The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced President Dallin H. Oaks as its new 18th President and Prophet during a live broadcast from Church headquarters in Salt Lake City. President Oaks, age 93, succeeds President Russell M. Nelson, who passed away on September 27, 2025.
The Church’s transition of leadership follows a sacred and structured process. Upon the passing of the prophet, the First Presidency is dissolved, and leadership temporarily reverts to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The longest-serving Apostle—in this case, President Oaks—is then confirmed as the new prophet through revelation and priesthood authority.
President Oaks officially assumed leadership on October 14, 2025, and announced that President Henry B. Eyring, 92, and President D. Todd Christofferson, 80, will serve as his first and second counselors in the First Presidency, the Church’s highest governing body. Additionally, President Jeffrey R. Holland, 84, has been called as the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
A respected legal scholar and religious leader, Dallin H. Oaks was born and raised in Provo, Utah, and graduated in accounting from Brigham Young University before earning his law degree from the University of Chicago in 1957, where he served as editor-in-chief of the University of Chicago Law Review. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, worked in private practice at Kirkland & Ellis, and returned to academia as a law professor at the University of Chicago.
In 1971, Oaks was appointed President of Brigham Young University, where he served until 1980 before joining the Utah Supreme Court. His service as a Justice continued until 1984, when he was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
With a lifetime dedicated to faith, education, and public service, President Oaks now leads a worldwide membership exceeding 17 million. His presidency marks a continuation of steady leadership within the Church, emphasizing faith, family, and global unity among Latter-day Saints.
