WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
ANTHONY W. IVINS
(rancher, mayor, church leader)
BIOGRAPHY
Anthony W. Ivins was one of the most influential men who ever came out of southern Utah. He was the son of St. George's first medical doctor, Dr. Israel Ivins, and rose to the highest ranks of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (L.D.S.; Mormon).Anthony Woodward Ivins was born September 16, 1852 in Toms River, New Jersey. He and his family emigrated to Salt Lake City, arriving in August 1853 after a 140-day journey.
At the October 1861 General Conference of the Church, the Israel Ivins family, including young "Tony", was called to join the first 309 families sent to establish St. George.
Anthony grew up in St. George where he developed a lifelong interest in hunting, fishing, and the Indians. He also did some acting.
In 1875, Anthony Ivins was called on this first LDS mission, an exploratory expedition to Arizona and New Mexico. He traveled 2,400 miles and assumed the role of hunter for the expedition. A result of this exploration was the subsequent establishment of several Mormon colonies in the area.
On his return from this mission in 1877, Ivins was appointed Constable of St. George.
However in October of 1877, Ivins was called on a second mission to New Mexico. There he focused much of his attention on the Native Americans, but also preached to people of Mexican descent for the first time.
On November 9, 1878, he married Elizabeth Ashby Snow, also from St. George, whom he first met when they were both children traveling to southern Utah. She was the daughter of Erastus Snow.
Ivins became a prominent figure, both politically and ecclesiastically, in St. George. He was elected prosecuting attorney of Washington County. He was called to the St. George Stake High Council in 1881 and was elected to the St. George City Council in 1882.
In 1882, Ivins was called on a third mission, this time to Mexico City where he served for about the next two years. He was appointed president of the Mexican Mission in 1883.
Anthony W. Ivins was released from his mission and returned to St. George in 1884. He became a rancher and was the manager of the Mojave Land and Cattle Company and one of the owners of the Kaibab Cattle Company, the two largest owners of cattle on the Arizona Strip. In 1884, he was appointed City Attorney of St. George. He was also elected Washington County Assessor & Tax Collector as well as Prosecuting Attorney. Then in 1886 he was appointed County Assessor & Tax Collector for Mohave County, Arizona. He remained active in church affairs and in 1888 was chosen as first counselor to Daniel D. McArthur in the St. George Stake Presidency. Ivins was elected and served as mayor of St. George from April 12, 1890 to January 1894. From 1891 to 1893 he had an appointment as Special Indian Agent for the Shivwits Indians. He was elected to two terms (1893 and 1894) in the Utah Territorial Legislature and, in 1894, was chosen as a representative to the Utah State Constitutional Convention.
On September 16, 1895, Anthony W. Ivins was called by President Wilford Woodruff to go to Mexico to aid in the establishment of a series of Mormon colonies, to be used by those polygamous church members who sought sanctuary from what was, in their eyes, unnecessary harassment and persecution for personal religious convictions. He didn't want to leave St. George, but dutifully accepted the call. He spent the next 12 years in Mexico with his headquarters at Colonial Juarez, Chihuahua. He was the first President of the Juarez LDS Stake (the first stake in Mexico) and Vice President & General Manager of the Mexican Colonization and Agricultural Company, under which auspices the Mormon colonies were founded. He was the final word in the running of the 8 Mormon colonies in the states of Chihuahua and Sonora.
Anthony W. Ivins was called and ordained an Apostle on October 6, 1907 and spent the rest of his life in church leadership positions. He was called as Second Counselor to Pres. Heber J. Grant (his cousin) on March 10, 1921 and succeeded Charles W. Penrose as First Counselor on May 25, 1925, a position he held until his death.
Anthony W. Ivins died September 23, 1934 at the age of 82 and was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery (40° 46' 37.92" North Latitude, 111° 51' 28.8" West Longitude).
The town of Ivins was named for Anthony R. Ivins.
He was elected to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1970.
FAMILY
|
Parents and Siblings:
Israel Ivins Anna Lowrie Ivins Caroline "Caddie" Augusta Ivins Georgiana Ivins Anthony "Tony" Woodward Ivins |
(5/19/1815-xx/xx/1897) (married 3/19/1844) (11/17/1816-1/10/1896) (4/22/1845-2/2/1884) (married John Ezra Pace on 6/29/1875) (11/6/1847-xx/xx/1848) (9/16/1852-9/23/1934) (married Elizabeth Ashby Snow on 11/9/1878) |
|
Wife and Children: Elizabeth Ashby Snow Ivins Antoine Ridgeway Ivins H. Grant Ivins Stanley S. Ivins Anna Ivins Florence Ivins Leah Ivins Fulvia Ivins Augusta Ivins Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx |
(xx/xx/1854-xx/xx/1936) (married 11/9/1878) (5/11/1881-10/18/1967) (married Vilate Ellen Romney; married Edna Robbins) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Wilson) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Hyde) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Cardon) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Sloan) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (married Xxxxxxx X. Wells) (xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx) (died as an infant) |
PHOTOS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
REFERENCES
Wikipedia article about Anthony W. IvinsOnline Utah article about Anthony W. Ivins
Article about Anthony W. Ivins
Biography and journal entries about Anthony W. Ivins
President Anthony Woodward Ivins
by Guy C. Wilson
The Young Woman's Journal, Volume 32 (1921), pp. 264-268
Young "Tony" Ivins: Dixie Frontiersman
by Ronald W. Walker
17th Annual Juanita Brooks Lecture, March 15, 2000
Young "Tony" Ivins: Dixie Frontiersman
by Ronald W. Walker
BYU Studies, Volume 40, Number 1, 2001, pp. 105-131
SOUTHERN UTAH MEMORIES: Anthony W. Ivins
by Loren R. Webb, November 3, 2012
Cowboy Apostle: The Diaries of Anthony W. Ivins, 1875-1932
Edited by Elizabeth Oberdick Anderson
Hardcover, 748 Pages, December 2013