Lilburn Boggs

Lilburn Boggs was an American politician, soldier, and merchant who served as the sixth Governor of Missouri from 1836 to 1840. His tenure was dominated by escalating tensions between early settlers and Mormon communities, culminating in his controversial Missouri Executive Order 44, known as the "Extermination Order." A veteran of the War of 1812 and a prominent figure in Missouri's early statehood, Boggs later moved to California during the Gold Rush.

Early life and career

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Boggs moved to the Missouri Territory in 1816. He served as a private in the War of 1812 under General Andrew Jackson. In Missouri, he established himself as a merchant in St. Louis and later in Independence, where he also operated a successful Santa Fe Trail trading post. Boggs entered politics, serving as a state senator and as the Lieutenant Governor of Missouri under Governor Daniel Dunklin. His early career was marked by involvement with the powerful Thomas Hart Benton political faction and service in the Missouri Militia during the Black Hawk War.

Governor of Missouri

Elected as a Democrat, Boggs assumed the governorship in 1836. His administration focused on internal improvements, including advocating for railroads and addressing the state's financial issues following the Panic of 1837. He also grappled with ongoing border disputes along the Missouri-Iowa border and tensions with Native American tribes. However, his governorship became overwhelmingly defined by the settlement of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in northwestern Missouri and the resulting violent conflict with other settlers in Caldwell and Davies counties.

Mormon conflict and the Extermination Order

The period known as the 1838 Mormon War reached its peak during Boggs's term. Following the Battle of Crooked River and reports of a Mormon militia mobilizing, Boggs issued Missouri Executive Order 44 on October 27, 1838. Addressed to General John B. Clark, the order declared that Mormons "must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State." This directive led to the Haun's Mill massacre and the eventual forced expulsion of thousands of Latter-day Saints from Missouri, under threat of the Missouri Militia, into Illinois. The order was not officially rescinded until 1976 by Governor Kit Bond.

Later life and death

After leaving office, Boggs remained in Independence. In 1842, he survived an assassination attempt when an unknown assailant shot him through a window, an act widely believed at the time to have been committed by Porter Rockwell, a associate of Joseph Smith. Boggs later joined the westward migration, traveling the Oregon Trail to California in 1846. He settled in Sonoma, served as alcalde under the military government, and was a witness to the turmoil of the Bear Flag Revolt. He died in Napa, California in 1860.

Legacy

Lilburn Boggs is a controversial figure in American history, primarily remembered for the Extermination Order. Historians of the American West and the Mormon pioneer era extensively debate his motivations and the order's consequences. The event remains a significant episode in the history of religious persecution in the United States. Boggs's life also exemplifies the transient nature of early American frontier leadership, from Kentucky to the Missouri frontier and finally to Mexican and then American California. His papers are held by the University of Missouri and the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley.

Category:1796 births Category:1860 deaths Category:Governors of Missouri Category:Missouri Democrats Category:People of the Black Hawk War Category:People from Lexington, Kentucky Category:People from Napa, California