Dieter F. Uchtdorf will now serve as the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was set apart on Thursday by the First Presidency.
In the Church of Jesus Christ, the highest presiding entity is the First Presidency, and second to that is the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The Quorum is called by seniority, with the most senior member being President Henry B. Eyring, who serves as first counselor in the First Presidency. With the passing of President Jeffrey R. Holland in late December, President Uchtdorf was called as the acting president.
President Uchtdorf was born on Nov. 6, 1940, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia. His family became members of the Church in 1952. Seven years later, he joined the German Air Force and served as a fighter pilot for six years. His career as an aviator qualified him as a check captain on Boeing’s 737 and 747 aircraft. He also served in civic and board responsibilities, including chairman of the Flight Operations Committee of the International Air Transport Association.
He married his wife, Harriet Reich, in 1962. They have two children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
He was called to serve as a General Authority in April of 1994. In the years following, he was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Oct. 2, 2004, and in 2008 was called as the second counselor in the First Presidency, a calling he held until Jan. of 2018. Eight years later, he has been called to serve as the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Since his first calling back in 1994, he and his wife have lived in the United States.