 dallin harris oaks (born august 12, 1932) is an american attorney, jurist, author, professor, public speaker, and religious leader. since 1984, he has been a member of the quorum of the twelve apostles of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints (lds church). he was president of brigham young university (byu), a professor of law at the university of chicago law school and a justice of the utah supreme court. throughout the 1970s and 1980s, oaks was considered by republican u.s. presidential administrations as a top prospect for appointment to the united states supreme court. currently, he is the fifth most senior apostle among the ranks of the lds church. ==background and education== oaks was born in provo, utah to stella harris and lloyd e. oaks. he was given the name dallin in honor of utah artist cyrus dallin; oaks's mother was the artist's model for the pioneer mother, a public statue in springville, utah; she was present for the unveiling of the statue less than three weeks before his birth. his father, who was an ophthalmologist, died of tuberculosis when dallin was seven years old."prophets and apostles: dallin h. oaks", lds.org, retrieved 3 september 2014. both of oaks's parents were graduates of byu. after oaks's father died, his mother pursued a graduate degree at columbia university and later served as head of adult education for the provo school district. in 1956, she became the first woman to sit on the provo city council, and served for two terms. in 1958, she also briefly served as provo's assistant mayor.{{citation |url= http://www.provolibrary.com/historical-george-marion-hinckley |contribution= george m. hinckley |title= historical provo |publisher= provo city library |accessdate= 2014
1932_births American_Latter_Day_Saint_writers American_general_authorities_(LDS_Church) American_legal_scholars Apostles_(LDS_Church) Brigham_Young_University_alumni Historians_of_the_Latter_Day_Saint_movement Law_clerks_of_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States Living_people PBS_people People_from_Provo,_Utah Presidents_of_Brigham_Young_University University_of_Chicago_Law_School_alumni University_of_Chicago_faculty Utah_Supreme_Court_justices