Delbert L. Stapley

Delbert L. Stapley was an apostle from 1950 until his death in 1978. An Arizona businessman, Stapley is remembered partly for a controversial 1964 letter he wrote to Michigan Governor George Romney.

In that letter, Stapley warned Romney against supporting civil rights legislation, arguing that the church’s priesthood ban on Black members reflected God’s will regarding race. The letter became public decades later, illustrating attitudes some church leaders held during the civil rights era.

Stapley served 28 years as an apostle during significant periods of social change in America.