, 1945) is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has been a general authority
of the church since 1993. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the ranks of the Church.
, Utah
and raised in Pleasant Grove
and Lindon, Utah
. As a young man, he served as a LDS Church missionary
in Argentina
. His mission president during his period of service was Richard G. Scott
, who would already be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve when Christofferson was called to the same quorum. After his mission, he earned a bachelor's degree
from Brigham Young University
and a J.D.
from Duke University School of Law
.
Christofferson began his law career as a law clerk to Judge John J. Sirica during the Watergate hearings.
, Christofferson worked in Washington, D.C.
; Nashville
, Tennessee
; Herndon
, Virginia
; and Charlotte
, North Carolina
. Christofferson was the associate general counsel
for NationsBank
in Charlotte and was the volunteer chairman of Affordable Housing of Nashville, Tennessee.
Christofferson married Katherine Jacob in the Salt Lake Temple
in 1968.
The Christoffersons have five children: Todd, Brynn, Peter, Ryan, and Michael. They also have ten grandchildren.
prior to becoming a general authority of the LDS Church. At the April 1993 general conference of the church, Christofferson was accepted by the membership
as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In August 1998, Christofferson became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.
For a time, Christofferson served as the executive director of the Family and Church History Department of the LDS Church. While he was in this position he was involved with negotiations with Jewish leaders on policies on temple
work for Holocaust victims, which emphasized that church members should only do such temple work for family members. He also was in charge of the department when the church completed the Freedman's Savings Bank
Records project.
From August 2007 to April 2008, Christofferson’s primary responsibility was presiding over the North America
Northwest and North America West Areas
of the church and the supervision of the area seventies in these areas.
Christofferson was sustained
as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in a solemn assembly of general conference on April 5, 2008. As a member of this body, Christofferson is regarded by the church membership as a prophet, seer, and revelator
.
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of the church since 1993. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the ranks of the Church.
Early life
Christofferson was born in American ForkAmerican Fork, Utah
American Fork is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, at the foot of Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Range, north of Utah Lake. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 26,263 at the 2010 census, nearly a 20% growth since the 2000 census...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and raised in Pleasant Grove
Pleasant Grove, Utah
Pleasant Grove, also known as "Utah's City of Trees", is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 33,798 at the 2008 census estimates.-History:...
and Lindon, Utah
Lindon, Utah
Lindon is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,070 at the 2010 census.The western sculptor Grant Speed resides in Lindon.-Geography:...
. As a young man, he served as a LDS Church missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. His mission president during his period of service was Richard G. Scott
Richard G. Scott
Richard Gordon Scott is an American nuclear engineer and a current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Currently, he is the seventh most senior apostle among the ranks of the church.-Early years:Richard G...
, who would already be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve when Christofferson was called to the same quorum. After his mission, he earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
and a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Duke University School of Law
Duke University School of Law
The Duke University School of Law is the law school and a constituent academic unit of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law began as the Trinity College School of Law in 1868. In 1924, following the renaming of Trinity...
.
Christofferson began his law career as a law clerk to Judge John J. Sirica during the Watergate hearings.
Career and family
As a lawyerLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, Christofferson worked in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
; Herndon
Herndon, Virginia
Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of the United States. The population was 21,655 at the 2000 census, which makes it the largest of three towns in the county.-History:...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
; and Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Christofferson was the associate general counsel
General Counsel
A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
for NationsBank
NationsBank
NationsBank was one of the largest banking corporations in the United States, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1998, it acquired BankAmerica to become Bank of America.-Corporate history:...
in Charlotte and was the volunteer chairman of Affordable Housing of Nashville, Tennessee.
Christofferson married Katherine Jacob in the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
in 1968.
The Christoffersons have five children: Todd, Brynn, Peter, Ryan, and Michael. They also have ten grandchildren.
LDS Church service
Christofferson served as a bishop, stake president, and a regional representative of the TwelveRegional representative of the Twelve
Regional representative of the Twelve, commonly shorted to regional representative or regional rep, was a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1968 and 1995...
prior to becoming a general authority of the LDS Church. At the April 1993 general conference of the church, Christofferson was accepted by the membership
Common consent
Common consent is a democratic principle established by the Latter Day Saint movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., who taught in 1830 that "all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith." As it is most frequently used by the Church of Jesus Christ of...
as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In August 1998, Christofferson became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.
For a time, Christofferson served as the executive director of the Family and Church History Department of the LDS Church. While he was in this position he was involved with negotiations with Jewish leaders on policies on temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
work for Holocaust victims, which emphasized that church members should only do such temple work for family members. He also was in charge of the department when the church completed the Freedman's Savings Bank
Freedman's Savings Bank
The Freedman's Saving and Trust Company, popularly known as the Freedman's Savings Bank, was a financial organization created by the U.S. government to encourage and guide the economic development of the newly-emancipated African-American communities in the post-Civil War period...
Records project.
From August 2007 to April 2008, Christofferson’s primary responsibility was presiding over the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
Northwest and North America West Areas
Area (LDS Church)
An area is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which typically is composed of multiple stakes and missions...
of the church and the supervision of the area seventies in these areas.
Christofferson was sustained
Common consent
Common consent is a democratic principle established by the Latter Day Saint movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., who taught in 1830 that "all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith." As it is most frequently used by the Church of Jesus Christ of...
as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in a solemn assembly of general conference on April 5, 2008. As a member of this body, Christofferson is regarded by the church membership as a prophet, seer, and revelator
Prophet, seer, and revelator
Prophet, seer, and revelator is an ecclesiastical title used in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is currently applied to the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...
.