Utah Gov. Cox Declares ‘President Russell M. Nelson Day’ in Utah

Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox declared today, September 9, 2024, “President Russell M. Nelson Day” in Utah. President Nelson, the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 2018, turned 100 today.

Gov. Cox and his wife, Abby, shared the news with President Nelson in the Church Administration Building on Temple Square on Thursday, September 5, 2024. Others present included Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elder Matthew S. Holland of the Seventy; Mark Woodruff, the prophet’s personal secretary; and Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corporation.

The Church of Jesus Christ welcomes all to view a special birthday broadcast in honor of Church President Russell M. Nelson today at 4 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. You can watch the live stream on Broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the Church’s YouTube channel, and the Gospel Stream app.

As President Nelson approached his birthday, he invited people everywhere to extend a gift of love for his 100th birthday. Visit this page to learn more about the 99+1 invitation.

The text of the governor’s declaration is below.

Declaration

Whereas, President Russell Marion Nelson was born September 9, 1924, to Marion C. and Edna Anderson Nelson in Salt Lake City, Utah;

Whereas, President Nelson is the 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sustained and set apart on January 14, 2018, and is the oldest president in the history of the church;

Whereas, President Nelson graduated from East High School in Salt Lake City as a valedictorian, received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from the University of Utah, then served his residency in surgery at University of Minnesota Hospitals and Massachusetts General Hospital, and was awarded a Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota;

Whereas, President Nelson served honorably in the United States military, first in the United States Naval Reserve and later in the United States Army Medical Corps during the Korean War;

Whereas, President Nelson is an internationally renowned surgeon and medical researcher, having performed the first open-heart surgery in Utah at age 32, served as president of the Society for Vascular Surgery, a director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, chairman of the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery for the American Heart Association and president of the Utah State Medical Association;

Whereas, President Nelson has served in the Church in various capacities and callings throughout his lifetime, and was sustained and set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 7, 1984;

Whereas, President Nelson is the father of 10 children, 57 grandchildren, 167 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild, and following the passing of his first wife, Dantzel White, in February 2005, married Wendy L. Watson in April 2006.

Whereas, President Nelson has called upon all of us to be peacemakers, emphasizing the importance of opening “our hearts to those whose lives are different than our own … for we are all children of a loving God;”

Whereas, President Nelson has made tireless efforts to build bridges of understanding and preserve freedoms, and was named the inaugural laureate of the Gandhi-King-Mandela Peace Prize from Morehouse College in 2023;

Whereas, in commemoration of his 100th birthday, we honor his life’s dedication to kindness, love and welcoming spirit;

Now, therefore, I, Spencer J. Cox, governor of the state of Utah, do hereby declare September 9, 2024, as

President Russell M. Nelson Day in Utah

Spencer J. Cox
Governor