Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
General Authorities of the Church Research Guide
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was organized on February 14, 1835, at a meeting for those who had participated in the Zion’s Camp march. Joseph Smith and the Three Witnesses (Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and David Whitmer) selected 12 men to serve as Apostles. Thomas B. Marsh presided over the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles due to him being the oldest member of Quorum. These men were among the early missionaries of the Church.
Online Resources
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Home Page
This is an official Church web page about the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It contains links to brief biographies and photographs of each member of the Quorum of the Twelve, as well as links to talks and articles found in Church magazines.
Meet Today’s Prophets and Apostles
This is another official Church web page about the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It contains links to brief biographies and photographs of each member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
“Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,” Encyclopedia of Mormonism
This entry in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism covers the quorum’s history and its members’ duties in the Church.
Ensign Articles
Boyd K. Packer, “The Twelve Apostles,” Ensign, Sept. 2005, 16–20
Church History Library Online Resources (Available digitally through the Church History Catalog)
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles record, 1835 February–August (CR 2 178)
Account of meetings and travels of the Apostles during the early days of the Quorum of the Twelve. Available digitally through the Church History Catalog.
Historian’s Office histories of the Twelve, 1856–1858, 1861 (CR 100 93)
Biographical information about the early members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Available digitally through the Church History Catalog.
Quorum of the Twelve group photographs, circa 1985–1995 (CR 2 201)
Contains group photographs of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1985 to 1995. Available digitally through the Church History Catalog.
Church History Library Physical Resources (Available at the Church History Library)
“The Mormon Apostles” (M270 M8642 1877)
An article published in Harpers Weekly, a United States political magazine, in 1877 that gave short biographies of each member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the time. Available at the Church History Library.
Lives of our leaders: character sketches of living presidents and apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (M270 L785 1901)
Character sketches on early Presidents and Apostles of the Church (up to 1901). Available upon request at the Church History Library.
Men with a Mission: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the British Isles, 1837–1841 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992) by James B. Allen, Ronald K. Esplin, and David J. Whittaker (M274.2 A427m 2009)
A book detailing the experience of the early Church Apostles and their missions in the British Isles. Available at the Church History Library.
The Emergence of Brigham Young and the Twelve to Mormon Leadership by Ronald K. Esplin (M270.3 E77e 2006)
A dissertation presented to the Department of History at Brigham Young University. This study focuses on Brigham Young and the Apostles in the 1830s. Available at the Church History Library.
Quorum of the Twelve group photographs, circa 1986–2015 (PH 10866)
A photograph collection of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Available at the Church History Library.