Governors’ Records
Research Guides
About the Records
The governor is the chief administrative officer of the state and the sole official organ of communication between the government of this state and the government of any other state and of the United States (Utah Code Title 67, Chapter 1). As a result, governors' records at the Utah State Archives are a valuable historical source. Not only are they biographical accounts of a governor's term, but also a chronicle of statewide and national events. Governors' records are not the place to research if looking for an individual, unless they are of significant distinction or are certain state and federal officials.
Current Records
Most governors’ records are separated into administrations, but some are or have been historically kept for multiple governors. When researching a topic or period of time, check both the governor serving in the relevant years and these ongoing records.
| Board and commission files, 1980- | Series 9393 | |
| Messages to the legislature, 1851- | Series 182 | |
| Publications, 1975- | Series 19536 | |
| State boards and commissions annual reports, 1996- | Series 20935 | |
| Task force reports, 1896- | Series 25403 | |
| Lieutenant Governor | ||
| Governors' executive orders and proclamations, 1896-2004* Executive Orders from 2005 onward are in each Governor's record series. |
Online | Series 85039 |
* see also text of Executive Orders from the Office of Administrative Rules' Executive Documents, 1993-present
State Governors
The governor has been elected by the people of Utah since becoming a state in 1896. They are the head of the Executive Department or branch, along with the lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, and auditor (Utah Constitution, Article VII). The second highest office from 1896-1976 was the secretary of state.
| State Governors | Secretaries of State |
|---|---|
| Heber Manning Wells (1896 -1905) | James T. Hammond (1896 - 1905) |
| John Christoper Cutler (1905 -1909) | Charles S. Tingey (1905 - 1913) |
| William Spry (1909 -1917) | David Mattson (1913 - 1917) |
| Simon Bamberger (1917 -1921) | Harden Bennion (1917 - 1921) |
| Charles Rendell Mabey (1921 -1925) | H. E. Crockett (1921 - 1929) |
| George Henry Dern (1925 -1933) | Milton H. Welling (1929 - 1937) |
| Henry Hooper Blood (1933 -1941) | E. E. Monson (1937 - 1949) |
| Herbert Brown Maw (1941 -1949) | |
| J. Bracken Lee (1949 -1957) | Heber Bennion, Jr. (1949 - 1953) |
| George Dewey Clyde (1957 -1965) | Lamont F. Toronto (1957-1965) |
| Calvin L. Rampton (1965 -1977) | Clyde L. Miller (1965 - 1977) |
| Secretary of State changed to Lieutenant Governor (1976) | |
| State Governors, continued | Lieutenant Governors |
| Scott M. Matheson (1977 -1985) | David S. Monson (1977 - 1985) |
| Norman H. Bangerter (1985 -1993) | W. Val Oveson (1985 - 1993) |
| Michael Okerlund Leavitt (1993 - 2003) | Olene S. Walker (1993 - 2003) |
| Olene S. Walker (2003 - 2005) | Gayle McKeachnie (2003 - 2004) |
| Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. (2005 - 2009) | Gary R. Herbert (2005 - 2009) |
| Gary R. Herbert (2009-2021) | Gregory S. Bell (2009 - 2013) Spencer J. Cox (2013-2021) |
| Spencer J. Cox (2021- ) | Deidre Henderson (2021- ) |
Territorial Governors
A governor of the Territory of Utah was appointed by the President of the United States. At times, appointed federal officials clashed with local leaders and supporters, which affected the length of their terms. Many of the territorial records are not at the State Archives. For Brigham Young's records contact the Church History Library. The National Archives might also serve as a resource.
| Territorial Governors | Secretaries of the Territory |
|---|---|
| Brigham Young (1850 -1857) |
Broughton D. Harris (1850 - 1851) |
| Alfred Cumming (1857 -1861) | John Hartnett (1857 - 1860) Francis H. Wootton (1860 - 1861) |
| John W. Dawson (1861 -1861) | Frank Fuller (1861 - 1863) |
| Stephen Selwyn Harding (1862 -1863) | |
| James Duane Doty (1863 -1865) | Amos Reed (1863 - 1867) |
| Charles Durkee (1865 -1869) | Edwin P. Higgins (1867 - 1869) |
| Stephen A. Mann (1869 -1870) | S. A. Mann (1869 - 1870) |
| John Wilson Shaffer (1870 -1870) | Charles C. Crowe (1870) |
| Vernon H. Vaughan (1870 -1871) | Vernon H. Vaughan (1870 - 1871) |
| George Lemuel Woods (1871 -1875) | George A. Black (1871 - 1876) |
| Samuel Beach Axtell (1875 -1875) | |
| George W. Emery (1875 -1880) | Moses M. Bane (1876 - 1877) Levi P. Luckey (1877 - 1879) |
| Eli Houston Murray (1880 -1886) | Arthur L. Thomas (1879 - 1887) |
| Caleb Walton West (1886 -1888) | William C. Hall (1887 - 1889) |
| Arthur Lloyd Thomas (1889 -1893) | Elijah Sells (1889 - 1893) |
| Caleb Walton West (1893 -1896) | Charles C. Richards (1893 - 1896) |
Page Last Updated January 4, 2021.