Orson Hyde (January 8, 1805 – November 28, 1878) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a member of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 to 1875 and was a missionary of the LDS Church in the United States, Europe, and the Ottoman Empire. Early life Hyde was born on January 8, 1805, to Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe in Oxford, Connecticut. His father served in the War of 1812. His mother died when he was seven years old, and Hyde and his eleven siblings were "scattered among several foster parents". He was raised in nearby Derby, Connecticut, under the care of Nathan Wheeler. When he was 14 years of age, Hyde walked from Connecticut to Kirtland, Ohio, to move there with Wheeler. He was employed as a retail clerk in Kirtland. Hyde became involved with the local Methodist church in 1827, and then joined the Reformed Baptist Society, also called the Campbellites, through the preaching of Sidney Rigdon. He was a Campbellite pastor in Mentor, Ohio, in 1830. Church membership and service When Oliver Cowdery and other Latter Day Saint missionaries preached in Kirtland in late 1830, Hyde spoke publicly against the Book of Mormon. However, when his former minister, Sidney Rigdon, joined the Latter Day Saint church, Hyde investigated the claims of the missionaries and was baptized by Rigdon in October of 1831. Rigdon and Joseph Smith ordained him as an elder later that month, and Oliver Cowdery ordained him as a high priest on October 26. Hyde was called on a succession of missions for the church, serving with Hyrum Smith, Samuel H. Smith, and John Gould. In 1832, he was among the first missionaries in Connecticut. He was also among the first missionaries from the church to preach in Maine and Massachusetts. During one mission trip, Hyde traveled about 2,000 miles on foot between New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine. He discussed his new faith with his old Campbellite acquaintances during these missions. Hyde was present for the founding of the School of the Prophets in 1833. He then marched with Zion's Camp in 1834 and became one of the members of the first presiding high council in Kirtland, Ohio. He was ordained an apostle of