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John Milton Bernhisel | |
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| Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives fromUtah Territory'sat-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1859 | |
| Succeeded by | William H. Hooper |
| In office March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863 | |
| Preceded by | William H. Hooper |
| Succeeded by | John F. Kinney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1799-06-23)June 23, 1799 Tyrone Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 28, 1881(1881-09-28) (aged 82) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Resting place | Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′37.92″N111°51′28.8″W / 40.7772000°N 111.858000°W /40.7772000; -111.858000 |
| Political party | Independent |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Doctor |
| Signature | .png) |
John Milton Bernhisel (bornJohn Martin Bernheisel;[1] June 23, 1799 – September 28, 1881) was anAmerican physician, politician, and early member of theLatter Day Saint movement. He was a close friend and companion to bothJoseph Smith andBrigham Young. Bernhisel was the original delegate of theUtah Territory in theUnited States House of Representatives (1851–59, 1861–63) and acted as a member of theCouncil of Fifty ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Bernhisel was born at Sandy Hill,Tyrone Township, nearHarrisburg, Pennsylvania. His name at birth was John Martin Bernheisel, which he changed as an adult.[1] He earned a degree in medicine from theUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1827[2] and began practicing medicine inNew York City.
After becoming affiliated with the Latter Day Saint movement, he moved toNauvoo, Illinois, in 1843. Bernhisel served as the personal physician toJoseph Smith, and lived in his home. He delivered some ofEmma Smith's children.
In June 1844, Bernhisel accompanied Joseph Smith to theCarthage Jail and spent some time with Smith and his brotherHyrum in the jail, but Bernhisel was not present at the time ofJoseph Smith's death at the hands of a mob.
After Smith's death, Bernhisel followedBrigham Young and moved west with the majority of the Latter-day Saints. He settled inSalt Lake City,Utah Territory, in 1848 and continued the practice of medicine.
Bernhisel was selected by Young to represent the interests of the Latter-day Saints before Congress when the Mormon settlers began to consider an application for statehood as theState of Deseret. He was selected to theThirty-second and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1859). Longtime Washington journalistBenjamin Perley Poore described Bernhisel during those years as "a small, dapper gentleman, who in deportment and tone of voice resembledRobert J. Walker":
It was very rarely that he participated in debate, and his forte was evidently taciturnity. In private conversation he was fluent and agreeable, defending the peculiar domestic institutions of his people.[3]
After returning briefly to his medical practice, he also ran and served in theThirty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863). Bernhisel also served as regent of theUniversity of Utah.
Bernhisel was a bachelor until he was 46 years old (March 1845), when he married Julia Ann Haight, the widow of William Van Orden and mother of five children. The couple had one child, also named John Milton Bernhisel (born in 1846). Like many early LDS Church members, Bernhisel went on to practiceplural marriage. He was married to seven women, but by 1850, all of them but Elizabeth Barker had left the family for various reasons. He died at his home in Salt Lake City on September 28, 1881, and is interred at theSalt Lake City Cemetery.[4]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by office created | Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives fromUtah 1851-1859 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives fromUtah 1861-1863 | Succeeded by |
| Territorial (1851–1895) |
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| Oneat-large seat (1895–1913) |
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| Two at-large seats (1913–1915) |
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| Districts (1915–present) (3rd district established in 1983) (4th district established in 2013) |
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