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Stephen S. Harding served as Governor of Utah Territory from 1862 to 1863. He was born 28 February 1808 to David and Abigail Hill Harding in Ontario County, New York. His family moved to Indiana to farm in 1820. Harding was licensed to practice law in 1828 and in 1830 he married Avoline Sprout. They had ten children. In the 1840's, Harding became involved in anti-slavery and Indiana politics as a member of the Whig Party and later as a Republican.
President Lincoln appointed him Territorial Governor of Utah Territory in March, 1862, and he arrived in Salt Lake City on 7 July of that year. He resigned as governor on 30 May 1863 due to difficulties with the Mormons and an appointment as Consulate to Chile. He left Utah Territory on 11 June 1863, but could not accept the foreign position due to the health of his wife. Harding was offered an appointment as Chief Justice of Colorado and took office on 10 July 1863. He served in that capacity until 1 January 1865. Harding's later years were spent as a lawyer in Milan, Versailles, and Lawrenceburg, Indiana. He died on 12 February 1891.
The Harding Collection consists primarily of letters written by Stephen S. Harding or his children between 1862 and 1901. The letters include ones written while Harding served as a public official in Utah and Colorado. The collection also contains some miscellaneous biographical material on Harding and his home in Milan, Indiana.
Stephen Selwyn Harding Papers, 1862-1901, Utah State Historical Society.
Gift of Helen M. West.
The Stephen Selwyn Harding Papers, are the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.
Photographs have been removed to