Background
Backman was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, but spent much his youth in South Africa, where his father, LeGrand Backman, was president of the Latter- Day Saints (Mormons) Church"s South African Mission.
Backman was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, but spent much his youth in South Africa, where his father, LeGrand Backman, was president of the Latter- Day Saints (Mormons) Church"s South African Mission.
University of Utah.
After returning to Utah for his last year of high school, Backman later served as a missionary in the church"s Northern States Mission. Backman served in the United States. Army in the Philippines during the Second World War. Following the war, he enrolled at the law school at the University of Utah.
Before his call as a general authority, Backman served as the president of the church"s Northwestern States Mission, as a temple sealer, and as a regional representative.
In 1972, he was briefly the second assistant to West. Jay Eldredge, the general superintendent of the Young Men"s Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA). When the YMMIA was renamed the Aaronic Priesthood–Master of International Affairs in 1972, Backman was called as its general president
He served in this calling until 1974, when the Aaronic Priesthood–Master of International Affairs was placed under the direct supervision of the church"s presiding bishopric. In 1979, he succeeded Neil Doctorate. Schaerrer as the general president of the Young Men organization.
Backman is the only man to serve two non-consecutive terms as the general president of the Young Men.
Backman served in the Presidency of the Seventy until August 1992. In October of that year, he was designated an emeritus general authority. From 2005 to 2008, Backman was president of the church"s Jordan River Utah Temple.
Backman was married to Virginia Pickett, who died in 1999.
They are the parents of seven children.
He was a member of the Utah House of Representatives for two terms. In 1978, Backman became a member of the church"s First Quorum of the Seventy. In 1985, Backman was released from the Young Men and became a member of the seven-man Presidency of the Seventy, with Vaughn J. Featherstone succeeding him as president of the Young Men.