Dr. John M. Bernhisel: A Faithful Friend of Joseph Smith and Utah's First Delegate (1844-1863)

Dr. John Milton Bernhisel (1799–1881), a self-made aristocrat and physician from Pennsylvania, became a pivotal figure in early Latter-day Saint history. After moving to Nauvoo in 1843, he served as Joseph Smith’s personal physician, living in the Prophet’s home for the final nine months of Smith's life. He was a member of the Anointed Quorum and an original member of the Council of Fifty. Following the destruction of the 'Nauvoo Expositor,' Bernhisel worked with John Taylor to negotiate a peaceful surrender for Joseph Smith at Carthage, during which he was present to hear the Prophet remark, 'I am going like a lamb to the slaughter.' After the martyrdom, in 1845, Emma Smith entrusted Bernhisel with the manuscripts of Joseph Smith’s 'New Translation' of the Bible; he painstakingly copied these over three months. Bernhisel later served as the first delegate for the Utah Territory in the U.S. House of Representatives (1851–1859, 1861–1863). Despite the difficulties caused by Brigham Young’s tense relationship with federal officials, Bernhisel was instrumental in negotiating the resolution of the Utah War and navigating complex political waters in Washington, D.C., helping the Saints eventually reenter mainstream American society.