Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Encyclopedia
Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf (born 6 November 1940) is a German
former aviator
and airline executive. He currently serves as the Second Counselor in the First Presidency
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and is the eleventh most senior apostle in the ranks of the Church.
Karl Albert Uchtdorf and Hildegard Else Opelt in Moravská Ostrava
, which at the time was in the Nazi
-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
(now Ostrava, Czech Republic). When he was a child, his family moved to Zwickau
in eastern Germany while his father was away in the army, traveling through areas being bombed. As a result of his grandmother's encounter with an LDS church member in a soup line, Uchtdorf's family joined the LDS Church when he was still young.
When Uchtdorf was about ten, his father's political beliefs, incongruent with Soviet rule, earned him the label of "dissenter", thus putting their lives in danger. They fled East Germany and resettled in American-occupied West Germany
.
He started studying mechanical engineering at age 18 but later continued Business Administration in Cologne, Germany and graduated from Institut pour l'Etude des Methodes de Direction de l'Entreprise
(today the International Institute for Management Development
) in Lausanne, Switzerland with an MBA. He received an honorary doctorate in International Leadership from Brigham Young University
during the April 2009 graduation ceremony.
he chose instead to volunteer for the West German Air Force
in 1959, aged 19, to become a fighter pilot. Due to an agreement between the West German and US Governments, Uchtdorf trained as a fighter pilot in Texas where he excelled, earning the coveted Commander's Trophy (USAF) for being the best student pilot in his class. After earning wings from both the German and US Air force, he served for 6 years as fighter pilot in West Germany, leaving in 1965 to join Lufthansa Airlines
. By 1970, at 29 years old, Uchtdorf had reached the rank of Captain with Lufthansa. He was appointed in 1975 as head of Lufthansa's new Arizona Training School, then in 1980 he was made head chief pilot of cockpit crews and then senior vice president of flight operations in 1982. He left Lufthansa in 1996, two years after being called to the Quorums of the Seventy.
Uchtdorf twice served as a stake president in the LDS Church, presiding over the Frankfurt Germany Stake and the Mannheim
Germany Stake.
Uchtdorf was called as a general authority
of the LDS Church on 2 April 1994, with an assignment in the Second Quorum of the Seventy. On April 7, 1996 he was called to serve in the First Quorum of Seventy. Uchtdorf became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on 15 August 2002.
as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on 2 October 2004. He was ordained an apostle on 7 October 2004 by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley
. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar
were called to fill the vacancies created by the July 2004 deaths of quorum members David B. Haight
and Neal A. Maxwell
. As an apostle, Uchtdorf is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator
.
He is only the eleventh apostle to be born outside the United States
. He is the second member of the First Presidency who is not a native English speaker. Uchtdorf is the first German apostle in church history and was the first born outside of North America since the death of John A. Widtsoe
in 1952. He is the first resident of a country outside the United States or Canada to be called to be a general authority who later became an apostle. Others emigrated to America for reasons other than being called as a general authority.
While in Slovakia
on 12 May 2006, Uchtdorf offered a prayer dedicating the land "for the preaching of the gospel"—an LDS Church custom usually observed at the time missionaries arrive in a new country. Although missionaries had been in what is now Slovakia for over a century, since the split with the Czech Republic
this had not been performed in the new country.
in the Church's First Presidency.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
former aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and airline executive. He currently serves as the Second Counselor in the First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and is the eleventh most senior apostle in the ranks of the Church.
Early life and education
Uchtdorf was born to ethnic GermansGermans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
Karl Albert Uchtdorf and Hildegard Else Opelt in Moravská Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
, which at the time was in the Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
(now Ostrava, Czech Republic). When he was a child, his family moved to Zwickau
Zwickau
Zwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
in eastern Germany while his father was away in the army, traveling through areas being bombed. As a result of his grandmother's encounter with an LDS church member in a soup line, Uchtdorf's family joined the LDS Church when he was still young.
