Editing Nathan Eldon Tanner

{{Short description|Canadian politician and Mormon religious leader (1898–1982)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox Latter Day Saint biography
 | name                = N. Eldon Tanner
 | image               = N. Eldon Tanner2.jpg
 | birth_date          = {{birth date|1898|05|09}}
 | birth_place         = [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]], United States
 | death_date          = {{death date and age|1982|11|27|1898|05|09}}
 | death_place         = [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]], United States
 | resting_place       = [[Salt Lake City Cemetery]]
 | resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord|40|46|37.92|N|111|51|28.8|W|type:landmark|display=inline}}
 | spouse              = {{marriage|Sara Isabelle Merrill | 1919}}
 | children            = 5 daughters
 | political_office1   = Member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]] for [[Cardston (provincial electoral district)|Cardston]] 
 | term_start1         = August 22, 1935
 | term_end1           = August 5, 1952
 | office_predecessor1 = [[George Stringam]]
 | office_successor1   = [[Edgar Hinman]]
 | political_office2   = [[Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly]]
 | term_start2         = February 6, 1936
 | term_end2           = January 4, 1937
 | office_predecessor2 = [[George Johnston (politician)|George Johnston]]
 | office_successor2   = [[Peter Dawson (politician)|Peter Dawson]]
 | political_office3   = [[List of Alberta provincial ministers#Minister of Forestry, Lands and Wildlife|Minister of Lands and Mines]]
 | term_start3         = January 5, 1937
 | term_end3           = April 1, 1949
 | office_predecessor3 = [[Charles Cathmer Ross|Charles Ross]]
 | office_successor3   = 
 | premier3            = [[William Aberhart]] and<br />[[Ernest Manning]]
 | political_office4   = [[List of Alberta provincial ministers#Minister of Forestry, Lands and Wildlife|Minister of Forestry, Lands and Wildlife]]
 | term_start4         = April 1, 1949
 | term_end4           = September 9, 1952
 | office_predecessor4 = [[Ivan Casey]]
 | office_successor4   = 
 | premier4            = Ernest Manning
 | political_office5   = [[List of Alberta provincial ministers#Minister of Mines and Minerals|Minister of Mines and Minerals]]
 | term_start5         = April 1, 1949
 | term_end5           = September 9, 1952
 | office_predecessor5 = [[Ernest Manning]]
 | office_successor5   = 
 | premier5            = Ernest Manning
 | party               = [[Social Credit Party of Alberta|Social Credit]]
 | occupation          = Teacher, Politician, Religious Leader 
 | position_or_quorum1 = First Counselor in the [[First Presidency (LDS Church)|First Presidency]]
 | called_by1          = [[Spencer W. Kimball]]
 | ordination_reason1  = Reorganization of First Presidency
 | start_date1         = {{start date|1973|12|30}}
 | end_date1           = {{end date|1982|11|27}}
 | position_or_quorum2 = First Counselor in the First Presidency
 | ordination_reason2  = Reorganization of First Presidency
 | called_by2          = [[Harold B. Lee]]
 | start_date2         = {{start date|1972|07|07}}
 | end_date2           = {{end date|1973|12|26}}
 | end_reason2         = Dissolution of First Presidency upon the death of Harold B. Lee
 | position_or_quorum3 = Second Counselor in the First Presidency
 | called_by3          = [[Joseph Fielding Smith]]
 | ordination_reason3  = Reorganization of First Presidency
 | start_date3         = {{start date|1970|01|23}}
 | end_date3           = {{end date|1972|07|02}}
 | end_reason3         = Dissolution of First Presidency upon the death of Joseph Fielding Smith
 | position_or_quorum4 = Second Counselor in the First Presidency
 | called_by4          = [[David O. McKay]]
 | ordination_reason4  = Death of [[Henry D. Moyle]]
 | start_date4         = {{end date|1963|10|04}}
 | end_date4           = {{end date|1970|01|18}}
 | end_reason4         = Dissolution of First Presidency upon the death of David O. McKay
 | position_or_quorum5 = [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]]
 | called_by5          = David O. McKay
 | ordination_reason5  = Death of [[George Q. Morris]]
 | start_date5         = {{start date|1962|10|11}}
 | end_date5           = {{end date|1963|10|04}}
 | position_or_quorum6 = [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS Church]] [[Apostle (Latter Day Saints)|Apostle]]
 | ordination_reason6  = Death of [[George Q. Morris]]
 | called_by6          = David O. McKay
 | start_date6         = {{start date|1962|10|11}}
 | end_date6           = {{end date|1982|11|27}}
 | reorganization6     = No apostles ordained
 | position_or_quorum7 = [[Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]]
 | called_by7          = David O. McKay
 | start_date7         = {{start date|1960|10|08}}
 | end_date7           = {{end date|1962|10|11}}
 | end_reason7         = Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
 | list_notes          = Member (1935–52) of and [[Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta|Speaker]] (1936–37) of the [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]. Nephew of [[Hugh B. Brown]].
}}
'''Nathan Eldon Tanner''' (May 9, 1898 &ndash; November 27, 1982) was a Canadian politician and a leader of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church). He served in the [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]] from 1935 to 1952 as a member of the [[Social Credit Party of Alberta|Social Credit]] caucus in government.  He served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1936 to 1937 and as a cabinet minister in the governments of [[William Aberhart]] and [[Ernest Manning]] from 1937 to 1952, in various portfolios related to resource industries.

