Hartman Rector Jr.

Hartman Rector Jr. was an emeritus General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was sustained to the First Council of the Seventy on April 6, 1968, and served there until October 3, 1975, when he was called to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy. On October 1, 1976, the First Quorum of the Seventy was formed, and he was sustained to that quorum and continued full-time service until October 1, 1994, when he was granted emeritus status.

Rector was born on August 20, 1924, in Moberly, Missouri. He studied at Murray State Teachers College and the University of Southern California. He served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947. In 1950, he returned to active service as a naval aviator with the Korean conflict. He moved his wife and family to San Diego, California, and went to special training in Hawaii for thirteen weeks, returned to San Diego, then was sent on a ship to Japan. He served in the Navy for twenty-six years.

While growing up, Rector and his family attended church only during the summer and listened to Sunday sermons on the radio. When he joined the Navy, he attended services regularly looking for answers to his questions. He was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ in San Diego when his wife met missionaries and began studying with them. He studied and was baptized in Japan on February 24, 1952.

He and his wife, Connie, had nine children. He was the author of a few books, including, No More Strangers, Expect the Miracle of Conversion, Reach Out, and Already to Harvest.

Rector passed away at his home on November 6, 2018. He was 94.