Alexander William Doniphan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alexander Doniphan
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Alexander William Doniphan
(Mathew Brady's studio) (Library of Congress collection) |
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| Born | July 9, 1808 Mason County, Kentucky
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| Died | August 8, 1887 (aged 79) Richmond, Missouri
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| Resting place | Fairview Cemetery, Liberty, Missouri |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Augusta College (1824) |
| Occupation | Lawyer, soldier |
| Known for | Sparing Joseph Smith's life Author Kearny code |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Title | Colonel |
| Spouse(s) |
Elizabeth Jane Thornton
(m. 1838–1873) |
| Children | John Thornton Alexander William Jr. |
| Parent(s) | Joseph and Anne Fowke (née Smith) Doniphan |
| Military career | |
| Nickname(s) | "The American Xenophon" |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1836–1848 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 1st Missouri Mounted Volunteers |
| Battles/wars | Heatherly War 1838 Mormon War Mexican–American War |
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Alexander William Doniphan (born July 9, 1808 – died August 8, 1887) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician from Missouri. He is remembered for stopping the unfair killing of Joseph Smith, who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This happened at the end of the 1838 Mormon War in Missouri. Doniphan also became famous as a leader of American troops during the Mexican–American War. He wrote a set of laws, called the Kearny Code, which is still part of New Mexico's laws today. He was also a very successful defense lawyer in Missouri.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Doniphan was born near Maysville, Kentucky, close to the Ohio River. He was the youngest of ten children. His father was a friend of the famous explorer Daniel Boone. Both of his grandfathers fought in the American Revolution.
He graduated from Augusta College in 1824. By 1830, he became a lawyer. He started his law practice in Lexington, Missouri, but soon moved to Liberty. Doniphan was a very good lawyer who always defended people, never working as a prosecutor. He was known for being a great speaker. He also served in the state legislature in 1836, 1840, and 1854, representing the Whig Party.
In June 1836, Doniphan joined a volunteer army group called the Liberty Blues. He took part in a small conflict known as the Heatherly War.
Doniphan and the Mormon War
Starting in 1831, many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints moved to Jackson County, Missouri. By 1833, about 1200 Mormons lived there. They faced problems with other settlers. One reason was their belief that American Indians were descendants of ancient Israelites. There were also other differences, and some people wrongly believed the Mormons wanted to cause slave uprisings.
The Mormons were forced to leave Jackson County in 1833. Joseph Smith and other church leaders asked the governor of Missouri for help, but they didn't get much. So, they hired Doniphan and other lawyers to protect their rights. Doniphan helped create a special county in Missouri for the Mormons. However, problems continued, leading to the 1838 Mormon War.
After a fight between Mormons and the state army at the Battle of Crooked River, Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an order. This order said that Mormons should be "exterminated, or driven from the state."
Doniphan was a general in the Missouri Militia. He was ordered to fight against the Mormons, even though he had tried hard to prevent the conflict. He believed the Mormons were mostly defending themselves. After the Mormons surrendered at Far West, General Samuel Lucas captured Joseph Smith and other Mormon leaders. Lucas held a quick, unfair trial and said Smith and the others were guilty. He then ordered Doniphan to execute them.
Doniphan bravely refused, saying: "It is cold blooded murder. I will not obey your order. ... if you execute these men, I will hold you responsible before an earthly tribunal, so help me God." Because of Doniphan's refusal, the Mormon leaders were sent to Liberty Jail for the winter. Doniphan later defended them in court. The church leaders were eventually allowed to escape and moved to Hancock County, Illinois. Joseph Smith was later killed there in 1844. Joseph and Emma Hale Smith named one of their sons Alexander Hale Smith to honor Doniphan.
Years later, in 1843, Porter Rockwell, a Mormon figure, was arrested in St. Louis. He was accused of trying to harm former governor Boggs. After being held for nine months, Rockwell hired Doniphan. Doniphan got the main charge of attempted murder dropped because there wasn't enough proof. He arranged for Rockwell to serve a very short sentence for trying to escape jail, and then Rockwell was released.
