Roger Orton

Roger Orton (January 20, 1799 – November 24, 1851) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and non-functioning member of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventy.

Orton was born in Geneseo, New York to Roger Orton Sr. and Esther Avery. He married Clarissa Mary Bicknell in 1822, and together they had six children. He joined the church by baptism in about 1833.

Zion's Camp Orton participated in the 1834 Zion's Camp expedition from Kirtland, Ohio to Clay County, Missouri. He served as a captain of the camp and led a division in a sham battle.

Later, through his negligence, he allowed several horses to run off. Instead of going after them himself, he simply informed the owners of what had happened, expecting them to go after the steeds. The horses turned up about ten miles away. The search for the horses delayed the camp's march by a day and earned Orton a "scathing rebuke" from Joseph Smith, Jr..

After Zion's Camp, in October 1834 Orton left Kirtland with Smith and others on a mission to Pontiac, Michigan. The two divisions of Zion's Camp had originated in Kirtland and Pontiac.

Kirtland contributions By 1835, Orton was appointed to the high council in Kirtland, and became an original member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He was also a stockholder in the Kirtland Safety Society, a financial institution established by church leaders.

Later life In 1837, Daniel S. Miles presented a complaint against Orton for "abusing Elder Brigham Young, and for a general course of unchristianlike conduct." Orton refused to respond, and he was excommunicated.

Orton remained with the body of the church in Missouri and lost all his property in the 1838 Mormon War.

Orton died in Iowa City, Wright County, Iowa on November 24, 1851, at the age of 52.