Harold B. Lee

Harold B. Lee was the eleventh President of the LDS Church, serving the shortest presidency of the 20th century—just 18 months from July 1972 until his sudden death in December 1973. Born in Clifton, Idaho, Lee was a schoolteacher and principal before his call to church leadership.

Lee’s greatest contribution came before his presidency. As a stake president during the Great Depression, he developed a local welfare program so successful that church leaders expanded it churchwide. In 1936, he was called to head the new Church Welfare Program, which became a model for member self-reliance. He later developed the Correlation Program, which standardized church curriculum and organization under priesthood oversight—reshaping how the church functions to this day.

Ordained an apostle in 1941, Lee was known as an administrator and organizer. His influence on church structure cannot be overstated: correlation affected everything from lesson manuals to auxiliary organizations.

His brief presidency emphasized family and personal righteousness. He conducted the first area conferences outside the United States and continued the organizational refinements he had championed for decades. His sudden death from cardiac arrest surprised church members who expected a longer tenure from the relatively young (74-year-old) president.