Henry D. Moyle

Henry Dinwoodey Moyle was born April 22, 1889 at Salt Lake City to James H. Moyle and Alice E. Dinwoodey Moyle.

Raised in the Church and baptized as a child, Elder Moyle married Clara Alberta Wright on October 16, 1919 at Salt Lake City, Utah. The union was blessed with the birth of eight children, one of whom died as a baby.

Elder Moyle was called to preside over the Cottonwood Stake by 1929. He served until 1937. He was ordained an Apostle April 10, 1947 by President George Albert Smith and assumed his place in the Quorum of the Twelve. After announcing the call, President Smith said, "The brethren whose names we added to the list of the General Authorities by your vote today have not had an opportunity, perhaps, to get their breath, but we would be glad to have them tell us whether they are willing to serve, or not, and they may say anything else they have in their hearts. We shall ask Brother Henry D. Moyle to come to the stand."

Elder Moyle's comments follow: "It goes without saying that we do in this Church what we are told. I have never understood that it was my privilege as a member of this Church, holding the priesthood, to say no. I have never had a desire in my heart to do anything other than that which the brethren direct. While I may feel as if some of the things that they have most recently asked me to do are beyond my power, nevertheless so far as my Heavenly Father will give me the power to act I shall do so, and all that I have and am belongs to my Heavenly Father. I had a grandfather who met with a very great disaster. All that he had was swept away by fire. His thoughts and his actions at the moment he was told of his loss have been on my mind for the past several minutes, and I must say I feel rather as he then felt:

the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (Job 1:21.)

I know that the Lord can take that away which he giveth, if we give him cause so to do; that we may be the recipients of his blessings today but to continue to be such recipients, we must be obedient to his laws and his commandments."

Elder Moyle served the Quorum honorably until June 12, 1959, when President David O. McKay called him to be his Second Counselor. He was sustained as First Counselor to President McKay October 12, 1961 a position in which he served until his death.

In an address to the Missionaries of the California Mission, he stated: "I shall go to my grave saying that missionaries... never rise in their entire life above the stature they carve out for themselves in the mission field. I ask the missionaries all over the world to write that in their book, and then read the book ten years from now. If perchance, they have not risen in that first ten years after they come home from the mission field, above that status of mediocrity that they [may have] maintained in the mission field, [they should] get down on their knees, pray, and work a little harder and seek to overcome that tremendous handicap they placed upon themselves by their lack of application, lack of appreciation, and lack of dedication in the mission field. (Address to California Mission June 2, 1962)

President Moyle died September 18, 1963 at Deer Park, Florida.