CONNOR, Patrick Edward, soldier, born in the south of Ireland, 17 March, 1820. He came to the United States when a boy, was educated in New York City, entered the regular army during the Florida war, at the age of nineteen, engaged in mercantile business in New York City after his discharge in 1844, and in 1846 settled in Texas. Upon the breaking out of the Mexican war in that year he was mustered in as captain of Texas volunteers, in the regiment of Albert Sidney Johnston, fought at Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, and was severely wounded at Buena Vista. Shortly after the close of the war he immigrated to California, and there engaged in business. In 1861 he raised a regiment of volunteers in California,, and was ordered to Utah, to prevent a revolt of the Mormons and rid the overland routes of plundering Indians. On 29 January, 1863, his force, numbering 200, after a rapid march of 140 miles, made in four nights through deep snow, in weather so cold that the feet of seventy-six soldiers were frozen, encountered 300 warriors in their fortified camp on Bear river, Washington territory. The troops enfiladed the position, and after a fight of four hours destroyed the entire band. Col. Connor was commissioned brigadier-general, 30 March, 1863, and was long in command of the Utah district, where he effectively established the authority of the government. He received the brevet of major general at the close of the civil war, and having been appointed, on the petition of the legislatures of Colorado and Nebraska, to the district of the plains, organized an expedition of 2,000 cavalry to chastise the Sioux and Arapahoes for depredations on the Overland mail route, and in August, 1865, defeated the latter at Tongue River. He was mustered out of the service on 30 April, 1866, General Connor was the leader in building up a Gentile community in Utah. His volunteer force numbered 16,000. Soon after he established Camp Douglas, near Salt Lake City, he founded there the " Union .Vedette," which was the first daily newspaper printed in the territory. He located the first silver mine in Utah, wrote the first mining law, introduced navigation on the Great Salt Lake, built the first silver-lead smelting-works, and founded the town of Stockton. After the war he declined a colonelcy in the regular army in order to attend to his large mining and commercial interests in Utah.