the town, and if he should reenter the Service and he can with propriety be appointed Alcalde permanently in the place of Fitch I would respectfully recommend it. From all I can learn the mode of transacting business by the Alcalde here differs materially from those practiced at San Francisco and Monterey—for instance here there are no trials by Jury ... Using custom duties, Clift received permission from Governor Mason to build a brick building that was used as a courthouse, schoolhouse, and later office for Mayor, City Clerk, and County Board of Supervisors. This was the first fired-brick building in San Diego. The courthouse was reconstructed in 1992 from the ground up and is located in the South corner of the square in Old Town State Park. In 1851 Clift and about twenty other Mormons bought land and moved near the Cajon Pass, San Bernardino County. When San Bernardino County was organized January 1853, he was elected the first County sheriff. He was Captain of the First Light Dragoons, a militia unit formed in the county in 1856. In 1857 the Mormons were recalled to Utah, due to difficulties with the U.S. Government in Utah, and Clift likely followed. In 1859 Clift was a sub-agent for the California & Salt Lake Mail Route. He was reportedly killed by Indians near the Humboldt River while scouting a path to connect the older California Trail with the new Simpson's Route across Nevada. References 1824 births 1859 deaths Mormon pioneers American military personnel of the Mexican–American War California sheriffs Converts to Mormonism English Latter Day Saints English emigrants to the United States Mayors of San Diego Members of the Mormon Battalion People from Dymock People from San Bernardino County, California People from San Diego People murdered in Nevada