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Show BRIEF BIOGRAPHY. The Life and Labors of Prest. A. 0. Smoot WHO DIED WEDNESDAY. I He Was a Notable Character, an Exemplary Exem-plary Citizen and a Sterling: Man His Individuality is Stamped in the History of Provo, of Utah Count r and of Utah Territory. President A. O, Smoot is dead. At 4:10 o'clock yesterday (Wednesday) (Wednes-day) afternoon the venerable and beloved be-loved president breathed bis last at bis residence in this city. In the home at the time were all of the Jiving members of his familv except Brip-hftm.who is in Thiladelpnia attending college. The cause Of the president's death was blood poisoning the invariable ultimate ulti-mate result of diabetes with which disease he has been suffering for four years last past. Particulars of the last attack have heretofore been published in Tn Dispatch. When President Smoot breathed his laat there pasBed away from earth one of the noted charaitera of the nine- teenth century, a .man of distinct individuality in-dividuality whose individuality is indelibly in-delibly stamped in the huttory of Utah territory, of Utah county, and particularly partic-ularly of Provo city. lie was a man charitable to a faalt,humble as a child, gentle as a woman, bnt stern as the rock ot adamant in the discharge of his duty. He was meek and lowly, averse to notoriety and always avoiding rather than seeking the praise of man which was continually bestowed upon him most liberally. His was a long and a well spent life,durinz all of which there was neyer a day wasted in idleness. He was a man who did great goo I and meant always to do nothin? but good. He waB a man of powerful physique, indomitable pluck, and well did nature endow him for the master part in the great drama of developing Utah he was destined to play. His constitution was strong, and he used it well; he was a stiictly temperate man in all things and did not abuse but he cherished the gifts nature had bestowed upon him. He lived a life of honor, integrity and of well doing. .Abraham O. Smoot waa born in Owenton, Owen county, Kentucky on February 17, 1815, and with his family and friends in this city only a few days ago commemorated com-memorated the eightieth anniversary anniver-sary of his birth. His parents were Virginians, hia father, George W Smoot, of Scotch extraction, and his mother, Ann ljowlett, of English. When Abraham was Beven years of age nis parents moved irom nis native place to the western part of Kentucky, and when he was about thirteen years old to a short distance across the state line into Tennessee, where he lived till he embraced the gospel and came west. His father belonged to no church, nor did his mother or any of his family till they became identified identi-fied with the Latter-day Saints. His father died in 18:'8, before the church was founded. Elder William Parish earned the gospel to the Smoot family Preeident Wilford Woodruff, Wood-ruff, then holding the office of a priest, was laboring in company with Elder Warren Parrish, as a missionary mission-ary in the southern states, suffering great hardships. A. O. Smoot was bap-, tized March 22, 1835; by Elder Warren Parrish. Soon after joining the church he was ordained a deacon, and given charge of a Bmall branch which had been built up by Apostle David W. Patten, and Elders Wilford Woodruff and Warren War-ren Parrish. He sersed in the capacity capa-city of deacon fr.m Mav, 1833, to February Feb-ruary 4, 1836, when he was ordained an elder by Wilfoi d Woodruff, with whom he traveled as a missionary for about a year in the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. In the fall of 1836, he went to Kirt-land, Kirt-land, Ohio, with Elder Woodruff, where the body of the church first gathered. Here they spent the ensuing ensu-ing winter together,attending the Kirt land high school. Early in 1837, the Prophet Joseph advised ad-vised Elder Smoot to return to Kentucky, Ken-tucky, as the northern climate did not agree with his health. He returned to his native state, but soon afterwards he and II. G. Sherwood organized a company .of saints, and led them to Far West, Caldwell county, Missouri, at which place the body of the church had been located after haying been driven from Jackson county. Having, with Elder Sherwood, led the company to the then headquarters of the church. Elder Smoot continued traveling in the ministry, preaching till the latter part of 1838, when the saints were driven from the state of Missouri. He was at Far West as one of its active defenders defend-ers when that Mormon city fell before the combined forces of the militia and mob of the state, under command of General Clark, whose speech to the prisoners of war, after the prophet, hia brother Hyruni, and Parley P. Pratt, and others of the leaders had given themselves up.stand