Arias G. Belnap
Encyclopedia
Arias Guy Belnap was a Utah
politician and leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
, Sweden
, was born in the home of his grandfather, Gilbert Belnap
, in Hooper, Utah
.
He was a gifted basketball
player whose 1913 season foul shooting record for Weber Academy
stood unbroken until the time of his death. In the Fall of 1913 he was called as a Mormon missionary
to serve in the Swiss-German Mission
. Initially assigned to serve in Barmen
, on account of anti-Mormon persecution he was banished from the Land of Prussia
to Baden
. He was serving in Mannheim
, Germany when World War I
broke out. He eventually made his way to England
, where he was reassigned to the Southern States Mission. He taught at an LDS Church primary school in Buchanan, Georgia
until his honorable release in 1916.
On September 20, 1916 he married Mabel Harris, daughter of Utah judge Nathan J. Harris and Emma Elvira Oakason. They eventually had 5 children-3 sons and 2 daughters.
He took employment with his father's business, Belnap Lumber Company, but soon thereafter moved to San Francisco to work at the Twelfth Naval District Base as a civil servant
. While residing in San Francisco, he and his young family nearly perished during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. Following the end of World War I, he moved with his family back to Ogden, Utah
.
and the first half of World War II
for nearly 17 years. He presided over more than 1,000 members and during the War corresponded with some 160 young men from his ward who were called into U.S. military service. One of his greatest accomplishments was the construction of the Twentieth Ward meetinghouse on 21st Street in Ogden during the depths of the Depression. Another proud accomplishment was the creation of the Ogden Twentieth Ward "Liederkranz Chorus," a mixed youth singing group that won regional notoriety for its performing excellence.
In 1943 he was called to serve in the stake presidency of the Ogden Stake, a position he held nearly fourteen years until 1957 when he and his wife moved to Salt Lake City.
family, he was elected on the Democratic Party
ticket in November 1934 as Weber County
Treasurer, an elected position he held consistently from January 1935 until March 1957, when he resigned to accept the invitation of Utah Governor George D. Clyde to become a member of the Utah State Tax Commission as commissioner of the Motor Vehicle Department. As county treasurer he was instrumental in the adoption of a unit accounting system that was deemed one of the best then known, and for which he was presented the "Mark Tuttle Award" for outstanding public service.
As commissioner, he was instrumental in the passage of legislation that paved the way for reciprocity trucking agreements with neighboring states. Through his work on behalf of the Utah State Public Employees Association, he was also instrumental in the establishment of the Utah Public Employees Retirement System.
He served on the Utah State Association of County Officials and the Utah State Retirement Board. He was also a national officer with the County Officials Association. He was also active in numerous church and family endeavors, including serving as an officer in the Belnap Family Organization
.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
politician and leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Biography
Belnap, second son and child of Hyrum Belnap and second (plural) wife Anna Constantia Bluth, an LDS Church convert from StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, was born in the home of his grandfather, Gilbert Belnap
Gilbert Belnap
Gilbert Belnap was a Mormon pioneer, LDS Church leader, and an early colonizer of Ogden, Utah, Fort Lemhi, Idaho and Hooper, Utah.-Biography:...
, in Hooper, Utah
Hooper, Utah
Hooper is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States, first called Muskrat Springs and later Hooperville for Captain William H. Hooper, an early Utah delegate to Congress. The population was 3,926 at the 2000 census...
.
He was a gifted basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player whose 1913 season foul shooting record for Weber Academy
Weber State University
Weber State University is a public university located in the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, USA. It was founded in 1889 and is a coeducational, publicly supported university offering professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associate, bachelor's and master's degrees...
stood unbroken until the time of his death. In the Fall of 1913 he was called as a Mormon missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
to serve in the Swiss-German Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
. Initially assigned to serve in Barmen
Barmen
Barmen is a former industrial metropolis of the region of Bergisches Land, Germany, which in 1929 with four other towns was merged with the city of Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia. Barmen was the birth-place of Friedrich Engels and together with the neighbouring town of Elberfeld founded the...
