Porter Rockwell
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—Fitzhugh Ludlow, 1870.
Orrin Porter Rockwell (June 28, 1813, or June 25, 1815 – June 9 1878) was a colorful figure of the Wild West period of American History, and a law man in the Utah Territory. Nicknamed Old Port and labelled "the Destroying Angel of Mormondom", during his lifetime, he was as famous and controversial as more well known figures like Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, Wyatt Earp and Pat Garrett.
A zealous member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), he served as a loyal, personal bodyguard to both Joseph Smith, Jr. and Brigham Young.
Separating fact from legends, folklore and myths concerning Rockwell is difficult for historians in large part because Rockwell kept no personal diary. Some facts, however, are generally agreed upon by most researchers.
Rockwell was a character of contrasts. On one hand he was generous to a fault, even to strangers. For example, Rockwell wore his hair very long, never cutting it, as a sign like the biblical Samson. But upon hearing of a widow who was balding from typhoid fever, he chivalrously went under a razor for the sake of a woman's wig.
On the other hand, he was a gunfighter and Deputy United States Marshal who was reputed to have killed many men. It is said that Porter once told a crowd listening to United States Vice President Schuyler Colfax in 1869, "I never killed anyone who didn't need killing." He became a legend as a rough-and-ready frontiersman, a scout, a marksman, a man of iron nerve and a man of unswerving loyalty.
Perhaps because of his reputation, Rockwell was accused of attempting a revenge-based assassination of Lilburn Boggs, the former governor of Missouri. Boggs was notorious for signing an "Extermination Order" against Mormons which forced them to leave the state and settle in Nauvoo, Illinois. While Rockwell was in Missouri at the time and arrested for the incident, a grand jury failed to find evidence sufficient to indict him. There were also rumors that Rockwell attempted the assassination at the behest of Smith, however, there is no conclusive evidence of Smith's involvement. Porter's defense of the alleged assassination attempt was, "He's still alive, ain't he?" Monte B. McLaws, in the Missouri Historical Review, determined that, while there was no clear finger pointing to anyone, Governor Boggs was running for election against several violent men, all capable of the deed. He also noted that Rockwell may have had cause, but that otherwise there was no particular reason to suspect him of the crime.
Born in Belcher, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Rockwell died in Salt Lake City, Utah of natural causes.
- He was brave & loyal to his faith,
- true to the prophet Jos. Smith,
- a promise made him by the
- prophet thro. obedience it was
- fulfilled.
- --Orrin Porter Rockwell's epitaph
Films
With the exception of the 1994 bomb Rockwell: A Legend of the Wild West[1] (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111009/) (starring NBA MVP, Karl Malone), Hollywood has neglected to produce any feature film about him.
References
- Dewey, Richard Lloyd Dewey. Porter Rockwell: a Biography, Paramount Books 1986; Hardcover, 2nd edition, 1988. ISBN 0961602406
- McLaws, Monte B. “The Attempted Assassination of Missouri’s Ex-Governor, Lilburn W. Boggs,” Missouri Historical Review, 60.1 (October 1965): 59
- Schindler, Harold. Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder, University of Utah press, 1966; Paperback, 1993. ISBN 087480440X
External links
- Rockwell biography from Utah History (http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/r/ROCKWELL,ORIN.html)
- "Did Orrin Porter Rockwell Shoot Lilburn Boggs, Governor of Missouri?" (http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/orrin.htm)