Karl Ricks Anderson

Karl Ricks Anderson is a Latter-day Saint historian whose specialty is the Kirtland period in the history of the Latter-day Saints. He is a brother of Richard Lloyd Anderson and they were the second recipients of the Junius F. Wells Award from the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation in 2006.

Anderson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up in Kaysville, Utah. He served as a missionary in the Swiss–Austrian Mission from 1957 to 1960.

Anderson earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Utah. He has spent most of his life since that time in the eastern United States, particularly Michigan and Ohio. He spent most of his carrer working for Borg-Warner.

In the late 1970s, Anderson served as president of the Cleveland Ohio Stake when its boundaries included Kirtland. Anderson later served as a Regional Representative of the Twelve. For a time, he served as a counselor in the Ohio Cleveland Mission presidency. He has also served as the area family history advisor for the North America North East Area.

Anderson has been involved heavily with the Church Educational System (CES). Having taught early morning Seminary for 15 years and institute for at least nine years.

Anderson has also served as the secretary of the Joseph and Hyrum Smith foundation.

Anderson has been key to the aquiring of many of the properties the Church owns in Kirtland. This was most particularly the case with the Newel K. Whitney Store. He has also written a book about Kirtland entitled Joseph Smith's Kirtland: Eyewitness Accounts. He has written many articles that have been published in such works as the Encyclopedia of Mormonism.

Anderson serves as the Patriarch of the Kirtland Ohio Stake.

References

• Church News, November 11, 2006; September 27, 2003; January 4, 1997; July 17, 1993
• Mormon Historic Sites foundation interview with Anderson
• "Kirtland Today: History with a Future," Ensign February 1979, p. 50