Thomas Duncombe Dee (November 10, 1844 – July 9, 1905) was an American businessman from

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Biography

Dee was born in

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

, Wales. His parents converted to

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) in 1856, and the family relocated to

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

, in 1860. Dee had been working as an apprentice carpenter in Wales and soon was building residential and commercial buildings in Ogden. In 1876, he joined industrialist David Eccles and Hiram Spencer in founding businesses in the western U.S., ranging from sugar to lumber to water and shoes and banking. In 1900, Dee became an investor and first president of the

Utah Construction Company The Utah Construction Company was a construction company founded by Edmund Orson Wattis Jr., Warren L. Wattis and William. H. Wattis in 1900. History A short four years after its founding, the company was awarded the contract to build the Feat ...

. On July 3, 1905, he slipped into the water while inspecting a potential site for a dam, contracted

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

, and died. In 1906, the community was named

Dee, Oregon Dee is an unincorporated community and former company town in Hood River County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 281, about 11 miles south of Hood River. History The Oregon Lumber Company built a sawmill at Dee in 1906 and named it for T ...

, in his honor. Dee served for over 20 years as the LDS Church's

Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

superintendent in the Ogden Third

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

and then in the Mound Fort Ward. For almost two decades preceding his death, he served as a counselor to the

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the Mound Fort Ward. Among several other civic positions, Dee served as a member of the Ogden City Council.

References

Sources

Jenson, Andrew. ''

Latter-day Saints Biographical Encyclopedia ''Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (abbreviated ''LDS Biographical Encyclopedia'') is a four-volume biographical dic ...

'', vol. 3, p. 58

External links

McKay-Dee Hospital, History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dee, Thomas Duncombe 1844 births 1905 deaths People from Llanelli Welsh emigrants to the United States American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Utah city council members Deaths from pneumonia in Utah Mormon pioneers Businesspeople from Ogden, Utah Welsh leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Sunday School (LDS Church) people Latter Day Saints from Utah