Daniel S. Richards ~ Index
Daniel Sinclair Cannon Richards was the son of Dr. Daniel Brigham Hill Richards and Hester Telle Cannon. His father was the son of John Kenney Richards and Agnes Hill, both of whom were among the first settlers of Mendon. His mother was the daughter of President George Q. Cannon, who served as counselor to four L.D.S. church presidents. Daniel inherited his father's flair for words and his mother's love of music. Daniel's father was an attorney in Salt Lake City, but he brought Daniel back to Mendon, to live with his relatives, A.W. Richards and Charlotte Barrett Baker Richards.
Daniel became a beloved fixture in Mendon. Daniel was a brilliant man, though many thought him a bubble off center. His personal philosophy centered on deep breathing of fresh air. He was known to spell his own name: "Rich Air Ds" and his testimonies in church always included his conviction in the power of deep breathing pure oxygen. Daniel spoke several languages as he traveled and lived in Europe with his father in his younger years.
He considered himself a horticulturist and practiced organic fruit farming on his farm north of Mendon. He rode a bike around town and wheeled a wheelbarrow to haul produce in. He was a friend to everyone and would freely distribute fruit to anyone he felt was in need. One time when Bill Hill sponsored a refugee family from Vietnam, it was announced in church that this family was in need of clothing. That November afternoon, Daniel walked to Bill's home, took off his coat, folded it and left it on the doorstep for this family who he felt needed his coat more that he did. He refused to harm any animals, and was known to set off traps before mice would get caught in them. He loved music and sang a beautiful bass in the ward choir.1
Dan Richards
Daniel Sinclair Cannon Richards was born on April 5th, 1911 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His father was Dr. Daniel Brigham Hill Richards and his mother was Hester Telle Cannon. Daniels' father was a lawyer and his mother was a daughter of George Q. Cannon.
Daniel was their only child and was reared in the area of the Sugar House ward. His bishop was President LeGrande Richards during the time he became twelve years of age and was ordained a deacon and joined the Sugar House scout troop. He remembers when the Sacrament was passed, one silver goblet was used for the entire congregation, and each one took a sip from it and then passed it on to the next person.
When Daniel was eight years old he was baptized and that same year his parents became divorced. This left Daniel to spend most of his time with his mother. He also visited with his father often, because he lived only one block away. He loved to spend time at his fathers place because it had a nice stream flowing nearby the property and there was also a very large barn with a nice hay loft to play in. His fathers property was located near, Immigration Canyon Hollow. This period was also a very lonely time because his mother, Hester, would leave him alone when she left for long periods of time and visited her mother which was in the Cannon Ward a few miles away.
Daniels elementary school years were spent in the Salt Lake Lafayette grade school which was in the center of Salt Lake City, one block north and east of temple square. He attended the Irving Junior High School located at Sugar House. His favorite teacher, Victor Windward, taught him geometry. He was a very entertaining person and used to jump up on top of his desk to set the clock that hung on the wall. He was A very strong athlete and an excellent teacher. Dan also was blessed with a father that had private tutors come to to the home, to teach him lessons. This was a very trying time because when others boys were outside playing baseball, Daniel was confined to learning French, calculus and other school subjects with his tutor.
Immediately after graduation from high school Daniel was employed by a wholesale furniture store, "Peck and Hills." He was so eager in his zeal to impress his boss that he would pick up an overstuffed chair, hoist it over his head and carry it up the stairs to the next floor. He received fifteen dollars a week in wages.
Daniel then attended the U.S. part time school and also the Henager Business College in Salt Lake City. He then enrolled in the University of Utah to study for a medical career. He was blessed with such a sympathetic feeling for the suffering of others that his enrollment counselor told hime he should study medicine and become a doctor. Daniel had a music teacher named, Ivy Ensign, that noticed that he always carried a New Testament book in his shirt pocket over his heart. She was so touched by this that she gave him a silver dollar. She said that she had to leave and to to California and obtain the gift of healing. Daniel felt great sorrow when she never returned to the university because he wanted so to give the money back, but she had disappeared.
