Annie Taylor Hyde

Anna Maria Ballantyne “Annie” Taylor Hyde, daughter of John Taylor and Jane Ballantyne, was the founder and the first president of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers organization. On April 11, 1901, she invited 54 other women to join her in creating Daughters of Utah Pioneers, which sought to “perpetuate the names and achievements of the men, women, and children who were the pioneers in founding this commonwealth [Utah].” She held the position of president until her death in 1909.

Also in 1901, she became the first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency. In this role, she represented the Relief Society at meetings of the National Council of Women.

Annie was born on October 21, 1849, in a pioneer wagon shortly after her parents arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. Her mother was a sister of Richard Ballantyne, the founder of the first Latter-day Saint Sunday School.

Annie was educated at the University of Deseret. She married Alonzo Eugene Hyde, a son of apostle Orson Hyde. She and her husband were the parents of eight children. She died on March 12, 1909, from stomach cancer.