Joseph Coulson Rich (January 16, 1841 – October 17, 1908) was an American, politician, judge, and early settler of the Idaho Territory.

Early life

Rich was born in Nauvoo, Illinois, as the oldest son of the Latter Day Saint converts Charles C. Rich and Sarah DeArmon Pea. In 1847, the family traveled with Mormon pioneers from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley. In 1849, Charles Rich became an

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

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 nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church).

Career

In 1860, Rich traveled to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, where he was a

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

for the LDS Church until 1863. During that time, his father was the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the LDS Church's European

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

, which was based in England. Returning to

Salt Lake City 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, th ...

, Charles and Joseph Rich were recruited by

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...

to participate in the settlement of the Bear River Valley in Idaho Territory. Under the leadership of Charles Rich, the settlers founded

Paris, Idaho Paris is a city and county seat of Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States. Located on the western side of the Bear Lake Valley, the city's population was 513 at the 2010 census, down from 576 in 2000. Paris was settled on September 26, 1863, by ...

. On January 25, 1867, Joseph Rich became a member of the

Council of Fifty "The Council of Fifty" (also known as "the Living Constitution", "the Kingdom of God", or its name by revelation, "The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ") was a La ...

. In 1868, Rich wrote an article in the '' Deseret News'' in which he claimed that a group of settlers had seen "monsters" swimming in the waters of Bear Lake. This was the beginning of the popular legend that the Bear Lake monster inhabits the lake. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Rich was twice elected to represent Bear Lake County in the Idaho Territorial Legislature. He also served as prosecuting attorney of the county. He presided over the Democratic Party's Idaho state convention in 1894 and was elected to the

Idaho Senate The Idaho Senate is the upper chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 35 Senators elected to two-year terms, each representing a district of the state. The Senate meets at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho. Composition of ...

in 1896. In 1898, he was elected as the judge of Idaho's fifth judicial district.

Personal life

In 1886, Rich married Ann Eliza Hunter, a daughter of Edward Hunter, a prominent leader in the LDS Church. Rich died in

Centerville, Utah Centerville is a city in southeastern Davis County, Utah, United States. Centerville is part of the Ogden-Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,335 at the 2010 census. It is located adjacent to the easternmost part of ...

, and was buried in the Paris Cemetery in

Notes

References

*''An Illustrated History of the State of Idaho'' (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1899) pp. 693–695.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rich, Joseph C. 1841 births 1908 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints American Mormon missionaries in England American Mormon missionaries in the United Kingdom Democratic Party Idaho state senators Mormon missionaries in Wales Mormon pioneers People from Paris, Idaho Idaho state court judges Members of the Idaho Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Mormon missionaries in Europe Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from Idaho