James B. McKean

During the American Civil War, he organized the 77th New York Volunteer Infantry, in 1861 and served as colonel of the regiment until July 27, 1863, when he resigned his commission due to poor health.

In Utah history, McKean is famous for intensifying the federal government's efforts to abolish polygamy, which some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practiced as a religious doctrine until 1890.

Evidence suggests McKean believed it was his moral and religious duty to wage legal war against the practice and that questionable tactics were justified if they helped him achieve his goal.

"[1] During McKean's tenure in Utah, Mormon leader Brigham Young was indicted for "lascivious cohabitation," the federal government's strongest case against polygamy at that time.

To ensure Young's and other Mormons' convictions, McKean essentially banned members of the LDS Church from serving on juries, a decision which the Supreme Court of the United States later ruled against.