John D. Lee
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John Doyle Lee (September 12, 1812 - March 23, 1877) was a prominent, early Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon) and came to be known as the central figure in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Lee was born in Illinois Territory, and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1838.
In 1839 Lee served a Mormon mission with his boyhood friend, Levi Stewart. Together they preached in Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It is noteworthy that Lee converted and baptized "Wild Bill" Hickman during this mission.
Lee was a friend of Joseph Smith, Jr. founder of the LDS Church. Lee practiced plural marriage and had nineteen wives and sixty-seven children. Lee was allegedly a member of the Danites, although some have argued there is little or no evidence for his involvement in the group. He was an official scribe for the Council of 50, a group of men who, in the days of Joseph Smith, Jr and Brigham Young, worked together to provide expert guidance in practical matters to the church, specifically the move westward out of the United States of America and to the Rocky Mountains.
After Smith's murder, Lee joined the bulk of the LDS Church's members in what is now Utah, and worked toward establishing several new communities.
In 1856, Lee became a U.S. Indian Agent in the Iron County area, assigned to help Native Americans establish farms. In 1858, Lee served a term as a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature.
In 1872 Lee moved from Iron County and established a ferry crossing on the Colorado River. It is still called Lee's Ferry.
Massacre at Mountain Meadows
The most pivotal event in Lee's later life happened in September, 1857. A emigrant group traveling from Arkansas, known as the Fancher party, was camped in an area of Southern Utah known as the Mountain Meadows. This area was a staging area for groups traveling to California to prepare for the long crossing of the Mohave desert. There is definite controversy as to who initiated the attack, whether it was the local Mormons or indians, but the party was attacked in a four-day siege that later came to be known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Despite the controversy as to who started the siege, Lee was among the leaders of the final attack, in which approximately 120 of the Fancher party were killed, leaving only very small children as survivors. For the remainder of his life, Lee maintained that he had acted under orders from his military leaders, and under protest. After the event, Lee remained active in Mormonism and local government for several years.In the late 1860s, various public questions arose about the exact nature of the 1857 massacre, causing difficulties for Lee and many others of those involved.
Lee was excommunicated from the LDS Church in 1870 for his part in the massacre.
In 1874, Lee was arrested and tried for the massacre, with the trial ending in a hung jury. He was tried again in 1877 and sentenced to death for leading the massacre. He never denied his own complicity, but stated he was a vocally reluctant participant and later a scapegoat meant to draw attention away from other Mormon leaders also involved. He specifically stated, however, that LDS President Brigham Young had no knowledge of the event until after it had happened.
There is another account however that should not be eliminated from consideration. It is a document widely used by historians, albeit cautiously. In the [Life and Confessions of John D. Lee](p. 225), we find the statement. "I have always believed, since that day, that General George A. Smith was then visiting Southern Utah to prepare the people for the work of exterminating Captain Fancher's train of emigrants, and I now believe that he was sent for that purpose by the direct command of Brigham Young."
On March 23, 1877, Lee was executed by firing squad, on the site of the 1857 massacre. Some of his last words referred to efforts to persuade him to finger Brigham Young as responsible for the massacre: "There's no man I hate worse than a traitor. Especially I could not betray an innocent man."
In May 1961, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posthumously reinstated Lee's membership in the church.
See also
References
- Brooks, Juanita and Cleland, Robert Glass, editors. A Mormon Chronicle: The Diaries of John D. Lee. Huntington Library Press, Reissued June 2004 (Paperback, 868pp), 3 Volumes in 1 book. ISBN 0873281780. First published in ( ).
- Brooks, Juanita. John Doyle Lee: Zealot, Pioneer Builder, Scapegoat. Utah State University Press, reissue November 1992 (paperback, 404pp). ISBN 087421162X. First published in 1961.
External links
- [Excellent sketch of Lee's life]
- Complete text of book: Some Descendants of John Doyle Lee: http://www.wadhome.org/lee/
- [Biographical Sketch of Lee, mentioning Rockwell link]
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