Agency Histories

John Christopher Cutler was a varied businessman and a republican. When he was elected Governor of Utah 1904-1909, he used his organizational skills and business sense to set up and define a state government that was still very new. He founded the juvenile court system, encouraged investment in local industry, obtained and implemented funds to construct the state capitol, set up registration of state births and deaths, and created a board to manage the state parks. When his term was over, he went straight back to his business ventures. Cutler was born on February 5, 1846 in Sheffield, England. His family moved to Utah in 1864 when he was a teenager. He soon became the President of his family's dry goods firm. From that start, he spent his time on the board of directors for banks, insurance companies, and other businesses. During all this, he somehow found time to marry Sarah Elizabeth Taylor. His first foray into the political arena was as Clerk of Salt Lake County 1884-1890. Even though he did great things in the political and business sense, Cutler decided to take his own life when his health began to fail him. Perhaps someone on the go so much couldn't face slowing down. Cutler died on July 30, 1928.