A Democratic History of Utah: The Reddest of Red States Occasionally Saw Blue

Utah is known locally to be the reddest of red states, constantly voting for republicans at the state and national level. But here is a short history of Democratic Governors in Utah who found success.

The first Governors of Utah were not elected but appointed. Utah was a territory of the U.S. government from 1850 to 1896 and therefore, the position of Governor was appointed by the President of the United State. As with most appointments, they followed the party line of the current President, giving Utah an even mix of political views.

As the 45^th state to be admitted to the Union in 1896, Utah began electing their Governors. It wasn't until 1917 when Utah saw their first elected Democratic Governor take his place at the head of the state. Simon Bamberger was elects January 1, 1917 after a successful campaign against Nephi L. Morris.

His term as Governor spanned a dreadful time in world history. World War I was in full swing and America had just entered while Bamberger was in office. To show his support for the U.S. involvement in the war, Bamberger promoted Liberty Bonds. Liberty Bonds were collections of donated funds by the citizenry of the U.S.

Governor Bamberger's term ended in 1921 when he declined to run for a second term. Democrats did not have to wait long to regain the powerful state seat. In 1925 George Henry Dern was elected Governor of Utah and served two terms, leaving office in 1933. Dern spent time focusing on natural resource issues of Utah which caught the eye of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After Governor Dern's second term was over he found a career with the federal government. Initially Dern was sought to be Secretary of Interior for President Roosevelt but ultimately was placed in the Secretary of War position. Dern was the first Utahn to fill a cabinet position.

Since Dern, there have been a handful of Democratic Governors; the most recent was Scott Milne Matheson. Matheson was elected in 1977 and also served two terms, ending in 1985. Governor Matheson came from a successful legal background and gained tremendous popularity in the 1980's while he was Governor. Despite his popularity, he decided not to run for a third term and returned to his private law practice. Due to his popularity as Governor and his success in law, the Third District Court of Utah named their primary courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City after him.

Utah may be the reddest of red states, but it does have a democratic history. As Utah becomes more diverse, more political parties will gain momentum and occasionally hassle the dominant party.

Reference:

Miriam B. Murphy "Simon Bamberger" Utah History Encyclopedia
http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/b/BAMBERGER.html

Newell G. Bringhurst "George H. Dern" Utah History Encyclopediahttp://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/d/DERN,GEORGE.html