Jefferson Hunt
Encyclopedia
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 Assembly
man, and a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature
.
. Some sources site his full name as Charles Jefferson Hunt. Others site it as Jefferson David Hunt [what sources?].
He married Celia Mounts in 1823. In 1834 they both converted to Mormonism
.
.
He served as a Major in the Volunteers (which later became the Nauvoo Legion
), and participated in the Battle of Crooked River
.
Later, in Nauvoo, Illinois
, he was an early participant in plural marriage
when he married Matilda Nease.
, he joined the Mormon Battalion
, which was formed at the request of the U.S. government for participation in the Mexican-American War.
He was commissioned as a Captain, and was placed in command of Company A. Two of his sons also enlisted, and served under his command.
He temporarily commanded the entire battalion when its commander died, until a replacement arrived.
During the Mormon Battalion's journey Hunt's company made the first known gesture of peace between Mexico and the U.S in what was called "The Exchange at the Presidio." The exchange took place very close to what is today Tucson, AZ. This event is commemorated with a statue in downtown Tucson. The statue was dedicated in 1996 by Gordon B. Hinckley, then President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
His entire family journeyed with the battalion as they completed what is to this day the longest march in U.S. Military history, ending in San Diego, California
.
in 1847.
Soon thereafter, Hunt proposed traveling back to California to bring food and supplies for other recent Utah arrivals. Mormon authorities approved this proposal, and Hunt undertook this journey with Porter Rockwell
, several former Mormon Battalion members, and two of his own sons.
Later he guided several parties of gold prospectors from Utah to California.
One of the groups he led to California became impatient at his slow progress, and many of the party members elected to abandon Hunt's group, and follow their own route to California. They became the infamous Death Valley '49ers
. Those staying with Hunt made the journey without serious incident.
He briefly represented Iron County
in the Utah Territorial Legislature
in 1851. He was not a resident of Iron County, but he happened to pass through the county as elections were held, and he was chosen by the locals.
in San Bernardino, California
. This colony was the first American settlement in California after Statehood.
In that settlement he organized the building of a log fort which is the largest log fort ever built in California history.
From 1853-1857 he served as a member of the California State Assembly
. Elected to represent Los Angeles County
, he introduced legislation in his first year in office to create San Bernardino County
, which passed. Upon the creation of San Bernardino County he became the county's first Assemblyman. He is honored as the "Father of San Bernardino County," which is the largest county in the contiguous United States.
In 1856 he was appointed as a Brigadier General in the California State Militia.
.
He served as a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature
in 1863, representing Weber County
.
He died in 1879 in Oxford, Idaho
.
Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was the only religiously based unit in United States military history, and it served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 559 Latter-day Saints men led by Mormon company officers, commanded by regular...
, brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
in the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
State Militia, a California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
man, and 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....
.
Early years
Hunt was born to John Hunt and Martha Jenkins in Bracken County, KentuckyBracken County, Kentucky
Bracken County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1797. The population was 8,488 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Brooksville, Kentucky.-History:...
. Some sources site his full name as Charles Jefferson Hunt. Others site it as Jefferson David Hunt [what sources?].
He married Celia Mounts in 1823. In 1834 they both converted to Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
.
Mormon migration
He later migrated with the Mormons to Far West, MissouriFar West, Missouri
Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri.-Foundation and early history:The town was founded by Missouri Mormon leaders, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. The town was platted originally as a square area,...
.
He served as a Major in the Volunteers (which later became the Nauvoo Legion
Nauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
), and participated in the Battle of Crooked River
Battle of Crooked River
The Battle of Crooked River was a skirmish between Latter Day Saint forces and Missouri state militia unit from southeast of Elmira, Missouri in Ray County under the command of Samuel Bogart...
.
Later, in Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
, he was an early participant in plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
when he married Matilda Nease.
Mormon Battalion
In 1846, while encamped at Council Bluffs, IowaCouncil Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
, he joined the Mormon Battalion
Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was the only religiously based unit in United States military history, and it served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 559 Latter-day Saints men led by Mormon company officers, commanded by regular...
, which was formed at the request of the U.S. government for participation in the Mexican-American War.
He was commissioned as a Captain, and was placed in command of Company A. Two of his sons also enlisted, and served under his command.
He temporarily commanded the entire battalion when its commander died, until a replacement arrived.
