Rodney Badger
Encyclopedia
Rodney Badger was the first Utah
law enforcement officer
to lose his life during the performance of his sworn duties. He died on April 29, 1853 trying to rescue a family whose wagon
had overturned in the Weber River
. He successfully rescued four children and their mother and died while trying to rescue two other children.
Badger was born in Waterford
, Vermont
and was a convert to Mormonism
. Badger was a Mormon pioneer
and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley
with the first company on 24 July 1847. Badger was a special agent for the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company and was a deputy sheriff
of Salt Lake County
.
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...
law enforcement officer
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
to lose his life during the performance of his sworn duties. He died on April 29, 1853 trying to rescue a family whose wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
had overturned in the Weber River
Weber River
The Weber River is a c. long river of northern Utah, USA. It begins in the northwest of the Uinta Mountains and empties into the Great Salt Lake. The Weber River was named for American fur trapper John Henry Weber.-Weber River:...
. He successfully rescued four children and their mother and died while trying to rescue two other children.
Badger was born in Waterford
Waterford, Vermont
Waterford is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,104 at the 2000 census.The town was originally called Littleton but the name was changed to Waterford in 1797.-Geography:...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and was a convert to Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
. Badger was a Mormon pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably West Valley City, Murray, Sandy, and West Jordan; its total population is 1,029,655 as of 2010...
with the first company on 24 July 1847. Badger was a special agent for the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company and was a deputy sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Salt Lake County
Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...
.