Francis Marion Gibbons (born April 10, 1921) was the secretary to 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) from 1970 to 1986 and 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 church from 1986 until 1991.

A native of St. Johns, Arizona

St. Johns, Arizona

St. Johns is the county seat of Apache County, Arizona, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 180, mostly west of where that highway intersects with U.S. Route 191. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 3,538....

, Gibbons received degrees from Stanford University

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

 and the University of Utah

University of Utah

The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

 and practiced law in 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...

 for eighteen years. In 1970, while serving as a bishop of the LDS Church, Gibbons was hired as the secretary to the First Presidency to replace Joseph Anderson

Joseph Anderson (Mormon)

Joseph Anderson was the secretary to the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1922 to 1970 and was a general authority of the church from 1970 until his death....

, who had been the secretary since 1922 but who had just become an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, commonly shortened to Assistant to the Twelve or Assistant to the Twelve Apostles, was a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1941 and 1976...

.

Gibbons served as secretary to the First Presidency until March 1986, when he retired and was succeeded by F. Michael Watson

F. Michael Watson

Frank Michael Watson served as the secretary to the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1986 until his call as a general authority of the LDS Church in 2008....

. Just one week later, at the April general conference of the church, Gibbons was selected as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In April 1989, he was transferred to the newly-created Second Quorum of the Seventy.

In October 1991, Gibbons was honorably released from his service in the Second Quorum of the Seventy and as a general authority of the church.

Gibbons has also served as a stake president and patriarch in the church. He is the author of 19 books, including a biography of Jack Anderson and the hagiographical

Hagiography

Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...

 Prophets of God series about the presidents of the LDS Church.

Gibbons is married to Helen Bay and is the father of four children.

Publications

• Gibbons, Francis M. (1977). Joseph Smith: Martyr–Prophet of God ISBN 0877476373
• —— (1979). Heber J. Grant: Man of Steel, Prophet of God ISBN 0877477558
• —— (1981). Brigham Young: Modern Moses, Prophet of God ISBN 0877478589
• —— (1982). Lorenzo Snow: Spiritual Giant, Prophet of God ISBN 0877479364
• —— (1984). Joseph F. Smith: Patriarch and Preacher, Prophet of God ISBN 0877479887
• —— (1985). John Taylor: Mormon Philosopher, Prophet of God ISBN 0877477140
• —— (1986). David O. McKay: Apostle to the World, Prophet of God ISBN 0875790364
• —— (1988). Wilford Woodruff: Wondrous Worker, Prophet of God ISBN 0875791158
• —— (1990). George Albert Smith: Kind and Caring Christian, Prophet of God ISBN 0875792855
• —— (1992). Joseph Fielding Smith: Gospel Scholar, Prophet of God ISBN 0875795374
• —— (1993). Harold B. Lee: Man of Vision, Prophet of God ISBN 0875797164
• —— (1995). Martha: A Historical Novel ISBN 059532584X
• —— (1995). Spencer W. Kimball: Resolute Disciple, Prophet of God ISBN 0875799949
• —— (1996). Ezra Taft Benson: Statesman, Patriot, Prophet of God ISBN 1573451487
• —— (1996). Dynamic Disciples, Prophets of God: Life Stories of the Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ISBN 1573451614
• —— (1999). The Expanding Church: Three Decades of Remarkable Growth Among the Latter-Day Saints, 1970-1999 ISBN 0882906720
• —— and Daniel Bay Gibbons (2002). A Gathering of Eagles: Conversions from the Four Quarters of the Earth ISBN 0595219705
• —— (2003). Jack Anderson: Mormon Crusader in Gomorrah ISBN 0595269818
• —— (2005). The Spiritual Dimensions of America ISBN 0595340601