John R. Barnes
(1833-1919)

3rd District Senator

Democrat

Yes

62

July 28, 1833

Sandy, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom

January 21, 1919

Emily Shelton (1835-1875) Married March 23, 1853
Elizabeth Greaves (1835-1896) Married December 16, 1865
Emily Stewart (1846-1932) Married November 29, 1869

Mercantile Business

John Richards Barnes grew up in England before moving to the United States with his family in 1853, arriving in Utah after a seven-month journey. He settled in Kaysville, where he spent the rest of his life as a leading community member. Barnes taught school before enlisting in the territorial militia due to the threat of Johnston’s Army. In 1863, Barnes set up a small shop and eventually became a successful merchant. He was one of the original directors of the Zion Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI). Later in life, Barnes was either directly involved in or supported the development of Kaysville’s bank, cannery, and mill. He also helped design the spheres adorning the stairs of the Kaysville Tabernacle.

As a polygamist, Barnes was arrested in February 1887 under the Edmunds-Tucker Act, eventually serving three months in prison and a fine of 300 dollars. Barnes wrote an account of his imprisonment beginning April 30, 1888, until he was released June 22, 1888, after being pardoned by President Grover Cleveland earlier in the month. Barnes continued his mercantile business and other ventures in Kaysville. Barnes was a delegate to the 1895 Constitutional Convention. As a state senator in 1896, Barnes served as chairman of the Banks and Banking Committee.

Although he struggled with periods of ill health, Barnes celebrated his eightieth birthday with a large community affair on July 30, 1913. Barnes died several years later in 1919.

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KWJW-1V4

Image of John R. Barnes by courtesy of Utah State Historical Society Cropped from Constitutional Convention (1895) p. 1. https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s66990s6