Alexander William Doniphan
A Missouri militia colonel who defied a general's order to execute a prophet, altering the course of religious history with a single act of conscience.
1808–1887 (age 79)·American attorney, soldier and politician·Birthday: July 9
Biography
Alexander Doniphan cut a towering figure on the 19th-century frontier, a man whose sense of law and personal honor repeatedly steered the course of events. As a lawyer and militia colonel in Missouri, his defining moment came in 1838. When his superior, General Samuel Lucas, ordered him to execute Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Doniphan refused in a blistering letter, stating he would hold Lucas personally responsible for 'cold-blooded murder.' His stand saved Smith's life. Just years later, he led a remarkable 3,000-mile march during the Mexican-American War, his Missouri volunteers securing key victories in the Southwest. A skilled legislator, he drafted the 'Kearny Code,' which became the foundational legal framework for New Mexico. Doniphan lived a life of action guided by principle, a soldier who valued the rule of law above blind obedience.
#1 When Alexander Was Born
The biggest hits of 1808
Alexander's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1808Born
1813Started school
1821Became a teenager
1824Could drive
1826Could vote
1829Turned 21
1838Turned 30
1848Turned 40
1858Turned 50
1868Turned 60
President: Andrew Johnson
1878Turned 70
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1887Died at 79
President: Grover Cleveland
Key Achievements
- Refused the illegal order to execute Joseph Smith in 1838, preventing a summary execution.
- Led the 1st Regiment of Missouri Mounted Volunteers on a grueling march from Missouri to Chihuahua during the Mexican-American War.
- Authored the Kearny Code, which served as the original bill of rights and legal code for the Territory of New Mexico.
- Successfully defended early Latter-day Saint leaders in Missouri court cases prior to the 1838 conflict.
Did You Know?
He was never formally educated in law but studied under a practicing attorney and passed the bar.
Despite saving him, Doniphan never converted to Mormonism and remained critical of some of Joseph Smith's actions.
A statue of him stands in the Missouri State Capitol's Hall of Famous Missourians.
He turned down an offer to become a U.S. Senator from Missouri.
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