David Asael Smith (May 24, 1879 – April 6, 1952) was a member of the presiding bishopric of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) between 1907 and 1938 and was the first president of the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for o ...

. Smith was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...

, the son of LDS

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

Joseph F. Smith Joseph Fielding Smith Sr. (November 13, 1838 – November 19, 1918) was an American religious leader who served as the sixth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was a nephew of Joseph Smith, founder of ...

and Julina Lambson. He was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

on his eighth birthday. When Charles W. Nibley was selected as the new Presiding Bishop of the church in 1907, he selected Smith as his second counselor. Smith was ordained a

high priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious organisation. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many god ...

and a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

by Anthon H. Lund in December 1907. When first counselor Orrin Porter Miller died in 1918, Nibley made Smith his new first counselor. When Nibley was asked to join the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

of the church in 1925, the new presiding bishop, Sylvester Q. Cannon, asked Smith to remain in the Presiding Bishopric as first counselor. Smith served in this capacity until April 6, 1938, when Cannon was released and became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As a member of the Presiding Bishopric, Smith was the head of LDS Hospital in

. In 1908, Smith was made the first official president of the

. In this capacity, Smith's duties included managing the administrative, financial, and logistic details of the choir's increasing concert and tour schedule. Smith was president of the choir until his release from the presiding bishopric in 1938. Smith was a member of the general board of the Deseret Sunday School Union. Smith died in Salt Lake City of cerebral

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis, literally meaning "hardening of the arteries", is an umbrella term for a vascular disorder characterized by abnormal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries; this process gradually restricts th ...

and was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, David A. 1879 births 1952 deaths American general authorities (LDS Church) Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Counselors in the Presiding Bishopric (LDS Church) Tabernacle Choir members Religious leaders from Salt Lake City Smith family (Latter Day Saints) Sunday School (LDS Church) people

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