List of Governors of Utah
Governor of Utah | |
---|---|
![]() |
|
Style | The Honorable |
Residence | Utah Governor's Mansion |
Term length | Four years |
Inaugural holder | Heber Manning Wells |
Formation | January 6, 1896 |
Deputy | Spencer Cox |
Salary | $109,470 (2013)[1] |
Website | www.utah.gov/governor |
The Governor of Utah is the head of the executive branch of Utah's state government[2] and the commander-in-chief of its military forces.[3] The governor has a duty to enforce state laws[2] as well as the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Utah Legislature.[4] The governor may also convene the legislature on "extraordinary occasions".[5]
The self-proclaimed State of Deseret, precursor to the organization of the Utah Territory, had only one governor, Brigham Young. Utah Territory had 15 territorial governors from its organization in 1850 until the formation of the state of Utah in 1896, appointed by the President of the United States. John W. Dawson had the shortest term of only three weeks and Brigham Young, the first territorial governor, had the longest term at seven years.
There have been 17 governors of the State of Utah, with the longest serving being Calvin L. Rampton, who served three terms from 1965 to 1977. Olene Walker served the shortest term, the remaining 14 months of Mike Leavitt's term upon Leavitt's resignation to become head of the Environmental Protection Agency. At the age of 36, Heber Manning Wells was the youngest person to become governor. At the age of 70, Simon Bamberger became the oldest person to be elected, while Olene Walker, at age 72, was the oldest person to succeed to the office.
The current governor is Gary Herbert, who took office on August 11, 2009, upon the resignation of Jon Huntsman, Jr., to become United States Ambassador to China. Governor Herbert was elected to fill the remainder of Huntsman's term in November 2010, and his current term will expire on January 2, 2017.
There is an official seal of the Governor of Utah. Borrowing most of the same symbolism from the State Seal, the Governor's seal includes Roman numerals at the bottom, which represent the Governor himself, and this changes with every new Governor. Each Governor therefore has a seal unique to themselves and their administration. The Roman numerals are currently "XVII", representing Gary Herbert, who is the 17th governor of Utah since Statehood.
Contents
Governors
The area that became Utah was part of the Mexican Cession obtained by the United States on May 19, 1848, in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo following the Mexican-American War.[6]
State of Deseret
A constitutional convention was convened in Salt Lake City on March 8, 1849, to work on a proposal for federal recognition of a state or territory. The convention resulted in the provisional State of Deseret. Deseret claimed most of present-day Utah, Nevada and Arizona, with parts of California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wyoming. Brigham Young was elected governor on March 12, 1849, and the legislature first met on July 2, 1849.[7][8] The state, having never been recognized by the federal government, was formally dissolved on April 5, 1851,[9] several months after word of the creation of Utah Territory reached Salt Lake City.
Governors of the Territory of Utah
On September 9, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850, Utah Territory was organized, encompassing roughly the northern half of Deseret.[10] The news did not reach Salt Lake City until January 1851.[11] Governors of the Utah Territory were appointed by the president of the United States, and other than Brigham Young, they were frequently considered carpetbagger patronage appointees.[12]
The territory initially consisted of present-day Utah, most of Nevada, and portions of Colorado and Wyoming. On February 28, 1861, the creation of Colorado Territory took land from the eastern side of Utah Territory. Nevada Territory was organized from the western section of Utah Territory on March 2, 1861.[13] Also on that date, Nebraska Territory gained area from the northeastern part of Utah Territory. Nevada Territory gained area from Utah Territory on July 14, 1862, and again on May 5, 1866, after becoming a state. Wyoming Territory was created on July 25, 1868, from Nebraska Territory, taking more area from the northeast corner, giving Utah Territory its final borders.
Governors of the State of Utah
The State of Utah was admitted to the Union on January 4, 1896.
