A lawyer who led the LDS Church for only nine months left a lasting legacy.

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Howard W. Hunter served as the 14th president of the LDS Church during a brief nine-month tenure. Before his leadership, he navigated a diverse career as a musician, banker, and attorney, eventually applying his business acumen to revitalize the Polynesian Cultural Center and oversee major church institutional developments.

Born in Boise, Idaho, in 1907, Hunter’s early life was marked by both musical talent and physical challenge. At age four, he contracted polio, which permanently restricted his ability to bend forward. As a young man, he played multiple instruments in a band called Hunter's Croonaders, performing on cruise ships before transitioning into banking and law. His professional path was not linear; after a failed business venture involving advertising schedules, he moved to California, where he worked in a citrus factory and banking before eventually earning his law degree at Southwestern Law School in 1935.

Hunter’s administrative skill became evident in his leadership roles within the LDS Church. In 1965, he took charge of the board for the Polynesian Cultural Center. At that time, the organization was struggling, having finished its second year with a deficit of nearly half a million dollars. By streamlining the board from 21 members to 10 and prioritizing disciplined business practices, Hunter helped the center achieve profitability within three years. His later work included overseeing the acquisition of land in Jerusalem for the BYU Jerusalem Center, which he dedicated in 1989.

His presidency was the shortest in the church's history. Despite his declining health—which included prostate cancer, heart issues, and kidney failure—he emphasized temple attendance and Christ-like living. His legacy persists through institutions like the Howard W. Hunter Law Library and the Howard W. Hunter Professorship at Brigham Young University, as well as his influence on church doctrine, including the drafting of the Proclamation on the Family.

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