J. Elliot Cameron

Cameron was born in Panguitch, Utah to Benjamin Archie Cameron and Leonia Sargent. He served in the United States Army during World War II and became a specialist in hospital administration. Cameron attended the University of Utah, Utah State University, and Southern Utah State College, and earned bachelor's, master's (both 1948), and doctorate degrees (1966) from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah.

Cameron began teaching at Lincoln (now Orem) High School in Orem, Utah, in 1948.[1] He served as principal of Duchesne High School in 1949. From 1950 to 1953 he was principal of South Sevier High School, and from 1953 to 1956 he was the superintendent of the Sevier School District.[2]

In the fall of 1964 Cameron served on a committee with seven LDS Church general authorities that evaluated the idea of the church building more junior colleges. The so-called "Cameron Report" that the committee came out with recommended that no new church institutions of higher education be built and that no new programs be inaugurated. The report instead advocated the establishment of primary and secondary schools for church members in areas where such schools were not easily available.[3]

From 1956 to 1958, Cameron was the president of Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.

After his time at Snow, Cameron became Dean of Student Services at Utah State University. In 1962 he became the Dean of Students at BYU, and in 1972 his title was changed to dean of student life.

In 1980 Cameron became the president of Brigham Young University-Hawaii. It was while Cameron was in this position that the school first made contacts with Chinese officials. He also oversaw the completion of the Lorenzo Snow Administration Building and the Cannon Activities Center.

In 1986 Cameron succeeded Henry B. Eyring as Commissioner of Church Education for the LDS Church. In 1989 the position of Commissioner of Church Education was abolished and Cameron retired. The position was subsequently revived in 1992 with Eyring serving another term.

Cameron also served as a bishop, stake president, regional representative, and member of the general board of the church's Sunday School. Cameron was a contributing editor to the 1992 Encyclopedia of Mormonism and was a frequent contributor to LDS Church magazines.

From 1989 to 1992 Cameron served as president of the church's Provo Utah Temple.[4][5]

In 1996, Cameron served as the National President of the Sons of Utah Pioneers organization.[6] Cameron also served as a chairman of the Utah Pioneer Sesquicentennial Coordinating Council.[7]

Cameron and his wife, the former Maxine Petty, were the parents of four children. Cameron died peacefully in Provo, Utah, from causes incident to age.[8]

• "J. Elliot Cameron New Commissioner of Education", Ensign: 108, May 1986

• J. Elliot Cameron at Find a Grave