Governor Mabey

1921-1925, Republican

About the Mabey Administration

Charles Rendell Mabey was the governor of Utah from 1921 to1925. He was a native Utahn, a Republican, and served as the mayor of Bountiful and in the State House of Representatives before becoming governor. He was a school teacher and a banker. Governor Mabey enlisted in the Utah National Guard and served in the Spanish-American War. He received a commission for captain during WWI and was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma as an artillery instructor.

Governor Mabey was a strong supporter of education. Many schools were built and standards for teacher certification were improved during his term. He was an aggressive supporter of highway construction and brought in federal money and initiated a sales tax on gasoline for the cause. Governor Mabey was principled and sometimes uncompromising in his beliefs. He refused to accommodate a strong faction in the Republican party and it led to lack of support from his party during his bid for a second term. Utah's primary industries, agriculture and mining, faced a depression during most of Governor Mabey's term. Money spent on education and highway construction in the face of rising taxes did not please Utah's citizens and Governor Mabey lost his bid for a second term to the Democratic candidate George H. Dern.

Powell, Allan Kent, ed. Utah History Encyclopedia. Charles Rendell Mabey, by Stanford J. Layton. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1994.

Sobel, Robert and John Raimo, ed. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States 1789-1978, vol. IV. Westport: Meckler Books.

Utah State Archives. Records of Governor Charles Rendell Mabey, (agency 446).