Ezra T. Benson

Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) was an American farmer, government official, and religious leader who served as the 15th U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961 and as the 13th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death. A proponent of free-market agriculture, his tenure was controversial due to efforts to reduce subsidies, and he was known for his staunch anti-communist views. Earlier, he worked in farm cooperatives, led humanitarian efforts in post-WWII Europe, and rose through LDS Church leadership as an apostle.[1][3]