Hartman Rector, Jr.

Hartman Rector Jr. (August 20, 1924 – November 6, 2018) was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1968 until his death. He was one of the first adult converts to the LDS Church to become a general authority during the second half of the 20th century. Rector served as a member of the First Council of the Seventy from 1968 to 1976 and as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy from 1976 to 1994.

Early life
Rector was born in Moberly, Missouri. Rector was raised in a somewhat religious family, who attended church only in the summer. His maternal grandmother was a firm believer that the end of the world was near.

Education
Rector studied at Murray State Teachers College and at the University of Southern California.

Conversion to the LDS Church
Rector joined the United States Navy in 1943. He was released from active duty in 1947 and then married Constance Kirk Daniel. In 1950, with the outbreak of the Korean War, Rector returned to being a naval aviator. Rector moved his wife and two young children to San Diego, California, and then went to special training in Hawaii. While he was away, his wife met Mormon missionaries and began taking lessons with them. Rector studied with the missionaries after returning from Hawaii and came to accept the LDS Church. He then was sent on a ship to Japan, on which he was able to study Mormonism with some church members. Upon reaching Japan, Rector met with a counselor in the mission presidency and was able to get permission to be baptized. He was baptized February 24, 1952, in Japan. Rector spent a total of 26 years as a navy pilot.

LDS Church service
In 1968, Rector was called as a member of the LDS Church's seven-man First Council of the Seventy. From February to March 1969, Rector served as the interim president of the church's Italian Mission. Beginning in 1971, Rector was the first president of the church's Alabama–Florida Mission. He became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1976. In the late 1970s, Rector served as president of the church's San Diego California Mission. In his April 1981 General Conference address, Rector taught "If children have a happy family experience they will not want to be homosexuals, which I am sure is an acquired addiction, just as drugs, alcohol, and pornography are." Though this portion was removed from the transcription of the talk in the Ensign's Conference Report and later on the official Church website, the accompanying video retaining remarks about homosexuality, abortion, and vasectomies remained at least through 2017.

In 1994, Rector was designated as an emeritus general authority and released from full-time ecclesiastical duties. He died in Orem, Utah on November 6, 2018.

Victim of a Ponzi scheme
In 2009, it was discovered that Rector was a victim of a Ponzi scheme, and that his name was being used to attract additional Latter-day Saint investors. The organizers of the Ponzi scheme, Brad Kitchen and Rick Koerber, were both sentenced to prison for securities fraud.