==Early life==
Tanner was born on May 9, 1898, in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]], to Nathan William Tanner and Sarah Edna Brown Tanner. He had seven younger siblings.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=McCune|first=George M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wvlAAAACAAJ|title=Personalities in the Doctrine and Covenants and Joseph Smith–History|publisher=Hawkes Publishing|year=1991|isbn=9780890365182|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|pages=136}}</ref> His family emigrated to [[Canada]] and had a farmstead in [[Aetna, Alberta|Aetna]], south of [[Cardston, Alberta]], where he grew up and attended grade school. He attended high school at Knight Academy in [[Raymond, Alberta|Raymond]] and received some postsecondary education at Calgary Normal School.<ref name="LDSbio">{{cite news | url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1972/11/president-n-eldon-tanner-a-man-of-integrity?lang=eng |title=President N. Eldon Tanner: A Man of Integrity|author=Hugh B. Brown|publisher=LDS Church|date=November 1972|page=13|work=[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]|author-link=Hugh B. Brown}}</ref>

Tanner began his working life at a grocery store and butcher shop. He obtained a job teaching at a small school in [[Hill Spring]] in 1919. He met Sara Isabelle Merrill at the school and married her on December 20, 1919<ref name="LDSbio"/> and they became the parents of five daughters.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Flake|first1=Lawrence R.|title=Prophets and Apostles of the Last Dispensation|date=2001|publisher=Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University|location=Provo, UT|pages=223–28|url=https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/prophets-and-apostles-last-dispensation/first-counselors-first-presidency/18-nathan-eldon}}</ref>

Along with teaching, Tanner also established his own general store, which later also became the local post office, to supplement his family income. The store was successful enough that he left his first teaching job in Hill Spring to run the store full-time.<ref name="LDSbio"/>

Tanner eventually became a high school teacher<ref name="LDSbio" /> and school principal in Cardston.<ref name=":0" /> He got his start in politics as a councillor on the Cardston Town Council.<ref name="LDSbio"/>

==Political and business career==
Tanner was drafted to run for a seat to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the first time in the [[1935 Alberta general election|1935 general election]]. He ran as a [[Social Credit Party of Alberta|Social Credit]] candidate in the electoral district of Cardston and defeated the incumbent [[United Farmers of Alberta|United Farmers]] MLA [[George Stringam]].<ref name="1935 official">{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/administration/maps_choice.php?Year=1935&Constit=Cardston| title=Cardston Official Results 1935 Alberta general election | publisher=Alberta Heritage Community Foundation | access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref>

