John S. Bransford
Encyclopedia
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. In Plumas County, California
, Bransford was a county assessor from 1886 to 1890 and served three terms as the county sheriff. He was elected to these positions as a Democrat
.
Bransford moved to Salt Lake City in 1899 and remained there permanently. In 1900, Bransford was elected the president of the Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange. In 1904, he joined Utah's anti-Mormon American Party
, but remained a member of the Democratic Party.
Bransford became the mayor on August 13, 1907, 11 days after Ezra Thompson
resigned due to ill health and accusations of corruption. Bransford was unanimously elected by the city council as the replacement for Thompson. Bransford served out the remainder of Thompson's term and was elected mayor in the election of 1907. He was re-elected in 1909, and served until the end of his second elected term in 1911.
As leader of the American Party, Bransford was considerably less vocal in his anti-Mormonism than his predecessor had been, and the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were much relieved to have Bransford rather than Thompson leading the city where their church was headquartered.
Bransford's most notable achievement as mayor was the creation of a walled red-light district
in Salt Lake City, known as the "Stockade", which restricted the prostitutes of the city to working in the square block between 100 to 200 South and between 500 and 600 West.
After Bransford left office, the American Party collapsed. He was a delegate from Utah to the 1912 Democratic National Convention
and was a member of the Platform and Rules Committee.
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 1907 to 1911.
Bransford was born in Richmond
Richmond, Missouri
Richmond is a city in Ray County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,797 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ray County.-Geography:Richmond is located at...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. As a child, Bransford had traveled the Mormon Trail
Mormon Trail
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
with his family on their journey to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1864, stopping temporarily in Salt Lake City. In Plumas County, California
Plumas County, California
Plumas County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. The county gets its name from the Spanish words for the Feather River , which flows through the county. As of the 2010 census, the population 20,007, down from 20,824 at the 2000 census...
, Bransford was a county assessor from 1886 to 1890 and served three terms as the county sheriff. He was elected to these positions as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Bransford moved to Salt Lake City in 1899 and remained there permanently. In 1900, Bransford was elected the president of the Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange. In 1904, he joined Utah's anti-Mormon American Party
American Party (Utah)
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 in Utah politics.-Creation:...
, but remained a member of the Democratic Party.
Bransford became the mayor on August 13, 1907, 11 days after 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:...
resigned due to ill health and accusations of corruption. Bransford was unanimously elected by the city council as the replacement for Thompson. Bransford served out the remainder of Thompson's term and was elected mayor in the election of 1907. He was re-elected in 1909, and served until the end of his second elected term in 1911.
As leader of the American Party, Bransford was considerably less vocal in his anti-Mormonism than his predecessor had been, and the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were much relieved to have Bransford rather than Thompson leading the city where their church was headquartered.
Bransford's most notable achievement as mayor was the creation of a walled red-light district
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
in Salt Lake City, known as the "Stockade", which restricted the prostitutes of the city to working in the square block between 100 to 200 South and between 500 and 600 West.
After Bransford left office, the American Party collapsed. He was a delegate from Utah to the 1912 Democratic National Convention
1912 Democratic National Convention
The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. It proved to be one of the more memorable United States presidential conventions of the twentieth century. The main candidates were House Speaker Champ Clark of Missouri and...
and was a member of the Platform and Rules Committee.