Thomas E. McKay
Encyclopedia
Thomas Evans McKay was a Utah
politician and farmer
and was a general authority
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1941 until his death.
McKay was born in Huntsville
, Utah Territory
, the son of David McKay and Jennette Evans. McKay's older brother was David O. McKay
, who would become the ninth president of the LDS Church.
After graduating from the University of Utah
in 1899, McKay traveled to Switzerland
and Germany
as an LDS Church missionary
. During his mission, he was president of the Frankfurt
Conference
of the church for three months.
After returning to Utah, McKay taught at the Weber Academy and the Agricultural College of Utah. Later he became the superintendent of the Weber County
schools.
From 1909 to 1912, McKay returned to Europe
as the president
of the church's Swiss–German Mission
. He also was the mission president of the Swiss–Austrian Mission from 1927 until the Anschluss
in 1938. During the Second World War, McKay was, in theory, the mission president over all German-speaking
areas of Europe, although he resided in Salt Lake City at the time.
In 1918, McKay was elected to the Utah House of Representatives
as the representative for Weber County. He served one term, in the 13th Utah State Legislature which met from 1919 to 1921.
Prior to his call as a general authority, McKay was a president of the Ogden
Stake of the church. In 1941, he became one of the first five men appointed to the newly-created position of Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
. In 1951, he witnessed his brother's promotion to the presidency of the church. Thomas E. McKay served as an Assistant to the Twelve until his death in Salt Lake City at the age of 82.
McKay was married to Fawn Brimhall and was the father of five children. McKay's daughter, Fawn M. Brodie
, was a biographer and professor of history at UCLA who was eventually excommunicated for portraying Joseph Smith, Jr. as a fraudulent genius in her 1945 work No Man Knows My History.
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...
politician and farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and was 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 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1941 until his death.
McKay was born in Huntsville
Huntsville, Utah
Huntsville is a town in Weber County, Utah, United States. The population was 649 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
, the son of David McKay and Jennette Evans. McKay's older brother was David O. McKay
David O. McKay
David Oman McKay was the ninth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , serving from 1951 until his death. Ordained an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1906, McKay was a general authority for nearly 64 years, longer than anyone else in LDS Church...
, who would become the ninth president of the LDS Church.
After graduating from 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...
in 1899, McKay traveled to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Germany
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...
as an 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...
. During his mission, he was president of the Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
Conference
District (LDS Church)
A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...
of the church for three months.
After returning to Utah, McKay taught at the Weber Academy and the Agricultural College of Utah. Later he became the superintendent of the Weber County
Weber County, Utah
Weber County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a stretch of the Wasatch Front, part of the eastern shores of Great Salt Lake, and much of the rugged Wasatch Mountains. As of the 2000 census, the population was 196,533, an increase of 24.1% over its population in 1990. By...
schools.
From 1909 to 1912, McKay returned to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as the president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
of the church's Swiss–German Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
. He also was the mission president of the Swiss–Austrian Mission from 1927 until the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
in 1938. During the Second World War, McKay was, in theory, the mission president over all German-speaking
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
areas of Europe, although he resided in Salt Lake City at the time.
In 1918, McKay was elected to the Utah House of Representatives
Utah House of Representatives
The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district contains an average population of 35,000 people...
as the representative for Weber County. He served one term, in the 13th Utah State Legislature which met from 1919 to 1921.
Prior to his call as a general authority, McKay was a president of the Ogden
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
Stake of the church. In 1941, he became one of the first five men appointed to the newly-created position of 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...
. In 1951, he witnessed his brother's promotion to the presidency of the church. Thomas E. McKay served as an Assistant to the Twelve until his death in Salt Lake City at the age of 82.
McKay was married to Fawn Brimhall and was the father of five children. McKay's daughter, Fawn M. Brodie
Fawn M. Brodie
Fawn McKay Brodie was a biographer and professor of history at UCLA, best known for Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History, a work of psychobiography, and No Man Knows My History, an early and still influential non-hagiographic biography of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint...
, was a biographer and professor of history at UCLA who was eventually excommunicated for portraying Joseph Smith, Jr. as a fraudulent genius in her 1945 work No Man Knows My History.