Andrew F. Ehat earned a BS in mathematics from Brigham Young University, and after serving four years as an officer in the United States Air Force, earned an MA in American history from BYU. For decades he has done precise and methodical research on the life and teachings of Joseph Smith, specializing in the Nauvoo period and the doctrinal background of the ordinances of the temple. He is married to the former Lori Lee Scadlock, and they have five children.