Elder Milton R. Hunter
<< Elder Milton R. Hunter
Elder Milton R. Hunter "was called to serve on the First Council of the Seventy; he was sustained April 6, 1945....
Assignments as a General Authority for the LDS Church took Elder Hunter to many parts of the world. During this time, he visited Mexico, Central America, and South America, where he eagerly took the opportunity to study archaeological sites, searching for confirmation of contexts within the Book of Mormon.
Hunter is widely known among LDS Church members as the co-author of the book Ancient America and the Book of Mormon with Thomas Stuart Ferguson. First published in 1950, this book focuses on the writings of an Aztec historian, Ixtlilxochitl, who in written accounts of Mesoamerican history related to newly-arrived Europeans, appears to corroborate, [confirm or give support to] a number of claims made in the Book of Mormon.
Milton Reed Hunter (October 25, 1902 – June 27, 1975) served as a member of the church's First Council of the Seventy from 1945 until his death in 1975. He attended Brigham Young High School, and Brigham Young University, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1929 and a master’s degree in 1931. He married Ferne Gardner in Logan, Utah in 1931, and the couple later had six children. For several years he worked as a public school administrator in Nevada and Utah. His first education job was as principal of a school in St. Thomas, Nevada, a city since flooded by Lake Mead. He later taught LDS seminary courses while living in Provo, Utah.
In 1935, Elder Hunter earned Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley. Although his professors in Berkeley, California encouraged him to take a university position in history, he chose to continue as a teacher of religion and moved to Logan, Utah to teach at the Institute of Religion. Hunter spent the next 17 years as a seminary teacher.
Hunter was called to serve on the LDS First Council of the Seventy and was sustained on April 6, 1945. Assignments as a General Authority for the LDS Church took him to many parts of the world. During this time, he visited Mexico, Central America, and South America to study archaeological ruins in the context of accounts found within the Book of Mormon. He was a co-founder of the New World Archaeological Foundation (NWAF), and is co-author with Thomas Stuart Ferguson of the book Ancient America and the Book of Mormon. First published in 1950, the book focuses on the writings of Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl (see chapter 11 of Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon). During his career as a teacher and church leader, Hunter wrote 23 books, principally on religious and history oriented topics.
During his career as a teacher and Church leader, Hunter wrote 23 books, principally on religious and history oriented topics." (BYU, Alumni)
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Additional Info.
Touring Book of Mormon Lands, A BYU talk given by Elder Milton R. Hunter, Feb. 8, 1955. (recorded talk 32:24 min.)
Book of Mormon Evidences, A talk given by Elder Milton R. Hunter General Conference, Oct. 1954, pp. 106-114