Forty years after these events, Doniphan visited Salt Lake City, Utah. This city had become the main home for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was welcomed as a hero and thanked by the Latter-day Saints for saving their prophet's life.
Mexican–American War Hero
In 1846, when the Mexican–American War began, Doniphan became a Colonel. He led the 1st Regiment of Missouri Mounted Volunteers. He served in several campaigns, including General Stephen W. Kearny's capture of Santa Fe.
After Santa Fe was safe, Kearny left Doniphan in charge of New Mexico. Doniphan was ordered to wait for more troops and then lead them to Chihuahua, Mexico. While waiting, Doniphan also dealt with conflicts involving the Navajo people. He tried to make peace treaties with different Native American tribes.
Doniphan's soldiers won two important battles against the Mexican Army. First, they won the Battle of El Brazito near modern-day El Paso, Texas. Then, they won the Battle of the Sacramento River, which allowed them to capture the city of Chihuahua. In the Sacramento River battle, Doniphan's force was greatly outnumbered, but they won with very few losses.
After their victories, Doniphan and his men traveled by ship back to Missouri through New Orleans. They received a hero's welcome. Their journey was nearly 5,500 miles (8,900 km) long, one of the longest military campaigns since the time of Alexander the Great.
Life After the War
After the Mexican–American War, General Kearny asked Doniphan to write a set of civil laws. These laws, known as the "Kearny Code", were written in both English and Spanish. They were used in the lands taken from Mexico and still form the basis of New Mexico's Bill of Rights and legal system.
Doniphan also helped start William Jewell College in his hometown of Liberty. He was also the first superintendent of schools for Clay County.
Before the American Civil War, Doniphan was a moderate. He was against states leaving the Union and wanted Missouri to stay neutral. Even though he owned enslaved people, he believed slavery should end slowly. He disagreed with those who wanted to end it immediately without preparing the enslaved people for freedom.
In 1861, Doniphan went to a peace conference in Washington, D.C., but it didn't solve the problems. He was offered high ranks in both the Missouri State Guard and the Union Army, but he refused to fight against the South. In 1863, he moved to St. Louis and stayed there for the rest of the war. During the war, he helped with pension applications for soldiers.
In the late 1860s, Doniphan reopened his law office in Richmond, Missouri. He died there at age 79. He is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Liberty under a tall stone monument.
Family Life
Alexander Doniphan married Elizabeth Jane Thornton on December 21, 1837, in Liberty, Missouri. Her father was a colleague of Doniphan's in the state legislature. Their wedding was on Elizabeth's 17th birthday and was a double ceremony with her sister. Elizabeth became ill in the 1850s. During the burial of her son, she had a stroke, which left her partly unable to move for the rest of her life. Elizabeth Doniphan died in New York City in 1873.
The couple had two sons: John Thornton (1838–1853) and Alexander William, Jr. (1840–1858). Neither of their sons lived to be 18 years old.
Legacy
- Doniphan County, Kansas, was named after him in 1855. The town of Doniphan, Missouri, is also named for him.
- Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints still highly respect Alexander Doniphan for saving Joseph Smith's life. His story is often told in their church history.
- Doniphan was added to the Hall of Famous Missourians in 2008. A bronze statue of him is in the rotunda of the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City.
- A large bronze statue of Doniphan stands at the Ray County courthouse in Richmond.
- Doniphan City, one of the divisions of the American Legion Boys State of Missouri, is named in his honor.
- Doniphan Drive in El Paso, Texas, is named for him because of the Battle of El Brazito fought near that city.
- Missouri Highway 152, between Liberty and Leavenworth, is called the "Alexander Doniphan Memorial Highway."
- Camp Doniphan was a military camp established near Fort Sill during World War I.
- William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, has a special award called the Alexander Doniphan Award. It is given to the male senior student who shows leadership, good grades, and is thought to be the most likely to succeed in life.
- The Liberty, Missouri School District has an elementary school named after Doniphan.
- Actor Peter Lawford played Doniphan in a 1965 TV show called Profiles in Courage.
See also
In Spanish: Alexander William Doniphan para niños
