Elder Quentin L. Cook
New Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
of The LDS Church.

Kelly Bingham
October 7, 2007

Salt Lake City -- Elder Quentin L. Cook was sustained as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, the governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during the morning session of the 177th Semi-Annual General Conference.

"This has been an overwhelming experience for me," said Elder Cook. "In the church we neither seek calls nor have any expectations ever that any call will come to us. I had no idea that I would be receiving this call. But neither do we turn down a call that is extended to us from a faithful loving prophet that is so dear to us."

Elder Quentin L. Cook was born September 8, 1940 in Logan, Utah. He served a LDS mission in England from 1960 to 1962. He came home and married his high school sweetheart, Mary Gaddie Cook, and reared three children.

In 1963, Quentin Cook received a Bachelor's Degree from Utah State University. He went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from Stanford University in 1966. He lived in Hillsborough, California for 27 years, working as a business lawyer and managing partner of a San Francisco law firm, then as the CEO of California health care company. He also served his community for 14 years as a volunteer city attorney.

His service to the church has included callings as a ward bishop and 15 years in the San Francisco Stake Presidency. He also served as a regional representative and an Area Authority in the North American West Area.

In 1996, Elder Quentin L. Cook was called as a General Authority, being sustained to the Second Quorum of the Seventy. Two years later he was sustained to the First Quorum of the Seventy. During his tenure he oversaw leadership for the church in the Philippines, the Pacific Area, and in the Northwestern United States. Recently, Elder Cook has been overseeing the church's worldwide missionary program as executive director of the Missionary Department. Elder Cook is notable for coordinating with local LDS leaders in Nigeria to facilitate the release of four LDS missionaries held hostage in February 2007.

"I have a testimony of this gospel, I love the Savior," said Elder Cook. "I believe President Hinckley is prophet of God and I sustain him with all my heart I believe Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration and this dispensation."

Read Elder Cook's First Conference Talk as an Apostle.

Watch a news conference held October 6, 2007 for Elder Quentin Cook and President Henry B. Eyring.

(last updated 10/11/2007 10:50pm MST)