Alexander W. Doniphan Historical Marker

This historical marker recognizes defense attorney Alexander W. Doniphan's role as a defender of the rights of Mormon settlers in Missouri during the Mormon War of 1838. As a defense attorney, Doniphan was hired by the Mormon settlers to defend their rights and he helped them create Caldwell County as a safe haven. In October 1838, Governor Lilbern Boggs issued Missouri Executive Order 44, also known as the Execution Order, as part of his efforts to drive Mormon settlers out of Missouri. After Mormon leader Joseph Smith was arrested for allegedly committing treason, Doniphan was ordered to execute Smith. Doniphan refused to do so and even threatened to prosecute the governor in court for murder if he went through with his execution order. Governor Briggs did not proceed, leading many to credit Doniphan with saving Joseph Smith’s life. In later years, Doniphan served as an officer in the Mexican-American War and helped establish William-Jewell College in 1849. Doniphan's legacy today is largely dominated by his defense of Smith, his ownership of enslaved people and his support the pro-slavery cause in Missouri, and his later neutrality in that conflict as a Conditional Unionist.

Alexander William Doniphan was born in Kentucky on July 8th or 9th 1808 in Augusta, Mason County, Kentucky. He was the youngest of ten children and the grandson of Revolutionary War veterans. Ate age 18, he graduated from Augusta College in Bracken, Kentucky and studied law in the office of Martin Marshall. In 1829, at age 21, he moved to Lexington to begin his law practice and then moved to Liberty, Missouri in 1833 to begin his thirty year career in law. In December of 1837, he married Colonel John Thornton’s 17-year-old daughter Elizabeth and had two sons with her - John Thornton and Alexander William. They both died accidentally at age 16.

In 1846, Doniphan enlisted to fight in the war against Mexico. He was elected Colonel of the Missouri Volunteer Regiment and led his men to march to Santa Fe under General Stephen Kearny, thus beginning the year -long Doniphan Expedition. During that time, the regiment captured Chihuahua and fought in the Battle of the Sacramento River, capturing that city as well. After returning home, Doniphan became the first Superintendent of Schools and helped to establish William-Jewell College in 1849.

When the Civil War began, Doniphan wanted to avoid the war and went to Washington D.C. as a member of the Peace Conference. Doniphan was not a Southern sympathizer, but he was a slaveholder and supported pro-slavery movements in Missouri and Kansas. It's important to note that Doniphan didn’t directly participate in the attacks on Free State settlers in Kansas, but it is suspected that he provided a cannon called Old Sacramento which he had previously brought to Missouri from Mexico. That cannon was utilized as part of the destruction of Lawrence.

Doniphan was also the Director of the Clay County Pro-Slavery Aid Association, which raised money for Southerners to go to Kansas and spread Pro-slavery sentiment. He was both pro-slavery and a Conditional Unionist, meaning he believed Missouri should “resist coercion by the North” and wanted a compromise to be made so that Missouri could stay in the Union. He wanted Missouri to remain neutral throughout the war. Doniphan came to support ending slavery at the end of the war. Doniphan never took an active part in the war and it is speculated that this is because he didn’t want to fight against those he fought side-by-side with in Mexico, most of whom were Southern-sympathizers.

Because he felt conflicted about his Unionist beliefs and how they contradicted those of his friends and clients, Doniphan decided to move to St. Louis in 1863. After the war, he moved back to Western Missouri but settled in Richmond, Missouri in Ray County. There, he practiced law and began banking until he died on August 8th, 1887. He was returned to Liberty after his death and buried in Liberty Fairview Cemetery.

Alexander W. Doniphan, Historical Marker Database. Accessed September 28th, 2022. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=68243.

Elliot, Judge R. Kenneth. Alexander William Doniphan, Clay County Archives and Historical Library. June 22nd, 2012. Accessed September 28th, 2022. https://claycountyarchives.org/j3x/index.php/resources/historical-info/58-alexander-william-doniphan.

Alexander Doniphan Walking Tour, Liberty Missouri. Accessed September 28th, 2022. https://www.libertymissouri.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19497/Alexander-Doniphan-Tour-PDF.