David King Udall
Encyclopedia
David King Udall, Sr. was a representative to the Arizona Territorial Legislature
and the founder of the Udall
political family. His great-grandsons Mark
and Tom
currently represent the Colorado
and New Mexico
in the United States Senate
, respectively.
, Missouri
, in 1851. His parents, David Udall and Eliza King, had immigrated
to the United States from England
earlier in the year. In 1852 they followed the Mormon Trail
to Utah
. They settled in Nephi
.
Udall spent his childhood farming. As a teenager, he spent a short period as a laborer building the Union Pacific Railroad
which became part of the First Transcontinental Railroad
.
In 1880, while again living in Nephi, Udall was called to be the Mormon bishop
in St. Johns, Arizona
. At the time, St. Johns was a small and primarily Hispanic Catholic community. Immediately after moving his family there, Udall purchased lands and directed improvements geared toward creating a larger Mormon settlement of the area. This outraged local residents, who were happy with the prior state of things, and Udall became a hated figure to many.
. That same year the U.S. Congress passed the Edmunds Act
to aid in the prosecution of polygamists
. Udall was indicted on charges of unlawful cohabitation
in 1884. He was never convicted, because his second wife lived in another town, and prosecutors could not locate Ida to compel her testimony against him.
Prosecutors remained determined to make an example of Udall, and in 1885, he was indicted and convicted on perjury
charges, related to a sworn statement he made about the land claim of a fellow Mormon. He spent three months in a Federal Prison in Detroit, Michigan
, before receiving a full and unconditional pardon
by President Grover Cleveland
on December 12, 1885. The perjury conviction stemmed from an affidavit he swore on the land claim of Miles Romney (grandfather of George Romney
). Udall's bail was posted by Baron Goldwater (uncle of Barry
).
Throughout that time he ran a number of business ventures of varying success.
In 1899, he served a single term as a representative to the Arizona Territorial Legislature (which later became the Arizona Senate after statehood).
In 1903, he quietly married the former Mary Ann Linton, widow of John Hamilton Morgan
, who had been a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature
. This marriage ran contrary to the LDS Church's decision to ban polygamy
in 1890. Years later Matthias F. Cowley
, the official who performed the ceremony, was stripped of his priesthood by the LDS Church. When the marriage came to light, Udall was never sanctioned, but he was forced to cease marital relations with Mary. He did, however, continue to support her and her children (from her marriage to Morgan) financially until the children reached adulthood.
From 1927 to 1934 he served as the president of the LDS Mesa Arizona Temple
.
He wrote an autobiography, Arizona Pioneer Mormon, in collaboration with his daughter Pearl Udall Nelson.
His wives, Ida and Eliza, preceded him in death in 1915 and 1937, respectively. He died in 1938 in Saint Johns.
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
and the founder of the Udall
Udall family
The Udall family is a U.S. political family rooted in the American West. Its role in politics spans over 100 years and four generations. Udall politicians have been elected from four different states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon...
political family. His great-grandsons Mark
Mark Udall
Mark Emery Udall is the senior United States Senator from Colorado and a member of the Democratic Party. From 1999 to 2009, Udall served in the United States House of Representatives, representing . He also served a term in the Colorado House of Representatives.Born in Tucson, Arizona, he is the...
and Tom
Tom Udall
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Udall is the junior United States Senator from New Mexico and a member of the Democratic Party. He had represented as a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999. Udall was elected as the junior United States senator from New Mexico on November 4, 2008,...
currently represent the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, respectively.
Childhood years
David King Udall was born in St. LouisSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, in 1851. His parents, David Udall and Eliza King, had immigrated
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
to the United States from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
earlier in the year. In 1852 they followed the Mormon Trail
Mormon Trail
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. They settled in Nephi
Nephi, Utah
Nephi is a city in Juab County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,733 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Juab County. It was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1851, and is the principal city in Juab Valley, an...
.
Udall spent his childhood farming. As a teenager, he spent a short period as a laborer building the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
which became part of the First Transcontinental Railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
.
