Samuel W. Richards
| Samuel W. Richards | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the Utah Territorial Legislature | |
| In office | |
| 1855 – 1859 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Samuel Whitney Richards August 9, 1824 Richmond, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | November 26, 1909 (aged 85) Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Resting place |
Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37″N 111°51′29″W / 40.777°N 111.858°W |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Heskin Parker Mary A. Parker Helena L. Robinson Jane E. Mayer Ann Jones Elizabeth Whitaker |
| Parents | Phinehas Richards Wealthy Dewey |
Samuel Whitney Richards (August 9, 1824 – November 26, 1909 (aged 85)) was a religious and political leader in 19th-century Utah Territory and in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Richards was the son of Phinehas Richards and his wife Wealthy Dewey. He was born in Richmond, Massachusetts. He joined the LDS Church at age 14 shortly after his father was baptized. At age 18 he worked on building a railroad in the vicinity of Richmond, having learned the carpenter's trade from his father. He moved with his family to Nauvoo, Illinois which is where he met his first wife, Mary Haskin Parker.
Richards worked on the building of the Nauvoo Temple, especially in joining. After ordinance work began in the temple he served as an ordinance worker. He married Parker in the Nauvoo Temple in January 1846. Parker had joined the church in England, with Willard Richards, Samuel's uncle, having been one of the missionaries involved in teaching her about Mormonism. She had earlier, until she was ten, attended a school taught by Jeanetta Richards, whose father was the minister of the Congregationalist church Mary and her family belonged to before joining the LDS Church. Jeanetta later married Willard, creating even more connection between Mary and the Richards family even before she married Samuel.
Samuel left on a mission to Great Britain in May 1846 while Mary traveled with Samuel's parents and lived in various locations in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. On his mission, Samuel served as president of the Scottish Conference. He returned in 1848. For a year Samuel and Mary lived in modern Fremont County, Iowa along the banks of the Nioshoba River on a farm Samuel had rented. This area was at the time claimed by and administered by Missouri.
In 1849 Richards, along with his wife and an infant daughter, went to Utah Territory in a wagon company headed by Silas Richards. Upon reaching Utah, Richards worked as a farmer and served as a member of both the Salt Lake City Council and the State of Deseret Constitutional Convention. He was also a member of the board of directors of the University of Deseret.
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