Elder Joseph Anderson, friend of seven prophets and the longest living General Authority in the Church's history, turns 100 years old on Nov. 20.
In 1889, the year he was born, Wilford Woodruff became president of the Church and the Eiffel Tower officially opened. He remembers when every General Authority currently serving was called."No one goes back as far as I do," said Elder Anderson. When asked what was the most significant prophecy he had seen fulfilled, he smiled quickly and replied, "Elder Melvin J. Ballard said that I would live to be one hundred. And here I am!"
His gentle demeanor and quiet style belie his many years of tireless, devoted work and indefatigable spirit: much of the century that he's lived has been spent in service to the Church.
From 1923 to 1972, Elder Anderson served as secretary to the First Presidency, keeping minutes of their daily meetings, as well as the weekly meetings of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve in the Salt Lake Temple.
From 1922 to 1943, he doubled as personal secretary to President Heber J. Grant.
In April 1970 at the age of 80, he was called as a General Authority. He was recording a meeting in the temple with the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, in preparation for the solemn assembly where Joseph Fielding Smith would be sustained as the 10th president of the Church. Elder Boyd K. Packer's name was presented as a new apostle, and then his own name was presented as Assistant to the Twelve.
"It was a great surprise," Elder Anderson recalled humbly, "so much so that it was very difficult for me to take further notes. I never thought I was in that class."
In 1976, when the First Quorum of the Seventy was organized, Elder Anderson was named to that quorum.
Two years later, at age 88, he was granted emeritus status.
Of these many experiences with prophets, apostles and other leaders, he said: "I've had the privilege of spending my lifetime with the best men in the world. I have loved them, and they have loved me. One of the greatest blessings the Lord has granted me is the friendship of good and noble men."
Those who know him describe Elder Anderson as a kind and loving man, one who puts others' interests above his own. A son of George Anderson, a Scottish immigrant, and Isabella Watson, Joseph was the youngest of 11 children, and learned to love the gospel and hard work on their farm in Roy, Utah.
As a boy, he also loved adventure, and longed to join Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
"He tried the stunts on his own pony," recorded Heidi Swinton, "riding at breakneck speed down the road and then leaping off his horse and swinging back up again. Sometimes he would stand up on the bare back of the horse. He frequently frightened his mother, but though there were plenty of spills, there were no broken bones."
This same energy and determination helped him gain an education. Joseph studied near the farm until the eighth grade, and then worked at a tomato cannery until he had saved up enough money to attend Weber Academy in Ogden. It was there he met David O. McKay, who was then principal and an English teacher at the academy.
"Except for my mother," Elder Anderson recalled, "he was the greatest teacher I ever had." Little did he know at the time that the two would work together for 48 years.
After graduating from the academy, he left for Europe in October 1911, to serve a mission in Germany. Learning the language was difficult for him, but he applied the same systematic dedication he'd shown at home: On Sundays, Elder Anderson would write out his talks in English, have them translated into German, and then would memorize them. In time, he learned the language.
Of his eventual success at it, he would later say, "[It] is because I prayed about it, I worked on it, I tracted, I studied and it came to me through my efforts. . . . You can't expect the Lord to do it all."
Upon his return home, Joseph began dating a beautiful blonde named Norma Ettie Peterson, whom he had met at a mission farewell party. On Nov. 11, 1915, they were married in the Salt Lake Temple.
A proficient stenographer, Joseph then applied to work for the president of the Church. He had his shorthand skills put to the test by President Grant, who asked him to record one of his sermons in the Assembly Hall.
"He gave me the drilling of my life," Elder Anderson recalled. "He was such a fast speaker! I told my wife I wouldn't work for him if he paid me a thousand dollars a week."
When President Grant offered Joseph the job, however, he took it, and began an association with the prophet that would lead him to later say, "No two people could have been better acquainted with each other than were President Grant and I."
In addition to his secretarial duties, Elder Anderson also had experience in business and industry, having served on the board of directors of Deseret Book Co. for 43 years. He was also a director of Gunnison Sugar Co., and of Salt Lake Garfield and Western Railroad and Saltair Beach Co. For his many contributions, he was named to Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Finance and Industry, and Who's Who in Religion.
Prior to working in the general administrative offices of the Church, Elder Anderson served as the first counselor in the Salt Lake 33rd Ward, and was a member of the Bonneville Stake High Council for 25 years.
In his lifetime, Elder Anderson has seen many remarkable changes in the Church. In 1922, the Church was comprised of 566,358 members living in 87 stakes. Now there are more than 1,700 stakes and nearly 7 million members.
During these years, Elder Anderson's family has grown as well. He and his wife, who died in 1985, have three children, 10 grandchildren, and 36 great-grandchildren. Elder Anderson would tease Norma about the rearing of their children, saying, "If they don't turn out right, it's your fault. If they do, it's my fault."
Then he'd add, "Well, I don't care who gets the credit as long as they turn out."
Though aged in his calling, his life-style has retained a youthful spirit. For years, the centenarian swam as many as 30 laps a day at the Deseret Gym, and often walked 2 1/2 miles to work. He continues to take a daily walk in his Salt Lake neighborhood.
The counsel he would give is as simple and wise as his health plan: "Live your religion devotedly. True happiness and joy and satisfaction will come out of that commitment, for the gospel is true."
Perhaps the greatest tribute came from his close friend President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., who once said: "Joseph is a humble but great soul. He has worked over the years with great and unselfish devotion, taking no thought of himself, but only of those with whom he works and of his work itself."
