Sylvester Emmons

Sylvester Emmons (28 February 1808 – 15 November 1881) was an American attorney, local politician in Illinois, and newspaper publisher.

He was born in New Jersey.

Life in Nauvoo, Illinois

Emmons moved to Illinois in 1840, and in 1843 was elected to the Nauvoo City Council, despite being a non-Mormon in an LDS-majority town.

On June 7, 1844, Emmons became editor of the Nauvoo Expositor, which published a single issue that made statements critical of then-Mayor Joseph Smith and other LDS church leaders. After Smith ordered the destruction of the press, Smith was arrested, and subsequently killed by a mob while awaiting trial.

Later life Emmons moved Beardstown, Illinois, and became the editor of the town's Gazette. He died in November 1881.