After attending the university for a period of time, Daniel helped his father publish two books, The Hill Family History and A Scriptural Allegory. For some time Daniel worked for a firm of lawyers in Salt Lake City and also in medicine and human health education. He then went to Geneva, Switzerland and enrolled for one year in the University of Geneva, as an audition student of political economy. He also spent some time in France. Daniel remembers that the year he returned to the United States was the year that Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the United States. Daniel then enrolled in the Utah State Agriculture College. He took classes in horticulture. He then worked for Henry C. Sorensen, doing general farm work. He also worked for Royal H. Gessel in Providence, helping him on his fruit farm. He has worked in building construction and helped to build the Mendon church house in 1964.
While attending the Utah State Agriculture College, he published a document, or thesis, entitled "Holly Breath of Health and Heaven." He received a letter of commendation from the university president, John A. Widstoe for his work.
Daniels mother taught him to love music. As she played the piano, she taught him to sing. He also learned to play the violin. Daniel is a quiet, loving person, who is very compassionate. He says that his life has been spent working as a common laborer, but he still holds aspirations of teaching the ideal that, "As we deeply breath the pure air light power with faith and thankful prayers to the end of having health and happiness evermore."
Throughout Daniels life, he has travelled the world over and learned of different cultures and customs through the help of the "Magic Carpet" of books, and still continues to read and study.
Daniel S. Richards Sketch
The life of Daniel Sinclair Cannon Richards was full of color, sorrow and love for others. To those who took the time to get to know him, they discovered an interesting, intelligent and loving person. He was born April 5th, 1911, the son of Daniel B. and Hester Cannon Richards.
There were some who could not tolerate him; there were many who were polite and put up with him and then there were a few who truly loved him. Among those were his cousin, LeOra, who visited often and left food, the Richard Watkins family and his dedicated home teachers, Henry and Doris Skidmore, Wade and I, together with the loving care givers in the Sunshine Terrace.
He was overly kind, would never say anything bad about anyone and would always look for the good in everything as well as everyone around him. We first got acquainted with Dan when we moved to Mendon, forty years ago. He lived in the old barn most of the time and the shed at the back of the house. In the coldest part of winter he would sometimes sleep inside the house.
One morning at about one a.m. in the middle of the cold winter we received a call from Lottie (Richards) that Dan had been down to the river, standing in the icy water up to his neck practicing his Yoga and Mind Over Matter. He had walked the two miles home and then refused to get out of his icy clothes. She wanted Wade to come and force him into the tub and change into warm clothing. Since Dan didn't want Wade to do that, he was already in the warm tub when he arrived. He talked about the great peace and comfort he received and how much he had enjoyed the whole experience.
Dan had a love for life, he enjoyed all of Nature. He really loved taking care of his Apple Orchard. He was very eccentric in many areas. He believed all creatures should be able to live including mice, flies, mosquitoes and bugs. I remember the time when Lottie complained of the excess mice because of the many holes in the walls and floors of the old house. Wade took them a trap that would catch mice alive because Dan refused to use one that would kill them. When Wade went to dispose of them the trap was always empty because Dan had taken the mice outside and turned them loose.
I had opportunities to spend time with him and hear many of his stories about his life. He loved people of all nationalities and had unconditional love for everyone. The story was told that when he was attending school in France, his father who was a prominent world class lawyer, came to visit Dan and found him in a very deplorable state of personal hygiene. He had long hair, a shaggy beard and tattered old clothes. His dad took him to the barber for a shave and haircut. He then bought a whole new set of clothes for him. Then Dan said, "I have an errand I need to do." He then left on his bicycle and was gone for a half hour. He returned with shabbier clothes than before and explained, "I know a man who needs the clothes much more than I do." This is an example of the actions that he lived by all of his life.
Notes…
- In the Shade of the Mountains, Histories of Mendon and Petersboro, page 587.