Walter Joshua "Jay" Eldredge Jr. (27 April 1913 – 27 April 2002) was the thirteenth general superintendent of the
Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association
The Young Men (often referred to as Young Men's) is a youth organization and official program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Its purpose is to assist the church's Aaronic priesthood-aged young men in their growt ...
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) from 1969 to 1972.
Biography
In 1969, he succeeded
G. Carlos Smith as the leader of the YMMIA. In November 1972, Eldredge became the first general superintendent of that organization to be called the ''general president'' of the YMMIA. Just weeks after this change in terminology, Eldredge was released and was succeeded by his second counselor,
Robert L. Backman.
Prior to his service in the YMMIA, Eldredge had been a church
mission president
Mission president is a Priesthood (LDS Church), priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president presides over a geographic area known as a Mission (LDS Church), mission and the M ...
in the eastern
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and was the first president of the Parley's
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 ...
of the church.
Eldredge 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
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, to Walter Joshua and Lutie S. Nicholson Eldredge. He married Marjory Ormsby Hyde, a great-granddaughter of LDS Church
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 ...
Orson Hyde
Orson Hyde (January 8, 1805 – November 28, 1878) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a member of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus ...
. Together they had five children. He died in Salt Lake City on his 89th birthday.
See also
*
George I. Cannon
*
George R. Hill
References
*Arnold K. Garr,
Donald Q. Cannon &
Richard O. Cowan (eds.) (2000). Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History (Salt Lake City, Utah:
Deseret Book
Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), th ...
)
External links
Jay Eldredge obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eldredge, W. Jay
1913 births
2002 deaths
20th-century Mormon missionaries
American Mormon missionaries in the United States
American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
General presidents of the Young Men (organization)
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Mission presidents (LDS Church)
People from Salt Lake City