Famous Citizens from Franklin County

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Ezra Taft Benson - Whitney, Idaho, 15th United States Secretary of Agriculture during both presidential terms of Dwight D. Eisenhower, apostle and 13th President of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints

Harold Bingham Lee – Clifton, Idaho,  Apostle and 11th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commissioner of City of Salt Lake, managing director of the LDS Church Welfare Program

Leonard C. Brostrom—Army--Medal of Honor Winner, Preston, Idaho. World War II, Private 1st Class, Company F, 7th Infantry Division, October 28, 1944, near Dagami, Leyte, Philippine Islands.  Pvt. Brostrom, without orders and completely ignoring his own safety, destroyed a key enemy pillbox that was causing severe casualties to his platoon before being killed.

 

Nathan”Junior” Kilby Van Noy, Jr. – Army – Medal of Honor Winner, Preston, Idaho  World War II, Private, Shore Battalion, 532nd Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment, Finschafen, New Guinea, October 17, 1943.  Private Van Noy manned a machine gun during an enemy attack, refusing to withdraw even after being seriously wounded, and destroyed half of the small enemy force before being killed.

Samuel Cowley – Franklin and Preston, Idaho.  Special agent with the U.S. Justice Department who helped apprehend John Dillenger but was killed in a shootout with “Baby Face”Nelson.  First agent inducted into the FBI Hall of Fame.

George Nelson - Light heavyweight boxing champion of the world beating Ad Antell in Ogden, Utah.  The George Nelson Fieldhouse at USU is named after him.

Sagwitch, Chief of the Northwestern Band of Shoshone, and survivor of the Bear River Massacre