Porter Rockwell
United States Marshal; friend of Joseph Smith (1813 or 1815–1878) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orrin Porter Rockwell (June 28, 1813 or June 25, 1815 – June 9, 1878) was a figure of the Wild West period of American history. A lawman in the Utah Territory, he was nicknamed Old Port, The Destroying Angel of Mormondom and Modern-day Samson.
Quick Facts Members of the Council of Fifty, Called by ...
Porter Rockwell | |
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Members of the Council of Fifty | |
March 19, 1844 (1844-03-19) – June 9, 1878 (1878-06-09) | |
Called by | Joseph Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | Orrin Porter Rockwell c. (1813-06-28)June 28, 1813 Belchertown, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States |
Died | June 9, 1878(1878-06-09) (aged 64) Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, United States |
Resting place | Salt Lake City Cemetery 40.776°N 111.862°W / 40.776; -111.862 |
Known For | Personal bodyguard to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, Deputy US Marshal Known as "The Destroying Angel of Mormondom" and "Modern-day Samson" |
Occupation | businessman, bodyguard, lawman, frontiersman, scout |
Spouse(s) | Mary Ann Neff (1854)[1] Christina Olsen Luana Hart Beebe |
Children | At least 7 |
Parents | Orin and Sarah Rockwell |
Close
Rockwell served as a bodyguard, and was a personal friend, of Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith. After Smith's death in 1844, Rockwell became a bodyguard of his successor, Brigham Young, and traveled with him and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to the Salt Lake Valley in the present-day U.S. state of Utah.