The governor has a four-year term, commencing on the first Monday of the January after an election.[46] The Constitution of Utah originally stated that, should the office of governor be vacant, the power be devolved upon the Secretary of State,[47] but the office of Lieutenant Governor was created in 1976,[48] and a 1980 constitutional amendment added it to the constitution.[49] If the office of governor becomes vacant during the first year of the term, the lieutenant governor becomes governor until the next general election; if it becomes vacant after the first year of the term, the lieutenant governor becomes governor for the remainder of the term.[50] The offices of governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket.[51] The Governor of Utah was formerly limited to serving three terms, but all term limit laws were repealed by the Utah Legislature in 2003; Utah is one of the few states where gubernatorial term limits are not determined by the constitution.[52]
-
-
- Legend: (Political party affiliation) Democratic (6) Republican (11):
-
# | Picture | Governor | Took office | Left office | Party | Lt. Governor [note 8] |
Terms [note 9] |
||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Heber Manning Wells | January 6, 1896 | January 2, 1905 | Republican | None | 2 | ||
2 | ![]() |
John Christopher Cutler | January 2, 1905 | January 4, 1909 | Republican | 1 | |||
3 | ![]() |
William Spry | January 4, 1909 | January 1, 1917 | Republican | 2 | |||
4 | ![]() |
Simon Bamberger | January 1, 1917 | January 3, 1921 | Democratic | 1 | |||
5 | ![]() |
Charles R. Mabey | January 3, 1921 | January 5, 1925 | Republican | 1 | |||
6 | ![]() |
George Dern | January 5, 1925 | January 2, 1933 | Democratic | 2 | |||
7 | ![]() |
Henry H. Blood | January 2, 1933 | January 6, 1941 | Democratic | 2 | |||
8 | ![]() |
Herbert B. Maw | January 6, 1941 | January 3, 1949 | Democratic | 2 | |||
9 | ![]() |
J. Bracken Lee | January 3, 1949 | January 7, 1957 | Republican | 2 | |||
10 | ![]() |
George Dewey Clyde | January 7, 1957 | January 4, 1965 | Republican | 2 | |||
11 | ![]() |
Calvin L. Rampton | January 4, 1965 | January 3, 1977 | Democratic | None | 3 | ||
Clyde L. Miller | |||||||||
12 | Scott M. Matheson | January 3, 1977 | January 7, 1985 | Democratic | David Smith Monson [note 10] |
2 | |||
13 | ![]() |
Norman H. Bangerter | January 7, 1985 | January 4, 1993 | Republican | W. Val Oveson | 2 | ||
14 | ![]() |
Mike Leavitt | January 4, 1993 | November 5, 2003 | Republican | Olene Walker | 2 1⁄2 [note 11] |
||
15 | Olene Walker | November 5, 2003 | January 3, 2005 | Republican | Gayle McKeachnie | 1⁄2 [note 12] |
|||
16 | 75px | Jon Huntsman, Jr. | January 3, 2005 | August 11, 2009 | Republican | Gary Herbert | 1 1⁄2 [note 13] |
||
17 | Gary Herbert | August 11, 2009 | Incumbent | Republican | Greg Bell / Spencer Cox | 1⁄2 [note 14] [note 15] |

Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors.
- * Denotes those offices that the governor resigned to take.
Governor | Gubernatorial term | Other offices held | Source |
---|---|---|---|
James Duane Doty | 1863–1865 | Delegate from Wisconsin Territory, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin, Governor of Wisconsin Territory |
[55] |
Charles Durkee | 1865–1869 | U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Wisconsin | [56] |
George Lemuel Woods | 1871–1875 | Governor of Oregon | [57] |
Samuel Beach Axtell | 1875 | U.S. Representative from California, Governor of New Mexico Territory* | [38] |
George Dern | 1925–1933 | U.S. Secretary of War | [58] |
Mike Leavitt | 1993–2003 | Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency*, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services |
[53] |
Jon Huntsman, Jr. | 2005–2009 | Ambassador to Singapore, Ambassador to China* | [54] |
Living former U.S. governors of Utah
As of November 2015[update], there are two former U.S. governors of Utah who are currently living at this time, the oldest U.S. governor of Utah being Mike Leavitt (1993–2003, born 1951). The most recent death of a former U.S. governor of Utah was that of Olene Walker (2003–2005), who died on November 28, 2015.
Governor | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth (and age) |
---|---|---|
Mike Leavitt | 1993–2003 | February 11, 1951 |
Jon Huntsman, Jr. | 2005–2009 | March 26, 1960 |
Notes
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
Cite error: Invalid <references>
tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.
<references />
, or <references group="..." />
References
- General
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Constitution
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Specific
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
Cite error: Invalid <references>
tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.
<references />
, or <references group="..." />
External links
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Governors of Utah. |
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 UT Const. art. VII, § 5
- ↑ UT Const. art. VII, § 4
- ↑ UT Const. art. VII, § 8
- ↑ UT Const. art. VII, § 6
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bancroft p. 526
- ↑ Whitney p. 610
- ↑ Whitney p. 655
- ↑ Whitney p. 673
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bancroft p. 621
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bancroft p. 622
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bancroft p. 661
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bancroft p. 677
- ↑ Bancroft pp. 687–688
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ UT Const. art. VII, § 1
- ↑ UT Const. original art. VII, §11
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ UT Const. art. VII, § 11
- ↑ UT Const. art. VII, § 2
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 53.0 53.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 54.0 54.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Cite error: <ref>
tags exist for a group named "note", but no corresponding <references group="note"/>
tag was found, or a closing </ref>
is missing
- Pages with reference errors
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles containing potentially dated statements from November 2015
- Commons category link is locally defined
- Official website not in Wikidata
- Featured lists
- Lists of state governors of the United States
- Governors of Utah
- Lists of Utah politicians
- Lists of territorial governors of the United States
- State constitutional officers of Utah
- Articles with dead external links from April 2012