Lieutenant Governor

Governors' executive orders and proclamations, 1896-2004.

View history of records' creator.

Schedule Description

This series contains the official copies of executive orders and proclamations issued by the Governor. Executive orders afford a method for reacting to and preparing a plan of action for sudden problems or changing events which require the Governor's prompt attention. Their issuance provides an established conventional means of responding to these events. Through the executive order, the Governor also creates mechanisms to implement the regulations and establish organizations to perform activities of the government in some specific way. Proclamations are more broad statements of position. They provide a formal means to report to the general public that the Governor has responded to an event in a specific manner. Frequently proclamations are issued to pay

tribute or to express formal observance of holidays or other noteworthy occasions.

Scope and Content

This series contains the official copies of executive orders and proclamations issued by the Governor. Executive orders afford a method for reacting to and preparing a plan of action for sudden problems or changing events which require the Governor's prompt attention. Their issuance provides an established conventional means of responding to these events. Through the executive order, the Governor also creates mechanisms to implement the regulations and establish organizations to perform activities of the government in some specific way. Issuing executive orders has been the customary, inferred means by which Utah Governors have fulfilled their Constitutional authorization (Article VII, Section 5) to insure that laws are "faithfully executed."

Proclamations are more broad statements of position. They provide a formal means to report to the general public that the Governor has responded to an event in a specific manner. Frequently proclamations are issued to pay tribute or to express formal observance of holidays or other noteworthy occasions. Appointments of government officials were often done through proclamations.

Government agencies or private citizens may initiate the process which leads to the Governor issuing an executive order or proclamation. Requests for action are submitted to the Governor's Office in writing. Those eventually issued as an official order or proclamation are printed in a standard format, stamped with the state seal, and signed by the Governor. They are then filed as an official document in the Lieutenant Governor's Office.

Notes

The contents of Box 11 Folder 14 for a proclamation in June 2004 were no longer present when a portion of the series was digitized in 2020.

The records dating from 1896 through 1976 were filmed in 1979 and 1980 from copies of the originals sent to the Archives by the Lieutenant Governor's Office, for inclusion in the Utah State Bulletin, series 83311. The series (as on microfilm) was archivally processed by Brent Brinkerhoff at this time. The original records dating from 1896 through 1986 were transferred to the Archives in 1995 from the Lieutenant Governor's office. The series was refilmed in its entirety in 2001 to include records after 1976 and some of the earlier documents which had not been filmed previously. The series inventory was updated in September 2001 by Arlene Schmuland.

In 2005, the records from the administration of Governor Leavitt (1993-2003) were selected for digitization and online access. The records were preliminarly processed by Michael J. Smith followed by scanning by Rodney Swaner. The series inventory was updated by Gina Strack to include this and other additions since 1986, in December 2006.

In 2020, new digitization was completed for the same range, replacing what was online, and also included Governor Walker (2003-2005).

Each reel contains the Orders and Proclamations of one Governor. Beginning with reel 3, several documents from each Governor were carried over onto the next reel. A few of the earlier orders from Governor Spry's administration appear on the end of the reel, not in chronological order.