David Calder (pioneer)

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David Orson Calder (1823–1884) was a prominent early pioneer settler in Utah.

A native of Thurso, Caithness, Scotland, he joined the Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in 1840, and in 1851 set off for Utah, accompanied by his widowed mother Anne Johnston Calder, his brother George Calder, and five other siblings. A man of excellent business ability, his talents were quickly recognized. In 1857, he was appointed chief clerk to the Trustee in Trust of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in that position organized a system of accounts and records in all the departments of the church.

Between 1859 and 1870, he held office as Territorial Treasurer of the Utah Territory under Brigham Young, and, after a visit to his native country, where he also labored as a Mormon missionary, he was chosen business manager and managing editor of the Deseret News, the principal newspaper in Utah at the time, and even today the second-largest newspaper by circulation between Denver and San Francisco. In 1867, Calder was asked by Brigham Young to establish a commercial college in Salt Lake City, which subsequently became known as The University of Utah.

Calder was also a founding shareholder of the Utah Central Railroad, owned the Calder Music Store in Salt Lake City, and was elected a director of Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI), widely viewed as the first department store in the United States. He held his director position until his death in July 1884.