Howard William Hunter (14 November 1907 – 3 March 1995) was the fourteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving the shortest presidential tenure in Church history—just nine months from June 1994 until his death. Born in Boise, Idaho, he was the first Church President born in the twentieth century and the last to die in it.
Hunter grew up in a part-member family; his mother was an active member while his father did not join until Howard was an adult. He begged to be baptized and was finally permitted at age twelve, becoming the first Church President to be baptized in an indoor font. He was the second person to earn Eagle Scout in Idaho. He met Clara May “Claire” Jeffs in 1928; they married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1931 and had three sons, though their first son William died in infancy.
After graduating with a law degree in 1939, Hunter served as the first president of the Pasadena California Stake. In 1959, President David O. McKay called him as an Apostle, prompting him to leave his law practice for full-time Church service. He served for over 35 years as a general authority, contributing to the establishment of the Polynesian Cultural Center, the Orson Hyde Memorial Garden in Jerusalem, and the BYU Jerusalem Center. From 1964 to 1972, he oversaw the Genealogical Society of Utah’s first computerization of records.
As Church President, Hunter emphasized Christlike living and temple attendance. Despite numerous health challenges including a heart attack, tumor surgery, and quadruple bypass, he dedicated the Orlando Florida and Bountiful Utah temples before his death. His ministry, though brief, called Latter-day Saints to make the temple the great symbol of their membership.