Robert D. Hales

Robert Dean Hales (born August 24, 1932) is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Hales is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the fifth most senior apostle in the church.

Hales was born in New York City and raised in Queens. He is the son of John Rulon Hales, an artist who worked in advertising primarily, and his wife, Vera Marie Holbrook. Hales received degrees from the University of Utah and Harvard Business School and was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He married Mary Crandall, whom he met as a college sophomore, in the Salt Lake Temple on June 10, 1953. They are the parents of two sons.

During his professional business career, Hales served in executive positions with four major national companies. After joining the Gillette Co., he became president of Papermate, a division of Gillette. He joined Max Factor as a vice president, and later headed the Hughes Television Network. Just prior to his call to be a general authority, Hales was president of Chesebrough-Pond's.

In 2010, Deseret Book published Hales's book, Return.

Hales has been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve since April 2, 1994. He was ordained an apostle on April 7, 1994, filling a vacancy created by the death of Marvin J. Ashton. Hales served previously as the church's eleventh presiding bishop from 1985 to 1994, as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy from 1976 to 1985, and as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1975 to 1976.

As a native of New York City, Hales is often the church's "point man" on dealing with issues in the city. He was involved in some of the early planning that led to the building of the Manhattan New York Temple.

In the late 1970s, prior to his appointment as a general authority, Hales was president of the England London Mission. He served three times as a bishop in Weston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; and Frankfurt, Germany. He served as a branch president both in Weston and in Albany, Georgia, as well as in the branch presidency in Seville, Spain. He was also a stake high councilor, counselor in a stake presidency, and regional representative.

• Hales, Robert D. (2010), Return: four phases of our mortal journey home, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, ISBN 978-1-57008-769-1, OCLC 562780912 
• —— (Winter 1987), BYU Studies, 27 (1): 12–24 https://byustudies.byu.edu/content/british-contribution-restored-gospel