Governor Cumming

1858-1873, Democrat

About the Cumming Administration

President James Buchanan appointed Alfred Cumming as the second territorial governor of Utah. Col. Albert Sidney Johnson and his troops escorted Governor Cumming to Utah. Because Utahns expected war, Salt Lake City was abandoned on orders from Brigham Young. The situation was handled and the so-called Utah War was soon peacefully put to rest. Governor Cumming had the usual concerns of western territorial governors: Indians, construction of roads and bridges, and the sale of public lands. He also had apprehensions relating to the Mormon dominated state and their control over the probate courts.

Powell, Allan Kent, ed. Utah History Encyclopedia. Territorial Governors, by Miriam B. Murphy. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1994.