Luke P. Poland letter
Scope and Contents
Handwritten letter from Luke P. Poland to "Major." In this letter, Poland describes different bills he has passed in Congress, including the Poland Act of 1874. This was a bill sponsored by Poland that removed power in the Utah justice system from Mormons and gave it to federal courts and officials, intended to allow for successful prosecutions of Mormon polygamists. This bill was in direct response to the LDS-controlled courts' refusal to enforce the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act of 1862, which they deemed unconstitutional and an infringement on their freedom of religion. The Poland Act paved the way for further anti-polygamy legislation such as the Edmunds Act (1882) and Edmunds-Tucker Act (1887), and the eventual abolishing of polygamy by the LDS Church in 1890. Letter is dated July 7, 1874.
Dates
- 1874 July 7
Creator
- Poland, Luke P. (Luke Potter), 1815-1887 (correspondent, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Open for public research.
Conditions Governing Use
It is the responsibilty of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the Luke P. Poland letter must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collection Coordinating Committee.
Extent
1 folder (0.01 ft)
Language of Materials
English
Custodial History
Purchased from James Cummins bookseller, in 2017.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased; James Cummins bookseller; January 30, 2017.
Appraisal
Utah and American West and LDS cultural, social, and religious history (19th Century Mormon and Western Manuscripts collection development policy IV.a.i.1 and 4, November 2013).
Biographical History
Luke Potter Poland was born on November 1, 1815 to Luther and Nancy Potter Poland in Westford, Vermont. In 1836 he was admitted to the bar and began praticing law in Morrisville, VT. By From 1848-1860 he was a judge of the Vermont Supreme Court, serving as chief justice from 1860 to 1865. Following the death of Senator Jacob Collamer, Poland became the Republican Senator for Vermont, serving from 1865-1867. He was then elected to the House of Representatives for Vermont's 2nd district, serving from 1867-1875, and later from 1883-1885. He married Martha Smith Page in 1838. Martha death in 1853, led Poland to marry her sister, Adelia Henrietta. Luke P. Poland died on July 2, 1887 at his country home in Waterville, VT.
Processing Information
Basic Processing; Itza Mostert; April 2017.
Source
- James Cummins Book Seller (bookseller, Organization)
- Title
- Register of Luke P. Poland letter
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Itza Mostert
- Date
- 2017 April 19
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English in Latin script.
Repository Details
Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States