David Steward Baxter (born 7 February 1955) has been a general authority 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) since 2006. A native of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and a resident of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

at the time of his call, he is only the third general authority who was native to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and also living there at the time of his call.

Early life and biography

Baxter's parents divorced when he was five years old and his mother remarried twice in his childhood. During his youth, Baxter was taken from his home by the state on more than one occasion.Bulsiewicz, Michelle Garrett
"LDS general authority writes about how to overcome life's trials"
''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...

'', Utah, 26 July 2012. Retrieved on 22 February 2020. Baxter joined the LDS Church, along with his mother and siblings when he was 12 and shortly after this the family moved to

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. This is where Baxter first met his future wife, Diana Lewars. They were in the same LDS Church

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

and were two of only five

Latter-day Saint The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded b ...

s at their school. Baxter then attended the

University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...

where he graduated with a BSc in economics. After graduating, Baxter served a

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

for the church in the Scotland

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

, starting in 1976. For 10 months of his mission, he was the

branch president A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, th ...

Lerwick Lerwick ( or ; ; ) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. It is the northernmost major settlement within the United Kingdom. Centred ...

in the

Shetland Islands Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the Uni ...

. Baxter served for a time as a senior director at

British Telecom BT Group plc (formerly British Telecom) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-li ...

. He also served as the UK Government's Director for International Trade & Investment for Greater London and as a member of the Board of Capacity Builders, a UK

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

Agency. He previously served as chairman of the Board of Business Link for London (small business advice service), and as a member of the Board of London First, on the CBI London Council, and as Deputy Chairman of the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust.

LDS Church service

Baxter was called as 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 ...

at age 25. He later served as a counselor in a

stake presidency A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine ha ...

, as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

England

Stake A stake is a large wooden or metal implement designed to be driven into the ground and may refer to: Tools * Archer's stake, a defensive stake carried by medieval longbowmen * Survey stakes, markers used by surveyors * Sudis (stake) (Latin for ...

and as a counselor in the presidency of the England

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Mission. From 2002 to 2006 he was an

area seventy Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister" and an "especial witness" of J ...

, which included serving as a counselor in the presidency of the church's

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

West

Area Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...

from 2004 to 2006. After his call as general authority, Baxter served as a counselor in the church's New Zealand/Pacific Islands Area and then as president of the Pacific Area, each based in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. In 2012, he addressed the church's general conference and focused on single parents, "Please never feel that you are in some kind of second-tier, subcategory of church membership, somehow less entitled to the Lord's blessings than others. In the kingdom of God, there are no second-class citizens.". In 2009, Baxter was diagnosed with

brain cancer A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cance ...

after suffering a seizure while touring a mission in Australia. He underwent brain surgery and radiation therapy for the treatment of this illness. As a result, he was released from the area presidency, returned to Salt Lake for medical treatment, and was placed on medical leave from his assignments. Following some treatment and recovery, he resumed service at church headquarters, but has since again been placed on medical leave. On August 1, 2025, he will be released from active service and designated as an emeritus general authority.

Personal life

After returning from his mission, Baxter and his wife were married and they are the parents of four children. Dianne died on March 25, 2022, at the age of 66.

Bibliography

*''A Perfect Brightness of Hope'' by David S. Baxter (

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, 30 April 2012, ) *''Peace, be Still'' by David S. Baxter (Cedar Fort, 8 October 2013, ) *''What Good Men Do'' by David S. Baxter (Cedar Fort, 14 October 2014, )

References

External links

David S. Baxter: Latter-day Saint official profile"New Area Authority Seventies"
''

Church News The ''Church News'' (formerly ''LDS Church News'') is a multi-platform supplement and subdivision of the ''Deseret News'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (informally, the LDS Church). ...

'', April 20, 2002. Retrieved 15 September 2014. * Sarah Jane Weaver
"Londoners strong after terrorists strike"
''

'' July 16, 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2014. * Shaun D. Stahle
"Peace came when the missionaries visited"
''

'', April 15, 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2014. See als
"David S. Baxter"
from the same ''Church News'' edition for Baxter's biographical information.
"Greeting prime minister"
''

'', 17 February 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
"New Zealand leader promotes education"
''

'', 24 November 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, David S. 1955 births Alumni of the University of Wales Area seventies (LDS Church) Converts to Mormonism Living people BT Group people Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church) Mission presidents (LDS Church) Mormon missionaries in England Scottish Latter Day Saints Scottish Mormon missionaries 20th-century Mormon missionaries Mormon missionaries in Scotland Scottish general authorities (LDS Church)