Robert M. Daines

Robert M. Daines was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 1, 2023, at the 193rd Annual General Conference of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was serving as a stake president at the time of his call.

Prior to his call, Elder Daines worked as associate dean and Pritzker Professor of law and business at Stanford University for 19 years. He has also taught at New York University and Yale University (from which he received a law degree in 1992) and worked as an associate for Goldman Sachs.

Daines was born in Bloomington, Indiana, on July 28, 1964, and grew up in Provo, Utah. He completed his undergraduate work at Brigham Young University. His previous Church service includes as a full-time missionary in the Switzerland Zurich Mission, early morning seminary teacher, nursery leader, high councilor, bishop, and stake president.

“I feel like I was truly converted and came to know Jesus Christ as a seminary teacher in Palo Alto, California,” he said.

He was working as a law and business professor at Stanford University when he was called to serve as an early morning seminary teacher.

As a lifelong Latter-day Saint, Elder Daines knew the gospel. But something about the calling pushed the professor to study the scriptures like never before. His wife, Ruth Ann Daines, said he often went to bed early and arose at 4 a.m. because he needed three hours to prepare for his daily lesson with 15 students.

“Some people have talent, some have to hustle,” he said. “I’m in the ‘You’d better hustle’ category.”

Elder Daines said he pored over the scriptures for hours each day because he wanted to know and feel the Savior’s love, then help his students make the same connection. The decadelong experience had a powerful impact on his faith and testimony.[1]

He and his wife, Ruth, have five children.