15th President
Served: 1995–2008
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 23 June 1910. After graduating from the University of Utah, he was called to serve a mission to Great Britain. After he returned, he embarked on a lifetime of service for the Church.
He was employed as the executive secretary of the Church Radio, Publicity, and Literature committee before he was called to be an apostle in 1961. He served as a counselor to President Kimball, President Benson and President Hunter before becoming Church president on 12 March 1995.
During his administration, President Hinckley directed the most intense temple building program in the history of the Church and established the Perpetual Education Fund to help young Mormons in developing countries gain an education and become self-sufficient. He also traveled around the world, meeting Latter-day Saints and encouraging them to fellowship new converts and befriend members of other faiths. Through television interviews and national press publications, he increased media attention and improved the public image of the Church. President Hinckley died on 27 January 2008 in Salt Lake City.