Salt Lake County UT Archives Biographies.....Sutch, John Thomas Sr. 1829 - 1911
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 September 1, 2011, 11:53 pm

Source: See below
Author: S. J. Clarke, Publisher

JOHN THOMAS CAINE, SR.

    John Thomas Caine, who was Utah's fourth delegate to congress and a man
prominent in public affairs and in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, was born in the parish of Kirkpatrick, on the Isle of Man, January 8,
1829, his parents being Thomas and Eleanor (Cubbon) Caine. He was but six years
of age when his mother died. His father emigrated to America and he was left
with his maternal grandfather, Hugh Cubbon, who was a farmer and tailor. When
nine years of age he was taken to Douglas, where he lived with his aunt, Mrs.
William Cowley, his father's sister, who sent him to school. At the age of
eleven years he went to Peel, where he lived with his mother's sister, Mrs. John
Richardson, who resided near Peel, and who sent him to school, thus completing
his education. On the 17th of March, 1846, he sailed from Liverpool on the bark
Shanunga for New York, where he arrived on the 30th of April. He there secured
employment and while there he became a convert to the teachings of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was baptized by Elder William H. Miles on
the 28th of March, 1847. In October, 1848, he made his way to St. Louis,
Missouri, where he became actively engaged in church work, being made assistant
to the clerk of the conference, Daniel Mackintosh. He was ordained an elder July
7, 1849, and for three years thereafter he ministered to victims of the cholera
but escaped the dread disease himself. It was while engaged in that work that he
met Margaret Nightingale, a relative of the Nightingale and Leach families who
were the first converts to the church. He wedded Miss Nightingale on the 22d of
October, 1850, after which he acted as general agent for the frontier guardian
and also assisted in emigration and other matters, working with Elder Hyde. He
became the successor of Elder Mackintosh in the position of clerk of the
conference and was first counselor to President Thomas Wrigley.

    On the 8th of May, 1852, he left St. Louis with his family and a company of
fifty wagons which was commanded by Captain James McGraw, while Mr. Caine acted
as captain of ten wagons. They arrived in Salt Lake City on the 20th of
September, 1852, and there Mr. Caine obtained employment at digging beets on
shares. Through the succeeding winter he taught school and later he became
identified with the Deseret Dramatic Association and appeared in several plays
that were staged in Social Hall.

    In 1854 Mr. Caine was called to fill a mission to the Hawaiian Islands and
following his return in 1856 was appointed assistant secretary of the
legislative council, which position he filled for many sessions. In 1857 he was
made military secretary, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, on the staff of
General Daniel H. Wells, commander of the Nauvoo Legion. Throughout the period
of his life in Utah, Mr. Caine was actively and closely associated with events
which have left their impress upon the history of the state. In March, 1870, he
was sent to Washington, D. C. to carry the protest of the people of Utah against
the Cullum bill, which had passed the house of representatives and was pending
in the senate. He was made a member of the legislative council, serving through
the sessions of 1874, 1876, 1880 and 1882. He became managing editor of the
Herald and in 1876 was elected recorder of Salt Lake City, occupying that office
until 1882. In 1876 he was also made a member of the board of regents of the
University of Deseret aind [sic] so continued until 1886. In June, 1882, he was
named one of seven delegates to present the constitution of Utah to congress and
there were indeed few events of importance to the state at large with which he
was not more or less closely associated. In 1896 he was elected a member of the
state senate and afterward was the candidate for governor on the democratic
ticket but at that time met defeat. He served for eleven years as delegate in
congress and his activities were ever of a most important character, looking to
the further development, welfare and upbuilding of his state. Death called him
in 1911 and thus passed from the scene of earthly activity one who had been an
important factor in shaping Utah's progress and upbuilding.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

UTAH SINCE STATEHOOD
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL

ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME IV
CHICAGO-SALT LAKE: THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1920


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