| Abram Chase Hatch | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 3, 1830 Lincoln, Vermont |
| Died | December 3, 1911 (aged 81) Heber City, Utah |
| Spouse | Parmelia Jane Lott (m. 1852–1880) Ruth Woolley (m. 1882–1911) |
Abram Chase Hatch (January 3, 1830 – December 3, 1911) was an American Mormon pioneer and missionary and was a politicians in Utah Territory.
Contents |
Hatch was born in Lincoln, Addison County, Vermont. In 1840, Hatch and his entire family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, where the majority of the Latter Day Saints were gathering. In 1850, Hatch and four of his siblings moved to Utah Territory.
Hatch settled in Lehi, Utah, where he established himself as a merchant and innkeeper. He often travelled east to obtain merchandise and to help other Mormon pioneers come to Utah. He made a total of 11 trips between the Missouri River and Utah Territory before the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.
From 1864 to 1867, Hatch as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in the United Kingdom. During this time, he was the president of the Manchester and then Birmingham conferences of the LDS Church. After touring western Europe in 1867, Hatch returned home to Utah.
Upon arriving in Utah, Hatch became the bishop in Wasatch County. When the Wasatch Stake was organized in 1877, Hatch became its first president. He would hold this position until 1901. In this capacity, Hatch helped to found many settlements in Wasatch County and elsewhere in Utah: today, along with his brother Jeremiah Hatch, he is recognized as the founder of Vernal, Utah.
Hatch was a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature for 23 years. Hatch was the first representative who proposed that women in Utah be given the vote; this was done in 1870, but the right was abolished by the federal Edmunds–Tucker Act in 1887.
Hatch became a member of the Council of Fifty on June 29, 1883, and was a member until his death.
Hatch was married to Parmelia Jane Lott from 1852 until her death in 1880; the couple had seven children. In 1882, after his first wife's death, Hatch married Ruth Woolley, with whom he had six children, including Vermont Hatch.
Hatch died in Heber City, Utah at age 81. He was buried in Heber City Cemetery.
In 1975, Hatch's house in Heber City was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Wasatch County, Utah. Hatch's older brother Jeremiah is a great-grandfather of U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch.