During the Mormon Battalion's journey Hunt's company made the first known gesture of peace between Mexico and the U.S in what was called "The Exchange at the Presidio." The exchange took place very close to what is today Tucson, AZ. This event is commemorated with a statue in downtown Tucson. The statue was dedicated in 1996 by Gordon B. Hinckley, then President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
His entire family journeyed with the battalion as they completed what is to this day the longest march in U.S. Military history, ending in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
California expeditions
After being discharged from the Mormon Battalion, Hunt and his family settled in Salt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
in 1847.
Soon thereafter, Hunt proposed traveling back to California to bring food and supplies for other recent Utah arrivals. Mormon authorities approved this proposal, and Hunt undertook this journey with Porter Rockwell
Porter Rockwell
Orrin Porter Rockwell was a figure of the Wild West period of American History and a law man in the Utah Territory...
, several former Mormon Battalion members, and two of his own sons.
Later he guided several parties of gold prospectors from Utah to California.
One of the groups he led to California became impatient at his slow progress, and many of the party members elected to abandon Hunt's group, and follow their own route to California. They became the infamous Death Valley '49ers
Death Valley '49ers
The Death Valley '49ers were a group of pioneers from the Eastern United States that endured a long difficult journey during the late 1840s California Gold Rush to prospect in the Sutter's Fort area of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada in California...
. Those staying with Hunt made the journey without serious incident.
He briefly represented Iron County
Iron County, Utah
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,779 people, 10,627 households, and 8,076 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 13,618 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
in 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....
in 1851. He was not a resident of Iron County, but he happened to pass through the county as elections were held, and he was chosen by the locals.
California years
In 1851 he was called by his church to help create a Mormon colonyMormon Colonies in Mexico
The Mormon colonies in Mexico are settlements located near the Sierra Madre mountains in northern Mexico which were established by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints beginning in 1885. Many of the original colonists came to Mexico due to federal attempts to curb and...
in San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
. This colony was the first American settlement in California after Statehood.
In that settlement he organized the building of a log fort which is the largest log fort ever built in California history.
From 1853-1857 he served as a member of the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
. Elected to represent Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, he introduced legislation in his first year in office to create San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, which passed. Upon the creation of San Bernardino County he became the county's first Assemblyman. He is honored as the "Father of San Bernardino County," which is the largest county in the contiguous United States.
In 1856 he was appointed as a Brigadier General in the California State Militia.
Later years
In 1860 he founded the town of Huntsville, UtahHuntsville, Utah
Huntsville is a town in Weber County, Utah, United States. The population was 649 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
He served as 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....
in 1863, representing Weber County
Weber County, Utah
Weber County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a stretch of the Wasatch Front, part of the eastern shores of Great Salt Lake, and much of the rugged Wasatch Mountains. As of the 2000 census, the population was 196,533, an increase of 24.1% over its population in 1990. By...
.
He died in 1879 in Oxford, Idaho
Oxford, Idaho
Oxford is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 53 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Oxford was first settled by Mormons in September 1864....
.
Legacy
Hunt has a number of noteworthy descendants:- John Hunt UdallJohn Hunt UdallJohn Hunt Udall was mayor of Phoenix, Arizona from 1936-38. He was a member of the Udall political family....
, great-grandson, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona - Jesse Addison UdallJesse Addison UdallJesse Addison Udall was a member of the Udall political family who served as chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court....
, great-grandson, Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court - Don Taylor UdallDon Taylor UdallDon Taylor Udall was a member of the Arizona State Legislature from the Udall political family.Born and raised in Arizona, he was the son of David King Udall and Ida Frances Udall....
, great-grandson, Arizona State Legislator - Nick UdallNick UdallJohn Nicholas Udall usually called Nick Udall was mayor of Phoenix, Arizona from 1948–52. He was a member of the Udall political family and was also a nephew of Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Udall was born and raised in Arizona...
, 2nd great-grandson, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona - Gordon Harold Smith, 3rd great-grandson, U.S. Senator from Oregon
- Milan Dale Smith, Jr.Milan SmithMilan Dale Smith, Jr. is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in El Segundo, California.Smith's brother, Gordon Smith, was a Republican U.S. Senator from Oregon from 1996-2009.- Background :...
, 3rd great-grandson, Federal Judge, U.S. 9th Circuit