A Historical View of Women in Utah’s Top Political Roles

Setting the Stage

According to Better Days 2020, “The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of Utah women being the first in the nation to vote under an equal suffrage law. It also marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, extending women’s voting rights throughout the United States, and the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, protecting voting rights of women and men of racial minorities.”  In honoring these anniversaries, this historical snapshot documents the women who have served in prominent elected positions within Utah since its statehood. The appendices were compiled by Rhoda Struhs and former Utah House Representative Beverly White, in collaboration with Better Days 2020. The state has a rich history of pioneer women leading, including Utah’s own Martha Hughes Cannon, the first woman in the country to serve as a state senator. This snapshot provides a brief overview of women in Utah who have served in statewide executive offices, Congress, and the state legislature.

Statewide Executive Office

Throughout Utah’s history, only two women have served in Utah’s five statewide executive offices, and both began their service in 1993. The first, Jan Graham (D), was elected as Attorney General and served from 1993–2000. The second, Olene Walker (R), served as lieutenant governor to Mike Leavitt from 1993–2003, when he was nominated by the George W. Bush Administration to serve as the Secretary of the US Department of Health & Human Services. Walker was appointed as governor to serve until the end of Leavitt’s term, from 2003–2005. No woman has ever been on the ballot to run for Utah governor.

US Congress

Utah has six seats in its national delegation (two senators and four representatives). Most recently, Congresswoman Mia Love (R) was elected to the US House of Representatives, serving from 2015–2019. Prior to Congresswoman Love, only three Utah women had served in Congress: Rep. Enid Greene Waldholtz (Mickelson) (R) 1995– 1997, Rep. Karen Shepherd (D) 1993–1995, and Rep. Reva Z. Beck Bosone (D) 1949–1953. Utah has never elected a woman to serve in the US Senate.

State Legislature

Through the years, there have been 30 women who have served in the Utah Senate (22 Democrats, 8 Republicans) starting in 1897 with Martha Hughes Cannon (see Appendix A for a complete list). In the Utah House of Representatives, 165 women (90 Democrats, 75 Republicans) have served, beginning with Sarah Elizabeth Anderson in 1897 (see Appendix B for a complete list).

Conclusion

While advocating for suffrage, Susan B. Anthony stated, “There will never be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect law makers.” The women mentioned in this snapshot were and are those who did just that. We honor these persistent, brave, and remarkable women who have committed their lives to leading and serving in Utah’s top elected roles. We hope that highlighting these Utah public servants will help women today know they can and should be politically engaged in their communities. Utah needs more women to run and serve in elected office; this increase in female representation would further strengthen the impact of girls and women statewide. We echo the words of Susan B. Anthony from her last speech, pronouncing, “Failure is impossible!”

 

To learn more about A Historical View of Women in Utah's Top Political Roles read the entire article.