| Dallin H. Oaks | |
|---|---|
 Oaks speaking at Harvard Law School in 2010 | |
| First Counselor in the First Presidency | |
| January 14, 2018 – present | |
| Called by | Russell M. Nelson |
| Predecessor | Henry B. Eyring |
| President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (with M. Russell Ballard (2018-2023) and Jeffrey R. Holland (2023-present) as Acting Presidents) | |
| January 14, 2018 – present | |
| Predecessor | Russell M. Nelson |
| LDS Church Apostle | |
| May 3, 1984 – present | |
| Called by | Spencer W. Kimball |
| Reason | Death of Mark E. Petersen[1] |
| Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | |
| May 3, 1984 – January 14, 2018 | |
| Called by | Spencer W. Kimball |
| End reason | Called as First Counselor in the First Presidency |
| Justice of the Utah Supreme Court | |
| In office | |
| 1980 – 1984 | |
| Predecessor | D. Frank Wilkins |
| Successor | Michael D. Zimmerman |
| 8th President of Brigham Young University | |
| In office | |
| August 1971 – August 1980[2] | |
| Predecessor | Ernest L. Wilkinson |
| Successor | Jeffrey R. Holland |
| Military career | |
| 1949–1954 | |
| Service/branch | United States National Guard |
| Unit | Utah National Guard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Dallin Harris Oaks August 12, 1932 Provo, Utah, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Brigham Young University (BS) University of Chicago (JD) |
| Occupation | Lawyer, judge |
| Spouse(s) | June Dixon (1952–1998; deceased) Kristen Meredith McMain (2000–present) |
| Children | 6 |
| Awards | Canterbury Medal (2013) Distinguished Eagle Scout (1984) |
| Signature | |
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Dallin Harris Oaks (born August 12, 1932) is an American religious leader and former jurist and academic who since 2018 has been the first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was called as a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1984. Currently, he is the second most senior apostle by years of service[3] and is the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Oaks was born and raised in Provo, Utah. He studied accounting at Brigham Young University (BYU), then went to law school at the University of Chicago, where he was editor-in-chief of the University of Chicago Law Review and graduated in 1957 with a J.D. cum laude. Oaks was a law clerk for Chief Justice Earl Warren of the U.S. Supreme Court, then spent three years in private practice at Kirkland & Ellis before returning to the University of Chicago as a professor of law in 1961. He taught at Chicago until 1971, when he was chosen to succeed Ernest L. Wilkinson as the president of BYU. Oaks was BYU's president from 1971 until 1980. Oaks was then appointed to the Utah Supreme Court, serving until his selection to the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1984.
During his professional career, Oaks was twice considered by the U.S. president for nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court: first in 1975 by Gerald Ford, who ultimately nominated John Paul Stevens, and again in 1981 by Ronald Reagan, who ultimately nominated Sandra Day O'Connor.[4][5]
- ^ Taylor, Scott (December 22, 2023). "How Apostles are called — and a look back at the calls of the current 15 Apostles". Church News.
- ^ Bergera, Gary James; Priddis, Ronald (1985). "Chapter 1: Growth & Development". Brigham Young University: A House of Faith. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN 0-941214-34-6. OCLC 12963965.
- ^ Apostolic seniority is generally understood to include all ordained apostles (including the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Seniority is determined by date of ordination, not by age or other factors. If two apostles are ordained on the same day, the older of the two is typically ordained first. See Succession to the presidency and Heath, Steven H. (Summer 1987). "Notes on Apostolic Succession" (PDF). Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 20 (2): 44–56. doi:10.2307/45216003. JSTOR 45216003. S2CID 254390532..
- ^ Yalof, David Alistair. Pursuit of Justices: Presidential Politics and the Selection of Supreme Court Justices (2001), p. 127.
- ^ Gehrke, Robert (August 18, 2005), "LDS apostle was studied for '81 court", Salt Lake Tribune