Richard R. Lyman

Richard R. Lyman was an apostle who was excommunicated in 1943 for a long-term adulterous affair, becoming the most senior church leader removed for immorality in the 20th century. The great-grandson of Amasa Lyman (also an excommunicated apostle), he was educated in engineering and had a successful academic career before his call.

Lyman served as an apostle from 1918 to 1943, a period of 25 years. During this time, he conducted a secret affair with Anna Brockbank Naef that lasted approximately two decades. When the affair was discovered, he was immediately excommunicated, shocking church members who knew him as a respected apostle.

The church handled the matter quietly, never publicly announcing the reason for his excommunication. Lyman later reconciled with the church and was rebaptized in 1954, though he was never restored to the apostleship. He died in 1963.

His case is often cited in discussions of accountability for church leaders and the human failings that can exist even among those considered prophets and apostles. The decades-long secret nature of the affair raised questions about the gift of discernment among his fellow apostles.