Son of Alanson Eldredge and Esther Sunderlin

Adapted from the LDS Biographical Encyclopedia

Horace was one of the LDS Church First Seven Presidents of Seventies from 1854 to 1888. He was the son of Alanson Eldredge and Esther Sunderlin, and was born in Brutus, Cayuga county, New York. When sixteen years old he united with the Baptist church. In Spring of 1836 he was baptized into LDS church. That summer he married Miss Sarah Gibbs. (Later he would practice plural marriage and father a total of twenty-eight children). Sold farm in the fall of 1838 and went to Missouri. Located at Far West, Missouri. In December 1838 he left Far West and returned to Indiana. In fall of 1840 he moved to Nauvoo, Illinois and was present at the breaking of ground for the temple. Resided in Nauvoo till the spring of 1846. Spent two winters at Winter Quarters where he buried two children. Spring of 1848 he started for Great Salt Lake valley where he arrived the following September. After his arrival he was appointed marshal of the territory, assessor and collector of taxes and a brigadier-general of the militia. At the general conference of the Church held in October 1852, he was appointed to preside over the St. Louis Missouri conference and act as a general Church and emigration agent. Fall of 1854 he was chosen and ordained one of the First Seven Presidents of Seventies. Served as a member of the territorial legislature. In the spring of 1857 he was assigned again at St. Louis, Missouri. He was absent over a year. In the spring of 1862 after having served another term in the legislature he was appointed Church emigration agent at New York. In April 1870 he was called to preside over the European mission. During a portion of which time his health was very poor. He died from lung disease at his residence in Salt Lake City.

Hooper, Eldredge & Company Bank - replica opened 1996 at the Pioneer Trails State Park

Horace S. Eldredge served as a church purchasing and emigration agent in St. Louis in 1850's and 1860's. He also held several civic positions in Utah. He entered into a partnership with W. H. Hooper in 1859 and the two engaged in lucrative mercantile and baking operations in Salt Lake City. In 1865, Hooper sold his mercantile interests to H. H. Clawson and the firm became Eldredge and Clawson. Eldredge devoted most of the last years of his life to the service of ZCMI and was president in 1873, superintendent from 1876 and 1881 and from 1883 until his death in 1882. Hooper, Eldredge & Company Bank was built about 1866 on the longtime banking location at the northeast corner of 100 South and main Street. The original building was one-story and sat back 20 feet from the street. It was built of adobe in the 1850's. In about 1866, a 20 foot long extension brought a new section of building to the sidewalk line.

The first national bank and the first "Mormon Bank" to be founded in Utah was the Deseret National Bank. This bank was an outgrowth of a banking partnership established in 1868 under the name of Hooper, Eldredge & Company. First Security Bank's roots are with this original 1868 bank.

Money really became abundant and passed freely with the coming of the railroad in 1868-1869. Prior to that time, circulating more or less freely were tithing, Salt Lake City municipal and territorial scrip, gold dust bills, cooperative associations' bank notes, Kirtland Safety Society bank notes resigned, due bills of store and Salt Lake County certificates of deposit in reliable Eastern banks, gold dust receipts and University of Deseret bank notes. The first bills printed in the valley were made January 22, 1849.