General Authority Firsts
| First | Individual | Date | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First second-generation general authority | Joseph Smith, Sr. | December 18, 1833 | Presiding Patriarch | son Joseph Smith, Jr. was President of the Church |
| First non-American general authority | John Gould | April 6, 1837 | president of the Seventy | British subject, having been born in Upper Canada; released on September 3, 1837 |
| First third-generation general authority | John Smith | February 18, 1855 | Presiding Patriarch | father was Hyrum Smith, Assistant President of the Church and presiding patriarch; grandfather was Joseph Smith, Sr., presiding patriarch |
| First fourth-generation general authority | Joseph Fielding Smith | April 7, 1910 | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | father was Joseph F. Smith; President of the Church; grandfather was Hyrum Smith; great-grandfather was Joseph Smith, Sr. |
| First general authority of Asian descent | Adney Y. Komatsu | 4 April 1975 | Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles | Joined the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1976; was given emeritus status in 1993 |
| First Native American general authority | George P. Lee | 3 October 1975 | First Quorum of the Seventy | Excommunicated in 1989 |
| First resident of Europe general authority | Charles A. Didier | 3 October 1975 | First Quorum of the Seventy | Native of Belgium; was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy from 1992 to 1995 and from 2001 to 2007 |
| First resident of Asia general authority | Yoshihiko Kikuchi | October 1977 | First Quorum of the Seventy | Native of Japan |
| First resident of the United Kingdom general authority (i.e. resident when called) | Derek A. Cuthbert | March 1978 | First Quorum of the Seventy | |
| First resident of Latin America general authority | Ángel Abrea | 20 March 1981 | First Quorum of the Seventy | Given emeritus status in 2003 |
| First resident of Australia general authority | Robert E. Sackley | April 1988 | First Quorum of the Seventy | transferred to Second Quorum of the Seventy in 1989; died in 1993 |
| First general authority of black African descent | Helvécio Martins | April 1990 | Second Quorum of the Seventy | released in 1995 |
| First Korean general authority | Han In Sang | July 1991 | Second Quorum of the Seventy | released in 1996 |
| First Filipino general authority | Augusto A. Lim | July 1992 | Second Quorum of the Seventy | released in 1997 |
| First Chinese general authority | Tai Kwok Yuen | July 1992 | Second Quorum of the Seventy | released in 1997 |
| First resident of Africa general authority | Christoffel Golden Jr. | April 2001 | First Quorum of the Seventy | Resident of South Africa |
| First black African general authority | Joseph W. Sitati | April 4, 2009 | First Quorum of the Seventy | Native of Nairobi, Kenya |
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