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Through the long and happy years ahead, President Benson often
said of Flora, "She had more faith in me than I had in
myself." In Flora Amussen this prophet of the Lord had
found a true and faithful companion.
Flora was born the youngest child of Carl Christian and Barbara
Amussen. Carl was a Danish convert to the church who crossed
the plains to become a prominent Utah jeweler. When Flora was
only a year old, her father died. During the years ahead, Flora
and her mother became extremely close. In fact, President Benson
once said that the relationship between Flora and her mother
was one of the sweetest parent/child relationships he had ever
known.
Flora grew to be
a popular and accomplished young lady. After graduating from
Brigham Young College, which offered a high school program at
that time, Flora attended Utah State Agricultural College (now
Utah State University) where she was student body vice president,
involved in the drama department, and was president of the women's
athletic club and played tennis, winning the women's singles
tennis championship.
During this time,
Flora and Ezra carried on a "wonderful courtship"
which was interrupted when he was called to serve a mission
to Great Britain. When he returned, Flora surprised him with
her own desire to serve a mission and she later left to serve
in the Hawaiian Islands, serving there for 20 months while Ezra
stayed at home and finished his education at Brigham Young University.
While serving as a missionary, Flora had the unique opportunity
of serving her last 8 months with her mother as her companion.
During Flora's mission,
she and Ezra corresponded once a month and not long after her
return, they were married in the Salt Lake Temple. At that time
Flora made an important decision concerning life with her new
husband. Having been left a sizable inheritance from her father,
Flora turned it over to her mother upon her marriage. Later
she said, "I preferred that whatever positions of honor
or material things would come to us, we would achieve together,
starting at the bottom." Flora said that the lessons they
learned at this time were lessons money could not buy. "We
lived on the Lord's help and the love that bound us together"
That love and the
Lord's help guided them through the many years ahead. Those
years took them to Iowa, back to the farm in Whitney, Idaho,
to Preston then Boise, Idaho, Berkeley, California and then,
in 1943, to Utah when Ezra Taft Benson was called to be an apostle.
Not long after, Elder Benson was asked to leave Flora with their
six small children and go to Europe to oversee the church's
reconstruction efforts after World War II. Flora never complained.
In fact, one child recalled that through their long and busy
life, "I never heard Mother complain about the time Dad
had to spend away from home on church assignments. On the other
hand, it was always, 'Aren't we grateful that Dad is worthy
and has been chosen by the Lord to serve him'".
The call to Europe
lasted for10 months after which Ezra returned home only to later
be chosen by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to serve in his
cabinet as Secretary of Agriculture. This position lasted from
1953-61. The years in Washington D.C. were often difficult for
Flora and her husband. Ezra's policies were frequently questioned
and attacked. He later said of Flora during this time, "It
was that love and support that sustained me during my years
in Washington, when I felt constantly under fire."
Even so, the Benson family had a great influence on life in
the nation's capital. People came to know and respect them for
their beliefs, morals and family values. As a cabinet member,
Secretary Benson insisted they begin every cabinet meeting with
prayer and the Bensons once hosted a family home evening program
for the Eisenhowers. Many were surprised when Flora declined
an invitation to the White House so she could attend one of
her daughter's high school choir programs. Later, that daughter
said, "Do you know what kind of security and confidence
it gives a child to know she is that important to her parents?
That she is loved that much?" For this type of devotion
to home and family, Flora was honored as the "Homemaker
of the Year" in 1955.
For the Bensons,
life after politics was anything but dull. After returning to
Utah, Elder Benson resumed his duties as an apostle and in 1973,
at the age of 74, was set apart as President of the Quorum of
the Twelve. Nearly 12 years later, Elder Benson became President
of the Church. Flora continued to be a strength and a comfort
to her husband during this time. She often traveled with him
and inspired many along the way with her warm, generous nature
and wonderful sense of humor. When she died in 1992, one church
leader reportedly said that if there were more women in the
church like Sister Benson, there would be more men in the church
like Brother Benson.
Flora's legacy is
one of constant devotion to God and family. As she once said
with her trademark wit, "I would willingly live in a log
cabin if I could have my family and the gospel. Well, if the
cabin is clean and I can have curtains at the window!."
Fittingly, the hymn, "Do What Is Right", was sang
at her funeral. From the farm to Washington D.C. to wife of
a prophet, doing what was right personified the life of Flora
Amussen Benson in every way.
Sources
Quoted
www.ldsces.org
http://www.thenewamerican.com
www.lds.org
www.lightplanet.com
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