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Gowans, Hugh Sydney, third president of the Tooele Stake of Zion, is the son of Robert Gowans and Grace McKay, and was born Feb. 23, 1832, in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. While quite young his parents removed to the city of Aberdeen in the northeast part of Scotland, where he lived until he was about ten years of age. Then he removed with them to the town of Arbroath in Fosforshire, Scotland, in which place he first heard and received the gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was baptized in his eighteenth year, Aug. 1, 1859, by Elder Joseph Booth, in consequence of which he had to contend with much opposition from his parents and other relatives. In the following July, in response to a call made by Elder James Marsden, president of the Edinburgh conference, for volunteers to go out and preach the gospel, Bro. Gowans offered his services. He was accordingly ordained a Priest and started from Dundee, in company with Robert Bain, to labor in Fifeshire, under the direction of Elder John Duncan. After some six months he was called to go to the north part of Scotland, where he traveled and preached in Stonehaven Aberdeen, Banff and other places. In the meantime he was ordained an Elder under the hands of Elders James McNaughton (then president of the Dundee conference) and Alexander F. McDonald. Having labored in the ministry for some eighteen months, he returned home and was appointed to preside over the Arbroath branch of the Dundee conference, which position he occupied until he emigrated to Utah with his wife and her father and mother in 1855. He sailed from Liverpool April 22, 1855, with a company of 581 Saints, on board the ship "Samuel Curling." Having landed safely in New York, the journey was continued via Philadelphia, Pittsburg, St. Louis, Atchison, and Mormon Grove. He crossed the plains in Capt. Milo Andrus' emigrant train, arriving in Salt Lake City Oct. 24th in the same year. He spent the following winter on the government Reservation in Rush Valley, Tooele county. In consequence of Indian hostilities, in the spring of 1856, he located in Tooele City, where he has resided ever since. He was ordained a Seventy in Salt Lake City under the hands of Joseph Young April 20, 1857, and set apart as one of the presidents of the 43rd quorum of Seventy at its organization in Tooele City, May 9, 1857. He was appointed assessor and collector for Tooele county in 1865, and held the office for six years. In August of the same year he was elected mayor of Tooele City, to which office he was three times successively re-elected. May 16, 1868, he was elected adjutant of Company A, first Battalion of Cavalry, Nauvoo Legion, and commissioned as such with the rank of first lieutenant by Governor Durkee. In 1872, he was called to go on a mission to Europe. He left Salt Lake City Oct. 25th, and sailed from New York Nov. 6th, on board the steamer "Minnesota" of the Guion line. Pres. Geo. A. Smith and company, en route to Palestine, were on board the same ship, which arrived in Liverpool Nov. 19th. During this mission Elder Gowans presided successively in the Bedford, Durham and Newcastle and Manchester conferences, and was released to return home. As the leader of a company of emigrating Saints, he sailed from Liverpool on the steamship "Wyoming" May 12, 1875, and arrived in New York May 24th, and in Salt Lake City June 3rd. Aug. 7, 1876, he was elected prosecuting attorney for Tooele county and on the 27th of September following he was elected chairman of the central and executive committees of the People's Party in Tooele county, and took a prominent part in recovering the county from the Liberal rule. At the organization of the Tooele Stake, in June, 1877, he was ordained a High Priest and set apart as a member of the High Council. In August, 1878, he was elected probate judge of Tooele county, and re-elected to the same office in August, 1880. At the quarterly conference of the Tooele Stake held in Grantsville in January, 1881, he was sustained as first counselor to Heber J. Grant, president of Tooele Stake. In October, 1882, he was sustained and set apart by Pres. John Taylor to preside over the Tooele Stake, succeeding Heber J. Grant, who was called to be one of the Twelve Apostles. July 16, 1885, he was arrested at his home in Tooele City by U. S. deputy marshals, on the charge of unlawful cohabitation with his wives. He was taken before Commissioner McKay in Salt Lake City and by him bound over in the sum of $1500.00 to answer the findings of the grand jury. On the 23rd of September he was arraigned to plead to three indictments for the same offence, being the first man in the Territory on whom Prosecuting Attorney W. H. Dickson and the grand jury commenced their illegal business of segregation, to all of which he pleaded not guilty and was placed under $3000 bonds-$1000 on each indictment. Feb. 11, 1886, he was brought into court, but was only tried on one of the indictments under the plea of not guilty (the other two indictments were held over for future use), on the express condition that he would go on the witness stand and give evidence for the prosecution, which he did. No other witnesses were called, Judge Zane charged the jury, who found a verdict of guilty without leaving their seats. At his request, sentence was deferred until the 26th, when, in answering the question in the negative, if he had any promises to make in regard to the future, he was sentenced to six months in the penitentiary and to pay a fine of $300 and costs-in all $520.05. The same day he was taken to the penitentiary, where he served out his sentence, less the deduction allowed by the Copper Act. He also served thirty days in lieu of the fine, being discharged Aug. 30, 1886.
Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4 vols. Salt Lake City 1:354. |
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