American Party (Utah)
Encyclopedia
The American Party was a political party in Utah
from 1904 to 1911. It was designed to counter the influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Utah politics.
. Kearns was the owner of the Salt Lake Tribune and under his ownership the paper became a harsh critic of the LDS Church. Beginning in 1901, Kearns was also one of Utah's United States Senators. However, in 1904, Utah's other senator, LDS Church Apostle Reed Smoot
, used his influence to convince the state legislature to elect George Sutherland
to replace Kearns. Kearns was outraged and was convinced that Smoot had orchestrated his removal because of Kearns's opposition to the LDS Church. Kearns's supporters formed the American Party, which was an attempt to revive Utah's 19th-century anti-Mormon Liberal Party
. Though not publicly among the party's organizers, Kearns was influential in the party. As a columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune, former United States Senator Frank J. Cannon also played an important promotional role for the party.
politicians and was endorsed by the Salt Lake Tribune. Between 1905 and 1911, the party controlled the municipal governments of Ogden
and Salt Lake City. In 1905, party co-founder Ezra Thompson
was elected mayor of Salt Lake City, with fellow party members W. Mont Ferry
, Arthur J. Davis, Lewis D. Martin, and Martin E. Mulvey elected as city councilors. (Thompson had previously served as a Republican
mayor of Salt Lake City from 1900 to 1903.) Thompson resigned in 1907 and he was replaced by new party leader John S. Bransford
, who was re-elected in 1907 and was mayor until 1911.
In 1908, the American Party ran John A. Street for governor of Utah. Central platforms of the party were that the leaders of the LDS Church were still participating in plural marriage
and that they had no intention of abiding by the 1890 Manifesto
. The party also alleged that the LDS Church monopolized lines of business within Utah and that the state needed to more vigorously enforce the separation between church and state. In 1909, the party opposed a state bill that would have instituted prohibition
in Utah. The LDS Church did not formally support the prohibition bill, but many of its top leaders did.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
from 1904 to 1911. It was designed to counter the influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Utah politics.
Creation
The American Party was founded in 1904 by supporters of Thomas KearnsThomas Kearns
Thomas Kearns was a mining, banking, railroad and newspaper magnate. He was elected United States Senator from Utah from 1901 to 1905.- Immigration and mining :...
. Kearns was the owner of the Salt Lake Tribune and under his ownership the paper became a harsh critic of the LDS Church. Beginning in 1901, Kearns was also one of Utah's United States Senators. However, in 1904, Utah's other senator, LDS Church Apostle Reed Smoot
Reed Smoot
Reed Owen Smoot was a native-born Utahn who was first elected to the United States Senate from Utah in 1903, and served as a Senator until 1933...
, used his influence to convince the state legislature to elect George Sutherland
George Sutherland
Alexander George Sutherland was an English-born U.S. jurist and political figure. One of four appointments to the Supreme Court by President Warren G. Harding, he served as an Associate Justice of the U.S...
to replace Kearns. Kearns was outraged and was convinced that Smoot had orchestrated his removal because of Kearns's opposition to the LDS Church. Kearns's supporters formed the American Party, which was an attempt to revive Utah's 19th-century anti-Mormon Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Utah)
The Liberal Party, like the People's Party, flourished in Utah Territory as a local political party in the latter half of the 19th century—before Democrats and Republicans established themselves in Utah in the early 1890s....
. Though not publicly among the party's organizers, Kearns was influential in the party. As a columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune, former United States Senator Frank J. Cannon also played an important promotional role for the party.
Party activities
The party attracted a variety of non-Mormon, lapsed Mormon, and ex-RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politicians and was endorsed by the Salt Lake Tribune. Between 1905 and 1911, the party controlled the municipal governments of Ogden
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
and Salt Lake City. In 1905, party co-founder Ezra Thompson
Ezra Thompson
Ezra Thompson was the 12th and 14th mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah who was elected three times and served two non-consecutive terms. He was mayor in 1900–1903 and 1906–1907.-First term:...
was elected mayor of Salt Lake City, with fellow party members W. Mont Ferry
W. Mont Ferry
William Montague Ferry was a Utah State Senator and the 17th mayor of Salt Lake City.Ferry was born in Grand Haven, Michigan and was the son of Edward P. Ferry and Clara White. Ferry was named after his grandfather, who was a Presbyterian minister and missionary in Michigan.Ferry moved to Utah and...
, Arthur J. Davis, Lewis D. Martin, and Martin E. Mulvey elected as city councilors. (Thompson had previously served as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
mayor of Salt Lake City from 1900 to 1903.) Thompson resigned in 1907 and he was replaced by new party leader John S. Bransford
John S. Bransford
John Samuel Bransford was the 15th mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah from 1907 to 1911.Bransford was born in Richmond, Missouri. As a child, Bransford had traveled the Mormon Trail with his family on their journey to California in 1864, stopping temporarily in Salt Lake City...
, who was re-elected in 1907 and was mayor until 1911.
In 1908, the American Party ran John A. Street for governor of Utah. Central platforms of the party were that the leaders of the LDS Church were still participating in plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
and that they had no intention of abiding by the 1890 Manifesto
1890 Manifesto
The "1890 Manifesto", sometimes simply called "The Manifesto", is a statement which officially disavowed the continuing practice of plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
. The party also alleged that the LDS Church monopolized lines of business within Utah and that the state needed to more vigorously enforce the separation between church and state. In 1909, the party opposed a state bill that would have instituted prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in Utah. The LDS Church did not formally support the prohibition bill, but many of its top leaders did.