Richard E. Turley Jr. | |
---|---|
Born |
Fort Worth, Texas |
February 18, 1956
Nationality | American |
Education | English (B.A. 1982) (J.D. 1985) |
Alma mater |
Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School |
Occupation | Assistant Church Historian |
Years active | 20 |
Employer | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
Known for | Writings on LDS history LDS Church historical program |
Spouse(s) | Shirley Swensen Turley |
Children | 6 |
Parent(s) | Richard E. Turley Sr. |
Relatives | Theodore Turley |
Richard Eyring "Rick" Turley Jr. (born February 18, 1956) is an American historian and genealogist, and an Assistant Church Historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). On April 26, 2016, the church announced that he would succeed Michael Otterson as the managing director of the church's Public Affairs Department, effective September 1, 2016.
Turley was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Richard and Betty Jean Nickle Turley. His father, a nuclear engineer, scientist and professor, would later become a mission president and general authority of the LDS Church.
Turley attended high school in Salt Lake City, Utah, when he met Shirley Swensen. They would later marry in the Salt Lake Temple and have six children. Turley aspired to be a lawyer, by his father's urging, and an Institute of Religion teacher, by his deep personal interest in LDS Church history. From 1975 to 1977, Turley served as an LDS missionary to the Japan Tokyo Mission.
After returning from Japan, Turley studied at Brigham Young University (BYU) as a Spencer W. Kimball Scholar, receiving a B. A. in English in 1982. Then, at BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School, he was editor of the law review and elected to the Order of the Coif. Upon graduation in April 1985, Turley received the Hugh B. Brown Barrister's Award for top classroom performance.