Robert Newton Baskin and the Making of Modern Utah

For years Robert Newton Baskin (1837-1918) may have been the most hated man in Utah. Yet his promotion of federal legislation against polygamy in the late 1800s and his work to bring the Mormon territory into a republican form of government were pivotal in Utah's achievement of statehood. The results of his efforts also contributed to the acceptance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by the American public. In this engaging biography--the first full-length analysis of the man--author John Gary Maxwell presents Baskin as the unsung father of modern Utah. As Maxwell shows, Baskin's life was defined by conflict and paradox.