The Governors of Utah: John W. Dawson and Frank Fuller, III

GOVERNOR JAMES DUANE DOTY. 1863-1865.

THE GOVERNORS OF UTAH.

JOHN W. DAWSON, FRANK FULLER.

[The Era, so far, has been unsuccessful in its efforts to secure the portraits of Secretary Fuller or Governors Gumming and Harding. Desiring, however, to present a portrait in each number, so as to use the twelve pictures which we have obtained, in the course of the current volume, we are obliged to insert them somewhat out of order; hence, the portrait of Governor Dawson in the December number, and that of Governor Doty in this number. For this seeming lack of harmonious arrangement, we crave the kind indulgence of our readers.— Editors.]

Aside from the ten months of exciting rule by Governor Harding, the lively historical and political period intervening between the departure of Governor Gumming, in May, 1861, and the inauguration of Governor James Duane Doty, June 11, 1863, was principally occupied with Secretary Frank Fuller, in the guber-

natorial chair. He acted first, until the arrival of Dawson, having taken the oath of office September 11, 1861, the day after his arrival in the Territory; then, his second term began when Dawson left, on the last day of the same year, and continued until

Governor Stephen S. Harding arrived on July 7, 1862; and he remained as secretary during the new governor's term until June 11, 1863, when he was succeeded by Amos Reed, secretary under Governor Doty. These two years, as we shall see, were scarcely less exciting, in a political sense, than the period of the Utah war. Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated President of the United States, on the 4th of March, 1861, and on October 3, of that

year, he made the following appointments for Utah: For governor, John W. Dawson, of Indiana; for secretary, Frank Fuller, of New Hampshire; for superintendent of Indian affairs, James Duane

222 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

Doty, of Michigan; for surveyor general, S. R. Fox. The secretary and surveyor-general arrived in Salt Lake City on the 10th of September following. The next day, Mr. Fuller took the oath of office, and became acting governor. It was not until December 7, that

Dawson arrived. He was accompanied by Superintendent Doty, and took the oath of office on the 10th. The career of Dawson, the third regularly appointed governor of Utah, was indeed very short, for with the closing of the year, he fled from the Territory in disgrace. He was a young, handsome and apparently bright man, but showed little judgment, discretion or fitness in the position which he was called to fill. On his arrival, the legislature was in session. A bill had passed both houses on the 17th and 18th of December, providing for a convention of delegates for the formation of a constitution and state government. This bill was submitted to Governor Dawson on the 19th. Two days later, he promptly vetoed it, giving as his reason that the time between its passage and the date set in the act —January 6, 1862 —for the election was too short to allow due notice to be given to the people, or for the act to be officially submitted to Congress, prior to the election of the delegates or to the holding of the convention itself. The legislature held that it was not necessary to submit the act to Congress in order to render it operative. A copy of the governor's only message to the legislature is found in the legislative journals of 1861-62. Only ten days after the submission of the veto, he suddenly left the Territory, having "made indecent proposals to a respectable lady of Salt Lake City, and fearing chastisement at the hands of her relatives and friends." Stenhouse says that Dawson was made a "victim of misplaced confidence, and fell into a snare laid for his feet by some of his own brother officials." In any event, he left, and while fleeing, that night, a band of drunken desperadoes set upon him, robbed, assaulted, kicked and beat him shamefully. This outrage was committed at Hank's mail station, Mountain Dell, between Little and Big Mountain. The guilty parties were soon after arrested for their cowardly and brutal assault upon the fleeing official. A few days thereafter, three of the desperadoes were shot by officers and killed while trying to escape, and their confederates were duly