Jefferson Hunt (January 20, 1803 – May 11, 1879) was a U.S.

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

pioneer, soldier, and politician. He was a captain in the

Mormon Battalion The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to July ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

in the California State Militia, a

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The ...

man, and a representative to the

Utah Territorial Legislature The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term ...

Early years

Hunt was born to John Hunt and Martha Jenkins on January 20, 1803, in

Bracken County, Kentucky Bracken County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,488. Its county seat is Brooksville. The county was formed in 1796. Bracken County is included in the Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-I ...

. Some sources cite his full name as Charles Jefferson Hunt, while others cite it as Jefferson David Hunt. He married Celia Mounts in December 1823. In 1834 they both converted to

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

and were baptized on March 7, 1835.

Mormon migration

The family, which then included six children, started their migration with the Mormons to

Far West, Missouri Far West was a settlement of the Latter Day Saint movement in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States, during the late 1830s. It is recognized as a historic site by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, added to the register in 1970. It ...

, in 1837. Other sources say they had moved to Clay County, Missouri first before going to Far West. It took the Hunts four weeks to make this journey. Jefferson Hunt was later called as an Assistant Marshall along with

George M. Hinkle George March Hinkle (November 13, 1801 – November 9, 1861) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. Personal life Hinkle was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Michael Hinkle and Nancy Higgins. George married Sarah Ann Stark (o ...

. The family moved again with the Mormons to Illinois where they settled twenty miles outside of

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and it ...

. He served as a major in the

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized militia of the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States. With growing antagonism from surrounding settlements it came to have as its main function the defense of Nauvoo, and surrounding Latter Day Saint ...

. Soon after he was ordained to the office of

High Priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rev ...

and later became an early participant in

plural marriage Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more th ...

when he married Matilda Nease.

Mormon Battalion

In 1846, while encamped at

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is loc ...

, he joined the

, which was formed at the request of the U.S. government for participation in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the ...

. 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 United States in what was called
The Exchange at the Presidio
. The exchange took place very close to what is today

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, Arizona. This event is commemorated with a statue in downtown Tucson. The statue was dedicated in 1996 by

Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

, then President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. His entire family journeyed with the battalion as they completed what may be the longest march in U.S. military history, ending in San Diego, California.

California expeditions

After being discharged from the Mormon Battalion, Hunt and his family settled in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...

, 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 Orrin Porter Rockwell (June 28, 1813 or June 25, 1815 – June 9, 1878) was a figure of the Wild West period of American history. A lawman in the Utah Territory, he was nicknamed ''Old Port'' and ''The Destroying Angel of Mormondom''. Rockwell se ...

, 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 The Death Valley '49ers were a group of pioneers from the Eastern United States that endured a long and 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 ...

. Those staying with Hunt made the journey without serious incident. He briefly represented Iron County in the

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 colony in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...

. 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 to 1857 he served as a member of the

. Elected to represent

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

, he introduced legislation in his first year in office to create

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...

, 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, Utah. He served as a representative to the

in 1863, representing Weber County. He died in 1879 in

Oxford, Idaho Oxford is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 48 at the 2010 census. History Oxford was first settled by Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in September 1864.Leonard J. Arrington. ''Hist ...

. Jefferson Hunt is buried at th
Red Rock Cemetery in Bannock County, Idaho, US

Legacy

Jefferson Hunt is the namesake of Huntsville, Utah. Hunt has a number of noteworthy descendants: * John Hunt Udall, great-grandson, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona *

Jesse Addison Udall Jesse Addison Udall (June 24, 1893 – April 18, 1980) was an American jurist and member of the Udall political family who served as chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. Udall was born and raised in Arizona, he was the son of David Kin ...

, great-grandson, Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court * Don Taylor Udall, great-grandson, Arizona State Legislator *

Nick Udall John Nicholas Udall usually called Nick Udall (July 23, 1913 – June 15, 2005) was mayor of Phoenix, Arizona from 1948–52. He was a member of the Udall family, Udall political family and was also a nephew of Spencer W. Kimball, the ...

, 2nd great-grandson, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona * Gordon Harold Smith, 3rd great-grandson, U.S. Senator from Oregon * Milan Dale Smith, Jr., 3rd great-grandson, Federal Judge, U.S. 9th Circuit

References

External links/sources

Text of speech about Jefferson Hunt's Life
* ttp://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=73983 Exchange at the Presidio* ttp://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/resources/11629 Norma Elliott collection of Jefferson Hunt materials, MSS 8665a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Brigham Young University {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Jefferson 1804 births 1879 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Converts to Mormonism Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Members of the California State Assembly Members of the Mormon Battalion Members of the Utah Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Mormon pioneers People from Bracken County, Kentucky Politicians from Salt Lake City Politicians from San Bernardino, California People from Huntsville, Utah California Whigs Latter Day Saints from Kentucky