, on account of anti-Mormon persecution he was banished from the Land of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
to Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
. He was serving in Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Germany when World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out. He eventually made his way to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he was reassigned to the Southern States Mission. He taught at an LDS Church primary school in Buchanan, Georgia
Buchanan, Georgia
Buchanan is a city in Haralson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 941 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Haralson County.Locally, the city's name is pronounced BUCK-an'-uhn, with the emphasis on the first syllable....
until his honorable release in 1916.
On September 20, 1916 he married Mabel Harris, daughter of Utah judge Nathan J. Harris and Emma Elvira Oakason. They eventually had 5 children-3 sons and 2 daughters.
He took employment with his father's business, Belnap Lumber Company, but soon thereafter moved to San Francisco to work at the Twelfth Naval District Base as a civil servant
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
. While residing in San Francisco, he and his young family nearly perished during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. Following the end of World War I, he moved with his family back to Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
.
Church service
In March 1927 Belnap was called as the first bishop of the Ogden Twentieth Ward, a position he held through the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the first half of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for nearly 17 years. He presided over more than 1,000 members and during the War corresponded with some 160 young men from his ward who were called into U.S. military service. One of his greatest accomplishments was the construction of the Twentieth Ward meetinghouse on 21st Street in Ogden during the depths of the Depression. Another proud accomplishment was the creation of the Ogden Twentieth Ward "Liederkranz Chorus," a mixed youth singing group that won regional notoriety for its performing excellence.
In 1943 he was called to serve in the stake presidency of the Ogden Stake, a position he held nearly fourteen years until 1957 when he and his wife moved to Salt Lake City.
Political career
Belnap's career in politics began not long after the Belnap Lumber Company, of which he and his brother Volney were owners, burned down in a devastating fire on July 21, 1931 while he was vacationing with family in Alberta, Canada. After struggling to keep the business alive, he decided to run for political office as a jest that he couldn't support the current candidate. Coming from a long-time Utah Democratic PartyUtah Democratic Party
The Utah State Democratic Party works to elect Democrats to office in the state of Utah. The Utah Democratic Party, like other national, state, and county parties, maintains a party platform that lists general principles or issues of importance to members of the Utah Democratic Party and maintains...
family, he was elected on the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
ticket in November 1934 as Weber County
Weber County, Utah
Weber County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a stretch of the Wasatch Front, part of the eastern shores of Great Salt Lake, and much of the rugged Wasatch Mountains. As of the 2000 census, the population was 196,533, an increase of 24.1% over its population in 1990. By...
Treasurer, an elected position he held consistently from January 1935 until March 1957, when he resigned to accept the invitation of Utah Governor George D. Clyde to become a member of the Utah State Tax Commission as commissioner of the Motor Vehicle Department. As county treasurer he was instrumental in the adoption of a unit accounting system that was deemed one of the best then known, and for which he was presented the "Mark Tuttle Award" for outstanding public service.
As commissioner, he was instrumental in the passage of legislation that paved the way for reciprocity trucking agreements with neighboring states. Through his work on behalf of the Utah State Public Employees Association, he was also instrumental in the establishment of the Utah Public Employees Retirement System.
He served on the Utah State Association of County Officials and the Utah State Retirement Board. He was also a national officer with the County Officials Association. He was also active in numerous church and family endeavors, including serving as an officer in the Belnap Family Organization
Belnap Family Organization
The Belnap Family Organization is a non-profit ancestral family organization that conducts primary genealogical research and preserves genealogical and other historical information on the Belnap/Belknap family surname, including the descendants of Mormon Pioneer Gilbert Belnap and his plural wives...
.
Death
Belnap returned with his wife to Ogden in 1971. She passed away in 1972. He died of a stroke in 1974 at the age of 80.External links
- Arias Guy Belnap (1893-1974), at belnapfamily.org