13 Photos of General Authorities NOT in Suits and Ties

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President Henry B. Eyring with his family.
Church leader Henry B Eyring with his children

Call me picky, but I am not a collar person. Suits and ties and me don’t jive. I’m sure the general authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have more important things to worry about than neck chaffing, but I figured it’d be fun to go on an internet quest to find pictures of these spiritual giants without all the formal attire. There’s just something humanizing in seeing President Eyring in a sweater. Anyway, here’s the Twelve as we’re used to seeing them:

Quorum of The Twelve Apostles
The Quorum of The Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

These guys are awesome—very dapper. That said, here are several of them (and members of the First Presidency) without the suits:

1. President Henry B. Eyring

2. Elder Quentin L. Cook

Quentin L. Cook rafting with his children, courtesy of LDS.org

3. Elder Ronald A. Rasband

4. Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Dallin H. Oaks (then president of Brigham Young University) with former president Gordon B. Hinckley and their wives on the Great Wall of China during a trip with BYU performers.

Photo of Dallin H. Oaks in China
Via history.cfac.byu.edu, photo by Tony Fergusson/BYU

5. Elder D. Todd Christofferson

6. President Thomas S. Monson

Via churchofjesuschrist.org

7. Elder Neil L. Andersen

Neil L. Andersen on his mission in France
Neil L. Andersen on his mission in France, shown here with holes worn in the soles of his shoes, courtesy of LDS.org

OK, Elder Andersen is in a suit and tie in the next photo, but I couldn’t help but include it. He looks so cool. I won’t count it towards the 13 total, though.

Neil L. Andersen as a mission president in France
Neil L. Andersen as a mission president in France, courtesy of LDS.org

8. Elder David A. Bednar

David A. Bednar as high school football quarterback, courtesy of churchofjesuschrist.org

9. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

This was the closest thing I could find for Elder Holland. He’s still sporting a dapper shirt and tie under the Dodgers jersey.

Photo of Elder Jeffrey R Holland at a Dodgers baseball game.
Via churchofjesuschrist.org

10 & 11. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

12 & 13. President Russell M. Nelson

If you watched the last General Conference you’ll be familiar with this last photo:

Their prophetic calling

We sustain every one of these men as prophets. They have a beautifully sacred calling, but they’re also human. That’s why I love these photos. They have families, they used to have normal jobs, they have weaknesses, personalities and opinions. Sometimes I’m sure they have bad days and can get awfully grouchy. It happens. They are not superheroes, but that statement does not marginalize the weight of their calling in any way, it enriches it.

David Snell is a proud member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He's the Founder of The Sunday Pews, and has experience writing for Mormon Newsroom Pacific, KBYU11, Classical 89 Radio, FamilyShare.com and plenty more. He tries not to take himself too seriously and just wants to brighten your day a bit.