The New Administration: Secretary of Agriculture

EZRA TAFT BENSON, 53, farm marketing specialist, one of the twelve apostles of the Mormon Church.

Family & Early Years: His great-grandfather, Ezra Taft Benson, was a Mormon apostle. His father, George Taft Benson, was a farmer at Whitney (southern) Idaho, where Ezra was born. As the middle name indicates, he is a remote relative of Ohio's Senator Robert A. Taft. Said Benson: "We have a common ancestral progenitor about six generations back. My great-great-grandmother was a Taft." Benson attended Oneida Stake Academy (Mormon) at Preston, Idaho and the Utah State Agricultural College, got his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!