Porter Rockwell
Orrin Porter Rockwell (born June 28, 1813 in Belchertown , Hampshire County , Massachusetts , † June 9, 1878 in Salt Lake City , Utah ) was an American Mormon, bodyguard and a personality of the Wild West . An early member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , he served for many years as a bodyguard to Joseph Smith, and then to Brigham Young, and the United States Marshals Service . He was nicknamed "the Mormon Destructive Angel".
Life
Porter was the son of Orin and Sarah Rockwell. As a teenager, he befriended Joseph Smith, who was living in his neighborhood at the time. He believed Joseph Smith's claims and wanted to help fund the printing of the first edition of the Book of Mormon . For this purpose, he sold berries picked in the forest and transported wood to the city. On April 6, 1830, the founding day of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was among the first to be baptized.
An excellent marksman, Joseph Smith made him his bodyguard. He was later charged with an assassination attempt on Lilburn Boggs , the former governor of Missouri , which Boggs survived. Joseph Smith is anecdotally quoted as saying: "It cannot have been Porter, for Boggs is alive." Porter Rockwell was acquitted for lack of evidence.
In 1849, Governor Brigham Young appointed him Deputy Marshal of Salt Lake City, which he held until his death. Porter Rockwell ran the Hot Springs Hotel south of Salt Lake City, which had a brewery attached to it. He died of natural causes in 1878 at the age of 64.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rockwell, Porter |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Rockwell, Orrin Porter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American Mormon, bodyguard, and a Wild West personality |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 28, 1813 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Belchertown , Hampshire County , Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 9, 1878 |
| Place of death | Salt Lake City , Utah |