John F. Chidester
(1853-1917)

10th District Senator

Republican

Yes

41

February 6, 1854

Palmyra, Utah, Utah Territory, United States

July 7, 1917

Mary Nicoll (1856-1883) Married October 22, 1874
Amina Worthen (1864-1940) Married March 4, 1885

Lawyer

Growing up in Washington County, Utah Territory, John Foy Chidester experienced the hardships of frontier life, including a meager education. He served as the county constable before pursuing a law career, being admitted to the bar in 1885. Chidester greatly influenced the legislative transition of Utah from a territory to a state. He was a member of the 1895 Constitutional Convention and pushed for progressive measures such as woman’s suffrage. Following his term as senator, Chidester continued in public service as the attorney of the Sixth Judicial District. Fellow senator Noble Warrum described Chidester as “a man of jovial, kindly disposition… He was steadfast, honorable, kindly and helpful, and his enemies and political opponents never once, even in the heat of party politics, questioned his integrity” (Warrum, Morse, and Ewing 1920, 643). Chidester died in 1917 as a result of kidney disease.

As a senator, Chidester was chairman of the Elections and Public Lands committees.

Drumm, Mark. "The Bee Hive State." Drumm's Manual of Utah, and Souvenir of the First State Legislature, 1896. Hathi Trust Digital Library. Salt Lake City, Utah: M. Drumm, 1896. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.hx4jb7.

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KWCY-D29

Warrum, Noble, Charles W Morse, and W. Brown Ewing. Utah Since Statehood: Historical and Biographical. S. J. Clarke publishing Company, 1920.

Image of John F. Chidester by courtesy of HathiTrust Cropped from page 40 of Drumm, Mark. "The Bee Hive State." Drumm's Manual of Utah, and Souvenir of the First State Legislature, 1896. Hathi Trust Digital Library. Salt Lake City, Utah: M. Drumm, 1896. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.hx4jb7?urlappend=%3Bseq=46