Jefferson Hunt
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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, brigadier general 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, Califor ...
man, and a representative to the Utah Territorial Legislature.


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 2020 census, the population was 8,400. Its county seat is Brooksville. The county was formed in 1796. Bracken County is included in the Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY- ...
. 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 Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and 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, 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. 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 United States census, 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its h ...
. He served as a major in the
Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized Latter-day Saints Militias and Military Units, militia of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States from February 4, 1841 until January 29, 1845. Its main function was the defense of Nauvoo and surrounding Latte ...
. 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 organisation. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many god ...
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 ...
when he married Matilda Nease.


Mormon Battalion

In 1846, while encamped at
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, he joined the Mormon Battalion, which was formed at the request of the U.S. government for participation in the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
. 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
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, Arizona. 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 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 or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...
, 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. On his way to California in 1851, Hunt was elected to represent Iron County in the legislature of the
State of Deseret The State of Deseret (modern pronunciation , contemporaneously , as recorded in the Deseret alphabet spelling 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻) was a proposed U.S. state, state of the United States promoted by leaders of the Church of Jesus Chri ...
. 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 ( ) is a city in and the 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 census, making it the List of ...
. 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
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, Califor ...
. Elected to represent
Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...
, he introduced legislation in his first year in office to create
San Bernardino County San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, 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 th ...
, 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 Utah Territorial Legislature in 1863, representing Weber County. He died in 1879 in Oxford, Idaho. 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, great-grandson, Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court * Don Taylor Udall, great-grandson, Arizona State Legislator * Nick Udall, 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


See also

* Udall family


References

*


External links


Text of speech about Jefferson Hunt's LifeExchange at the PresidioNorma Elliott collection of Jefferson Hunt materials, MSS 8665
a
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 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 19th-century members of the California State Legislature