When Uchtdorf was about ten, his father's political beliefs, incongruent with Soviet rule, earned him the label of "dissenter", thus putting their lives in danger. They fled East Germany and resettled in American-occupied West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
.
He started studying mechanical engineering at age 18 but later continued Business Administration in Cologne, Germany and graduated from Institut pour l'Etude des Methodes de Direction de l'Entreprise
Institut pour l'Etude des Methodes de Direction de l'Entreprise
Institut pour l'Etude des Methodes de Direction de l'Entreprise was a leading business school established in 1957 by Nestlé and situated in Lausanne, Switzerland.Harry L...
(today the International Institute for Management Development
International Institute for Management Development
IMD - International Institute for Management Development is a non profit business school located in Lausanne, Switzerland.- History & Mission :...
) in Lausanne, Switzerland with an MBA. He received an honorary doctorate in International Leadership 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...
during the April 2009 graduation ceremony.
Aviator
Since Uchtdorf faced conscription into the newly formed BundeswehrBundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
he chose instead to volunteer for the West German Air Force
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
in 1959, aged 19, to become a fighter pilot. Due to an agreement between the West German and US Governments, Uchtdorf trained as a fighter pilot in Texas where he excelled, earning the coveted Commander's Trophy (USAF) for being the best student pilot in his class. After earning wings from both the German and US Air force, he served for 6 years as fighter pilot in West Germany, leaving in 1965 to join Lufthansa Airlines
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
. By 1970, at 29 years old, Uchtdorf had reached the rank of Captain with Lufthansa. He was appointed in 1975 as head of Lufthansa's new Arizona Training School, then in 1980 he was made head chief pilot of cockpit crews and then senior vice president of flight operations in 1982. He left Lufthansa in 1996, two years after being called to the Quorums of the Seventy.
Church service
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
Germany Stake.
Uchtdorf was called as a general authority
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 LDS Church on 2 April 1994, with an assignment in the Second Quorum of the Seventy. On April 7, 1996 he was called to serve in the First Quorum of Seventy. Uchtdorf became a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on 15 August 2002.
Apostle
Uchtdorf was sustainedCommon 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 on 2 October 2004. He was ordained an apostle on 7 October 2004 by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar
David A. Bednar
-External links:*, lds.org**...
were called to fill the vacancies created by the July 2004 deaths of quorum members David B. Haight
David B. Haight
David Bruce Haight was the oldest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Life and career:...
and Neal A. Maxwell
Neal A. Maxwell
Neal Ash Maxwell was an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1981 until his death.-Life:...
. As an apostle, Uchtdorf is accepted by the church 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...
.
He is only the eleventh apostle to be born outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is the second member of the First Presidency who is not a native English speaker. Uchtdorf is the first German apostle in church history and was the first born outside of North America since the death of John A. Widtsoe
John A. Widtsoe
John Andreas Widtsoe was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1921 until his death. Widtsoe was also a noted author, scientist, and academician.-Early life:...
in 1952. He is the first resident of a country outside the United States or Canada to be called to be a general authority who later became an apostle. Others emigrated to America for reasons other than being called as a general authority.
While in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
on 12 May 2006, Uchtdorf offered a prayer dedicating the land "for the preaching of the gospel"—an LDS Church custom usually observed at the time missionaries arrive in a new country. Although missionaries had been in what is now Slovakia for over a century, since the split with the Czech Republic
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event that saw the self-determined separation of the federal state of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, entities which had arisen in 1969 within the framework of Czechoslovak federalisation, became...
this had not been performed in the new country.
Counselor in the First Presidency
On 3 February 2008, Uchtdorf became the Second Counselor to Thomas S. MonsonThomas S. Monson
Thomas Spencer Monson is an American religious leader and author, and the 16th and current President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . As president, Monson is considered by adherents of the religion to be a "prophet, seer, and revelator" of God's will on earth...
in the Church's First Presidency.