Franklin S. Richards
Franklin S. Richards | |
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Member of the Council of Fifty of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | |
April 10, 1880 | – September 4, 1934|
Called by | John Taylor |
Personal details | |
Born | Franklin Snyder Richards June 20, 1849 Salt Lake City, Provisional State of Deseret, United States |
Died | September 4, 1934 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | (aged 85)
Resting place | Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37″N 111°51′29″W / 40.777°N 111.858°W |
Franklin Snyder Richards (June 20, 1849 – September 4, 1934)[1] was the general counsel for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in the late-19th and early-20th century. He was closely connected with the defense against charges of polygamy of many leading LDS Church figures.
Biography
Richards was born in
In 1869, Richards moved to
In 1889, Richards sought to convince U.S. President Benjamin Harrison and James G. Blaine to appoint officers in Utah Territory who were non-vindictive towards the Mormons.[2] Richards formed a law firm with Rufus K. Williams, who had been chief justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court, in 1879. They served as the primary legal counsel that sought to prevent the removal of suffrage from the women of Utah Territory in 1880.
Richards's wife, Emily S. Richards, was one of the main figures behind the founding of the Utah Women's Suffrage Association in 1889.[3]
Richards was a member of the 1882 Utah State Constitutional Convention and was one of the delegates sent to seek the approval of the State Constitution in Washington, D.C. In 1884, Richards was elected to the Council (roughly equivalent to a State Senate) of the Utah Territorial Legislature, for the district encompassing Weber County and Box Elder County. Richards replaced Lorenzo Snow, who had served in the seat since 1854. Richards served one term in this position.[4] Richards was a member of the 1895 Utah State Constitutional Convention, which was successful in gaining statehood for Utah.[5]
Among other cases, Richards was the legal counsel for
At various times, Richards served as city attorney for both Ogden and Salt Lake City. He was also the prosecuting attorney for Weber County.
The J. Reuben Clark Law Society has an award named after Richards.
Notes
- ^ Driggs 2000
- Winder, Michael K., Presidents and Prophets. (American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, 2007) p. 167–68.
- OCLC 30473917, archived from the originalon 2017-01-13, retrieved 2013-11-06
- ^ Utah State Archives roster of the territorial legislature
- ^ Noble Warrum. Utah Since Statehood, historical and biographical (Chicago: S. J. Clark, 1919) Vol. 1, p. 96
- ^ Ex Parte Snow 120 U.S. 274 (1887)
References
- J. Reuben Clark Law Society award named after Richards
- Driggs, Kenneth (2000), "Franklin S. Richards", in Deseret Book, pp. 1021–1022.
- Latter-day Saints Biographical Encyclopedia. Vol. 4, p. 55.
External links
- Franklin S. Richards papers, MSS 1204 in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University