After the election and despite his complete lack of parliamentary experience, Tanner was chosen to be fifth-ever Speaker of the Alberta Legislature when the first session of the [[8th Alberta Legislative Assembly]] began. He served in that role until January 5, 1937, when Premier [[William Aberhart]] appointed Tanner the Minister of Lands and Mines.<ref name="speaker">{{cite hansard |title=Vignettes from the Assembly's History |url=https://search.assembly.ab.ca/isysquery/f5ec0113-1b1e-43db-8ab8-7fff29334ee7/3/doc/20060516_1330_01_han.pdf |house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta |page=1593 |date=May 16, 2006 |speaker=Shariff, Shiraz |speaker-link=Shiraz Shariff |position=Acting [[Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701212307/https://search.assembly.ab.ca/isysquery/f5ec0113-1b1e-43db-8ab8-7fff29334ee7/3/doc/20060516_1330_01_han.pdf |archive-date=2023-07-01 |url-status=live |quote=Nathan Eldon Tanner, the Member for Cardston and representing the Social Credit Party, became the fifth Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 1936. He presided over only 46 sitting days and 333 calendar days, the shortest tenure of any Speaker, before being appointed as minister of lands and mines. He is thought to be the first member of the Mormon faith to serve as Speaker in the British Commonwealth.}}</ref> His time in this capacity and as legislator spanned 16 years.<ref name=":0" />

In the [[1940 Alberta general election|1940 general election]], Tanner defeated the independent candidate S.H. Nelson in a two-way race.<ref name="1940 official">{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/administration/maps_choice.php?Year=1940&Constit=Cardston| title=Cardston Official Results 1940 Alberta general election | publisher=Alberta Heritage Community Foundation | access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref>

In the [[1944 Alberta general election|1944 general election]], Tanner won a three-way race.<ref name="1944 official">{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/administration/maps_choice.php?Year=1944&Constit=Cardston| title=Cardston Official Results 1944 Alberta general election | publisher=Alberta Heritage Community Foundation | access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref>

In the [[1948 Alberta general election]], Tanner easily won a two-way race over the [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberal]] candidate Briant Stringam to hold his seat.<ref name="1948 official">{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/administration/maps_choice.php?Year=1948&Constit=Cardston| title=Cardston Official Results 1948 Alberta general election | publisher=Alberta Heritage Community Foundation | access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref>

In 1949, [[Ernest Manning]] changed Tanner's ministerial portfolio from Lands and Mines to Lands and Forests. Tanner was also appointed Minister of Mines and Minerals and held both portfolios until his retirement from the Legislature at its dissolution in 1952.

In 1952 Tanner left politics and became president of Merrill Petroleums in Calgary. In 1954 Manning and federal [[Minister of Trade and Industry]] [[C. D. Howe]] asked him to become president of [[TransCanada PipeLines Limited]]. During Tanner's contract of five years, the [[TransCanada pipeline]] was built from Alberta to Montreal.{{r|LDSbio}}

==LDS Church==
In 1960, Tanner was [[Calling (LDS Church)|called]] as an [[Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]], a full-time LDS Church [[general authority]]. He had previous experience in church leadership, having served as a [[Bishop (Latter Day Saints)|bishop]], [[branch president]], and [[stake president]] in Canada.<ref name=":0" /> In the church, he preferred to be referred to as "N. Eldon Tanner." In 1962, the death of [[George Q. Morris]] created a vacancy in the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]],{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} which Tanner was called to fill in October 1962.<ref name=":0" /> He was still the quorum's junior member one year later when he was called into the [[First Presidency (LDS Church)|First Presidency]] as second counselor to church [[President of the Church (LDS Church)|president]] [[David O. McKay]]. Tanner remained in that position for the church presidency of [[Joseph Fielding Smith]] (1970–1972) and then became first counselor to Smith's successor, [[Harold B. Lee]] and later to [[Spencer W. Kimball]] until Tanner's death.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} He thus served as counselor to four church presidents. While Tanner was a member of the First Presidency, the membership numbers of the church grew from 1.7 million to 5 million.<ref name=":0" />

