- Eliza Stewart Udall
Eliza Luella (Stewart) Udall (
May 21 ,1855 -May 28 ,1937 ) was the first telegraph operator in Arizona.A daughter of
Levi Stewart , she was born inSalt Lake City in 1855.In 1870, at the request of
Brigham Young , she studiedMorse code and moved to Pipe Spring, Arizona, to work for theDeseret Telegraph Company. Thus she became the first telegraph operator in Arizona. Later, working inKanab ,Utah she telegraphed the news ofJohn Wesely Powell 's Second Expedition to Washington, DC.In 1875 she married
David King Udall . They moved to Saint Johns, Arizona in 1880, where David was a LDS Bishop. Their marriage produced 8 children. A life long member ofThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , she consented to her husbands participation inplural marriage , though Davids second wife (Ida Hunt) lived in another town.She died in 1937 in Saint Johns.
Legacy
*Her son,
Levi Stewart Udall , was Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme court.
*Her grandsonStewart Udall , was a U.S. Congressman from Arizona, and U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
*Her grandson,Mo Udall , was a U.S. Congressman for 30 years, and a candidate for President of the United States in 1976.
*Her great-grandson,Mark Udall , is a U.S. Congressman from Colorado since 1999.
*Her great-grandson,Tom Udall , is a U.S. Congressman from New Mexico since 1999.
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