Elder M. Russell Ballard: Apostle and Great-Grandson of the Martyr Hyrum Smith (1928–2023)

Elder M. Russell Ballard (1928–2023) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (called 1985) and, at his death, acting president of the Twelve. He was a great-grandson of the Prophet's brother Hyrum Smith, and carried with a special tenderness the legacy of the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum. Throughout his ministry President Ballard bore witness that 'we should always remember the price Joseph and Hyrum Smith paid, along with so many others,' and testified of the Restoration they sealed with their blood. He also served as president of the Canada Toronto Mission and oversaw great areas of the Church's temporal and spiritual welfare. His life is a faith-promoting witness of an apostle whose very lineage tied him to the Martyrdom and whose ministry carried that witness to the Church and the world.