as one of the most barbaric speeches that ever fell from the lips of any officer in madern times, civil or military, A. 0. Smoot was one of those prisoners of war. While a prisoner, on November 11, 1S38, he married his first wife. In February following he emigrated and reached Nauvoo the following summer. From there he traveled and did much woik in the field as a missionary. He was left In general charge of the church at Winter Quarters after the pioneer company had left for the Rocky mountains. moun-tains. A small company followed thete and later Elder Smoot brought the largest company of the season, the main body of the church, 128 wagons, reaching the Salt Lake vailey in September Sep-tember following the July when the pioneers first landed. President Smoot had the honor of bringing in the second train of merchandise mer-chandise that came to Utah,alsoof con-d con-d uctingthe first emigration from Europe under the Perpetual Emigration Fund company to establish and oiganize which company was his mission to England. He was very prominent in the early church history in many ways, having asBieted in the organization or-ganization of the great Salt Lake stake. He was bishop of ,the Fifteenth Fif-teenth ward, Salt Lake, from 1849 to 1851, of South Cottonwood in 1852 and of Sugar House from ISM. to.tf.856, and during the move his fam.. wa' transferred trans-ferred to Salem, in this county, and he was bishop of that place. Ee was at the same time mayor of Salt Lake city, one of those peculiar combinations combina-tions of-office holding that .sometimes occurred in the early days of Utah's history. President Smoot was th?, first justice jus-tice of the peace to discharge the duties du-ties of that poBition in Utah, and during dur-ing the mad rush te the California gold fields wa3 called, uponv to adjudicate adjudi-cate many important cases. He was Salt Lake's second mayor and served in that capacity for ten years without pay ; he served for twelve consecutive sessions in the territorial legislature, being let out in 1880 by the operations of the Edmunds law. Hut for that law he undoubtedly would have again been re-elected to the office. He was elected to the legislature from Salt Lake as well as from Proyo. While he resided in Salt Lake he was very prosperous and the life and energy and financial bacfc-bode bacfc-bode of many enterprises, as he always was here. He was sent to Provo by President Brigham Young to establish estab-lish the woolen mills, and, the president presi-dent knowing his great ability as a leader, to unite the factories that then existed here and establish the Utah stake of Zion on a firm foundation and lead it out of the labyrinth of trouble it was then in. He reached Provo in February of 1868 with his family which consisted then of four wives, Margaret T. McMeane, Emily Harris, Diana Eldredge and Annie K. Morrison, and twelve living children. At the time of bis death, Diana Eldredge was his only wire living ana seventeen cniid-ren cniid-ren survive him. His posterity in the second and third generations, however, are yery numerous, and the family is very largely connected, including very many of the prominent people of the territory. In February, 1868, the same month in which he landed in Provo, President Smoot was elected mayor of the city and served in that capacity for fourteen four-teen years without pay. In that office his attention was, of course, given to each-., 2nd eyejp-7 matter pertaining" pertain-ing" to the general welfare of the city, but i.e was most per sistent and pronounced in the advocacy ad-vocacy of the prohibition of the sale of intoxicating liquors; and the improvement improve-ment of the streets and public highways He inaugurated and supervised the construction of the joint county courthouse court-house and city building, which today is a model of convenience and comfort and a great credit to the city of Provo, completing it at a phenominally low expense to the public. He superintended superin-tended the erection of the factory and the placing in ot the machinery, and as president and vice-president of the institution in-stitution for years, watched closely every detail of the business in all of its progress. He organized and became president of the first co-operative mercantile mer-cantile establishment that was ever established es-tablished in Utah, the Provo East Co-op., which all along has been and is now a phenominally successful institution. insti-tution. He established tne Provo Lumber Lum-ber Manufacturing & Building company and up to within twelve months of his death was its president and financial back-bone. He recently purchased pur-chased the business of this institution, which is now flourishing as it did in days of old when he oversaw and watched the details of its management. President Smoot took stock in every cooperative