Early adulthood
In 1875, Udall married his first wife, Eliza Stewart. Shortly thereafter he was called by the LDS Church on a mission to England, where he remained until 1877.In 1880, while again living in Nephi, Udall was called to be the Mormon bishop
Bishop (Mormonism)
Bishop is the highest priesthood office of the Aaronic priesthood in the Latter Day Saint movement. A bishop is usually the leader of a local congregation of church members. The Latter Day Saint concept of the office differs significantly from the role of bishops in other Christian denominations,...
in St. Johns, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. At the time, St. Johns was a small and primarily Hispanic Catholic community. Immediately after moving his family there, Udall purchased lands and directed improvements geared toward creating a larger Mormon settlement of the area. This outraged local residents, who were happy with the prior state of things, and Udall became a hated figure to many.
Polygamy and imprisonment
In 1882, Udall took a second wife, Ida Hunt, a granddaughter of Jefferson HuntJefferson Hunt
Jefferson Hunt was a U.S. western pioneer, soldier, and politician. He was a captain in the Mormon Battalion, brigadier general in the California State Militia, a California State Assemblyman, and a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature.-Early years:Hunt was born to John Hunt and...
. That same year the U.S. Congress passed the Edmunds Act
Edmunds Act
The Edmunds Act, also known as the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882, is a United States federal statute, signed into law on March 23, 1882, declaring polygamy a felony. The act is named for U.S. Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont...
to aid in the prosecution of polygamists
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
. Udall was indicted on charges of unlawful cohabitation
Cohabitation
Cohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...
in 1884. He was never convicted, because his second wife lived in another town, and prosecutors could not locate Ida to compel her testimony against him.
Prosecutors remained determined to make an example of Udall, and in 1885, he was indicted and convicted on perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
charges, related to a sworn statement he made about the land claim of a fellow Mormon. He spent three months in a Federal Prison in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, before receiving a full and unconditional pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
by President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
on December 12, 1885. The perjury conviction stemmed from an affidavit he swore on the land claim of Miles Romney (grandfather of George Romney
George W. Romney
George Wilcken Romney was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973...
). Udall's bail was posted by Baron Goldwater (uncle of Barry
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
).
Later years
Udall was appointed to be a Stake president, a higher position in the Mormon hierarchy, in 1887. He held that position for the next 35 years.Throughout that time he ran a number of business ventures of varying success.
In 1899, he served a single term as a representative to the Arizona Territorial Legislature (which later became the Arizona Senate after statehood).
In 1903, he quietly married the former Mary Ann Linton, widow of John Hamilton Morgan
John Hamilton Morgan
John Hamilton Morgan , was an early educator in Utah Territory, an official of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and a politician.-Biography:...
, who had been a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
. This marriage ran contrary to the LDS Church's decision to ban polygamy
1890 Manifesto
The "1890 Manifesto", sometimes simply called "The Manifesto", is a statement which officially disavowed the continuing practice of plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
in 1890. Years later Matthias F. Cowley
Matthias F. Cowley
Matthias Foss Cowley , born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1897 until 1905. The town of Cowley in Wyoming is named after him. He was the father of Apostle Matthew Cowley by Abbie Hyde. ...
, the official who performed the ceremony, was stripped of his priesthood by the LDS Church. When the marriage came to light, Udall was never sanctioned, but he was forced to cease marital relations with Mary. He did, however, continue to support her and her children (from her marriage to Morgan) financially until the children reached adulthood.
From 1927 to 1934 he served as the president of the LDS Mesa Arizona Temple
Mesa Arizona Temple
The Mesa Arizona Temple is the seventh operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of five LDS temples built or planned in the state.-History:...
.
He wrote an autobiography, Arizona Pioneer Mormon, in collaboration with his daughter Pearl Udall Nelson.
His wives, Ida and Eliza, preceded him in death in 1915 and 1937, respectively. He died in 1938 in Saint Johns.
Sources/further reading
- Udall, David King and Pearl Udall Nelson. Arizona Pioneer Mormon; David King Udall: His Story and His Family. Tucson: Arizona Silhouettes Press, 1959.Full text online.
- Ellsworth, Maria. Mormon Odyssey: The Story of Ida Hunt Udall, Plural Wife. Chicago, Illinois. University of Illinois Press: 1992.
- Udall, Morris King. Too Funny To Be President; New York, New York. Henry Holt and Company, 1988.