Paul R. Cheesman

Paul Robert Cheesman (May 31, 1921 – November 13, 1991) was an American archeologist and a professor of religion at Brigham Young University (BYU).

Cheesman was born in Brigham City, Utah and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). His parents died while he was still young and he oversaw his own education. He received a degree in education from San Diego State University. In California, he was also a public school teacher, and he later worked as a seminary teacher for the LDS Church. During the Korean War, he served as a chaplain in the United States military. In 1944, he married Millie Foster, with whom he had six children.

Later, as president of the Foster Corporation, Cheesman was heavily involved in Central America, where he developed a collection and strong interest in pre-Columbian archaeology.

Cheesman taught in BYU's Department of Religious Education from 1963 to 1986. He received his master's degree in 1965 and doctorate in 1967, both in Religious Education at BYU. For a time, he served as director of scripture studies and director of Book of Mormon studies in BYU's Religious Studies Center. Cheesman was known for research of correlations between the Book of Mormon and pre-Columbian American discoveries. His stated desire was to promote Latter-day Saint faith:

Archaeological evidences which support The Book of Mormon do not convert, but we would hope that these thought-provoking discoveries might inspire and excite the reader to the point where they would want to study The Book of Mormon with real intent and gain a testimony of its truth.

After retiring, Cheesman and his wife moved to St. George, Utah.

Cheesman served in various callings in the LDS Church. He served as a Bishop, District president, twice as Stake president, and as president of the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission from 1980 to 1983. After retiring from BYU, he was director of the church's New York Visitors Center. In New York, Cheesman suffered a massive heart attack and returned to Utah for surgery, when he died in 1991.

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