co-operative store that waa established in the county and in every manufacturing institution, and by the investment of his means as well as by his continuous talk, advice and counsel; encouraged all home enterprises and home industries, indus-tries, the one grand overtopping ambition ambi-tion of his life in a business way always al-ways being to give employment to home labor. All his life he was one of the foremost advocates of the establishment establish-ment and encouragement ol home industries in-dustries to the end that all of our necessities, ne-cessities, as well as many luxuries, might be manufactured within the territory, and it goes without question that his effortB have given more labor to Utah county people than those of any other one man who has lived in the county, As an evidence of his earnestness in this particular, neyer since he came to Utah baa he worn any clothing oth-ir lhan was made in Utah, either by hand or machinery, and his houBe supplies have invariably been the product of home labor as far as possible. His counsel has always been to maintain home industry and as an evidence of hi earnestness in this he has inves-ed liberally of hiB means regardless re-gardless of profit and without considering con-sidering the hope of immediate gain for himeelf, his mam object being to see the enterprises live and be able to give ; employment to home men. In every manufacturing enterprise in the county he was identified, and in fact all legitimate legiti-mate businesses in the county were fostered fos-tered and encouraged by him directly or indirectly. In this connection an interesting incident mieet, with propriety pro-priety be told, the fact that he has always al-ways said that when he died he wanted his casket made large and roomy and out of native timber, red pine if nothing noth-ing else could be gotten. Recently it has developed that the locust trees we are now growing is much superior wood to the red pine, and from locust trees that he himself planted and has grown upon his own soil, within the last month he has supervised the sawing saw-ing of timber for the construction of bis casket which is being make today by his own workmen in strict accordance accord-ance with his expressed request to his famiiy. President Smoot secured the organization organi-zation of the First .National bank of Provo and became its president, which position he held at the time of his demise. de-mise. His efforts in the interest ot the Brigbam Young academy, af which institution in-stitution he was president at the time of his death, are altogether too well known to the public to need mention. He was a self-made man ; he had not the advantaged of an early education, yet Utah has never had a more earnest advocate ot the cause of education, and no one man in Utah has ever invested more meaas nor devoted more energy to the cause of education than he, and his ereatest desire of late -years has been to see the B. Y. academy relieved from its financial distress and nlaopirl upon a solid and sure financial looting and in easy circumstances. It was the last matter of a 'public nature about which he talked in hfe, expressing his great anxiety that the institution be relieved and develop into what its founder designed it should be. At the time of hia death Presieent Smoot was pres;dent of the Provo East Co-op., of the First National bank of Provo, of the Utah County Coun-ty Savings bank, sole proprietor of thelumberand manufacturing estab lishment opposite the depots,andof the Provo Koller mills; he held stock in every co-operative store in the county, in the sugar factory, woolen mills and in many other buildings and institutions. institu-tions. I As president of the Utah Stake of Zion he has done p- noble work religiously. religi-ously. When he came from Salt Lake in 1868 he succeeded to the presidency, presi-dency, William Miller, who became his first counsellor with E. F. Sheets as second counsellor. At hi3 death David John and Edward Partridge were his counsellors. President Smoot will be long and lovingly remembered by all who ever knew him and particularly by all who are or have been members of the Utah Stake of Zion. The family have received letters and telegrams of condolences from persons in ail parts of the territory. The city of Provo is in mourning, flags are flying fly-ing at half mast and crape is hung from the doors of many of the business places. The railroads haye announced reduced rates for Saturday and Sunday, and beyond a question the funeral services ser-vices will be very largely attended. His long labors are ended ; he has earned his rest, that rest will be peace-rul, peace-rul, and his reward in the world to come will be all that he himself has so often and so eloquently pictured as the reward of those who are faithful here on earth. Peace be to hia memory. |