David O. McKay - As President of The LDS Church

As President of The LDS Church

McKay became President of the LDS Church when he was 77 years old. He acted in this capacity until his death, for a total of 19 years. In this period, the number of members and stakes in the LDS Church nearly tripled, from 1.1 million to 2.8 million, and 184 to 500 respectively.

McKay was outspoken in his opposition to communism, which he saw as philosophically opposed to faith given its atheist underpinnings and its denial of freedom of choice. Furthermore, communist nations generally forbid proselytizing by the LDS Church and most other religions.

Under McKay's administration, the LDS Church's stance on Africans holding the priesthood was softened. Beginning in the mid-1950s, members of suspected African descent no longer needed to prove their lineage was not African. Instead, the church allowed dark-skinned members to hold the priesthood unless it was proved that they were of African descent. This policy made proselytizing and priesthood ordination much easier in racially mixed areas, such as South America and South Africa. Blacks of verifiable African descent (including most in the United States) were not permitted to hold the priesthood until eight years after McKay's death.

Under the auspices of McKay's First Presidency, the LDS Church spearheaded the Priesthood Correlation Program in 1961. By the 1970s, priesthood quorums directed women-led organizations like the Relief Society at all levels. Such organization became known as auxiliary organizations. Priesthood correlation continues to be a feature of the LDS Church.

Famous film director Cecil B. DeMille consulted with McKay during the production of The Ten Commandments. They formed a friendship that would last until DeMille's death. McKay invited DeMille to BYU, where he delivered a commencement address in 1957.

McKay kept a steady pace of travel until he entered his 90s. His deteriorating health in the mid-1960s ultimately to the appointment of three additional counselors to the First Presidency, as the existing leaders were increasingly infirm and often unable to preside at church meetings. By 1968, the First Presidency was composed of six members, which made the body larger than it had been since the death of Brigham Young in 1877. McKay's counselors in the First Presidency were Stephen L Richards (First Counselor, 1951–1959); J. Reuben Clark, Jr. (Second Counselor (1951–1959, First Counselor 1959–1961); Henry D. Moyle (Second Counselor 1959–1961, First Counselor 1961–1963); Hugh B. Brown (Third Counselor 1961, Second Counselor 1961–1963, First Counselor 1963–1970); N. Eldon Tanner (Second Counselor, 1963–1970); Thorpe B. Isaacson (Counselor, 1965–1970); Joseph Fielding Smith (Counselor, 1965–1970); Alvin R. Dyer (Counselor, 1968–1970).