Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) was an American religious leader, statesman, and farmer who served as the thirteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1985–1994) and as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961). Born in Whitney, Idaho, Benson grew up on a family farm and carried a lifelong commitment to agrarian values, self-reliance, and public service. He served as a mission president in the British Isles and later as President of the European Mission following World War II, overseeing significant humanitarian and spiritual reconstruction efforts.
Benson’s public career spanned both ecclesiastical and governmental spheres with unusual distinction. As Secretary of Agriculture, he advocated for free-market principles and became one of the most prominent Latter-day Saint voices in twentieth-century American political life. Within the Church, he served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for nearly two decades before ascending to the presidency, during which he placed particular emphasis on the Book of Mormon as a keystone of faith and a guide for modern life.
Benson held a deeply integrative view of truth, insisting that science and revealed religion are not adversaries but complementary paths toward the same reality. “Truth is truth, whether labeled science or religion,” he affirmed—a conviction that frames inquiry and faith as close allies. He also taught that God works through human beings, especially those of good will, to accomplish divine purposes across history. These commitments—to the unity of truth, to divine collaboration with mortal effort, and to the ongoing work of human progress—resonate naturally with the Mormon transhumanist conviction that technology, science, and religious aspiration are all expressions of a single trajectory toward greater intelligence, creativity, and Godhood.