Thomas Duncombe Dee (November 10, 1844 – July 9, 1905) was an American businessman from

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

Biography

Dee was born in

Llanelli ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the Principal areas of Wales, ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

, Wales. His parents 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 ...

(LDS Church) in 1856, and the family relocated to

Ogden, Utah Ogden ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the United States Census ...

, in 1860. Dee had been working as an apprentice carpenter in Wales and soon was building residential and commercial buildings in Ogden. In 1876, he joined industrialist David Eccles and Hiram Spencer in founding businesses in the western U.S., ranging from sugar to lumber to water and shoes and banking. In 1900, Dee became an investor and first president of the

Utah Construction Company The Utah Construction Company was a construction company founded by Edmund Orson Wattis Jr., Warren L. Wattis and William. H. Wattis in 1900. History The Wattis Brothers received funding from David Eccles, Thomas Dee, Joseph Clark and Jam ...

. On July 3, 1905, he slipped into the water while inspecting a potential site for a dam, contracted

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, and died. In 1906, the community was named

Dee, Oregon Dee is an unincorporated community and former company town in Hood River County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 281, about 11 miles south of Hood River. History The Oregon Lumber Company built a sawmill at Dee in 1906 and named it for ...

, in his honor. Dee served for over 20 years as the LDS Church's

Sunday School ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

superintendent in the Ogden Third Ward (LDS Church), Ward and then in the Mound Fort Ward. For almost two decades preceding his death, he served as a counselor to the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Mound Fort Ward. Among several other civic positions, Dee served as a member of the Ogden City Council.

References

Sources

Jenson, Andrew. ''

Latter-day Saints Biographical Encyclopedia ''Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (abbreviated ''LDS Biographical Encyclopedia'') is a four-volume biographical di ...

'', vol. 3, p. 58

External links

McKay-Dee Hospital, History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dee, Thomas Duncombe 1844 births 1905 deaths People from Llanelli Welsh emigrants to the United States American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Utah city council members Deaths from pneumonia in Utah Mormon pioneers Businesspeople from Ogden, Utah Welsh leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Sunday School (LDS Church) people Latter Day Saints from Utah