Tanner was presented with the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement’s]] Golden Plate Award at a ceremony in 1972 at Salt Lake City.<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=  https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/all-honorees/}}</ref>

As the First Presidency, Kimball, Tanner, and [[Marion G. Romney]] announced the reception of the [[1978 Revelation on Priesthood|Revelation on Priesthood]] in June 1978, which established that being of black African descent would no longer be a [[black people and Mormonism|barrier to ordination]] to the church's [[priesthood (LDS Church)|priesthood]]. The announcement was canonized as "[[Official Declaration 2]]" in the church's [[Doctrine and Covenants]]. Tanner formally presented the announcement for acceptance by the church at a [[general Conference (LDS Church)|general conference]] in October 1978.<ref>N. Eldon Tanner, [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1978/11/revelation-on-priesthood-accepted-church-officers-sustained?lang=eng "Revelation on Priesthood Accepted, Church Officers Sustained"], ''[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]'', November 1978.</ref>

Not long afterward, Tanner's health deteriorated, and it became impossible for him to continue the duties of his office. Kimball and Romney were also ailing, and the decision was made to add [[Gordon B. Hinckley]] as an additional counselor to the First Presidency on July 23, 1981, with [[Neal A. Maxwell]] ordained to take Hinckley's seat in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Tanner remained first counselor until his death on November 27, 1982, at the age of 84. Because of the appointments of Maxwell and Hinckley the prior year, no additional individuals were added to the First Presidency and no apostles were ordained as a result of his death.
<gallery>
image:NEldonTannerGrave.jpg|Grave marker of N. Eldon Tanner
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1983/01/president-n-eldon-tanner-dies?lang=eng "President N. Eldon Tanner Dies"], ''[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]'', January 1983.

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930024650/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/legislaturecentennial/pdf/membersBooklet.pdf Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing]
*[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2010/01/small-and-simple-things/nathan-eldon-tanner?lang=eng General Authorities and General Officers: Elder Nathan Eldon Tanner]
* [http://marriottschool.byu.edu/index/neldontanner BYU: Nathan Eldon Tanner]

{{s-start|noclear=y}}
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{{s-bef| before = [[Harold B. Lee]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chronology of the First Presidency (LDS Church)|First Counselor]] in the [[First Presidency (LDS Church)|First Presidency]] | years= July 7, 1972 &ndash; December 26, 1973<br />December 30, 1973 &ndash; November 27, 1982 }}
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{{succession box | title= [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]] | years= October 11, 1962 &ndash; October 4, 1963 | before= [[Gordon B. Hinckley]] | after= [[Thomas S. Monson]]|}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box|title={{nowrap|[[Legislative Assembly of Alberta|Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]}}|before=[[George Stringam]]|after=[[Edgar Hinman]]|years=August 22, 1935&ndash;August 5, 1952}}
{{succession box|title=[[Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly]]|before=[[George Johnston (politician)|George Johnston]]|after=[[Peter Dawson (politician)|Peter Dawson]]|years=1936 &ndash;1937}}
{{s-end}}
{{LDSfirstpresidency}}
{{LDSApostles}}
{{LDSasstq12}}
{{Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta}}
{{Manning Ministry}}
{{Aberhart Ministry}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanner, N. Eldon}}
[[Category:1898 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]
[[Category:Alberta Social Credit Party MLAs]]
[[Category:American emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:American general authorities (LDS Church)]]
[[Category:Apostles (LDS Church)]]
[[Category:Assistants to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]]
[[Category:Canadian general authorities (LDS Church)]]
[[Category:Counselors in the First Presidency (LDS Church)]]
[[Category:Doctrine and Covenants people]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive Council of Alberta]]
[[Category:People from Cardston County]]
[[Category:Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]
[[Category:Tanner family]]