As quoted by Thomas S. Monson in To the Rescue page 163

Thomas S. Monson served as the 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called the "Mormon Church" or "LDS Church") from 2008 to his death in 2018. Before his time as President, he had served as a Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church since 1985. He was ordained an Apostle and called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1963 at the unusually young age of 36.

Monson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. After serving in the US Navy and earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah, he married Frances Johnson and they had three children. Monson worked in the local news publishing industry until church service became a full-time occupation.