ALFRED CUMMING
Governor:  1858-1861
Democrat
(Lived:  1802-1873)

Born in Sand Hills, Georgia, Cumming served in as mayor of Augusta, Georgia, before his appointment as governor in July 1857 by James Buchanan. Accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth W. Randall, he was escorted to Utah by an army commanded by Col. Albert Sidney Johnston. On orders of Brigham Young, Salt Lake City was almost abandoned when he arrived. Cumming eased tensions, and his concerns as governor included Indians, construction of roads and bridges, the sale of public lands, mail service, and lawlessness, including cattle rustling and murder. He left Utah in May 1861, knowing that Republican Abraham Lincoln would not reappoint him. He died in Augusta, Georgia.

JOHN W. DAWSON
Governor:  1861
Democrat/Republican
(Lived:  1820-1877)

Born in Cambridge, Indiana, Dawson married Amanda Thornton. He was a lawyer, farmer, and newspaper editor before entering politics.  Abraham Lincoln named him governor in 1861.  After less than a month in Utah, Dawson resigned because he openly opposed the Mormons and was disliked by them. As he returned to the East, he was attacked and beaten while traveling through Parley's Canyon. Three men allegedly involved in the assault were later killed by law officers. Dawson died in Indiana.

STEPHAN SELWYN HARDING
Governor: 1862-1863
Liberal Party
(Lived: 1808-1891)

A native of Ontario County, New York, Harding married Avolin Sprout and practiced law in Indiana before Abraham Lincoln named him governor of Utah Territory in 1862. Trying to show goodwill toward the Mormons at first, he soon became critical of church leaders and the practice of polygamy. The Mormons successfully petitioned for his removal. He died in Indiana.

JAMES DUANE DOTY
Governor: 1863-1865
Democrat
(Lived: 1799-1865)

Born in Salem, New York, Doty married Sarah Collins and served in several government posts in Michigan and Wisconsin. Abraham Lincoln named him superintendent of Indian affairs for Utah in 1861 and then governor in 1863. Doty improved relations between the federal government and the Mormons. He emphasized the importance of schools and Indian treaties, and he suggested using the Colorado River to transport Utah products to markets in California. Reappointed by Lincoln, he died in office and was buried in the Fort Douglas cemetery.

CHARLES DURKEE
Governor: 1865-1869
Liberal Party /Republican
(Lived: 1805-1870)

A native of Royalton, Vermont, Durkee became a business, civic, and political leader in Wisconsin. He served as a territorial legislator, congressman, and U.S. senator (1855-61). Appointed governor in 1865, Durkee wanted territorial development and harmony with the Mormons. He returned to Wisconsin in late 1869 and died in Nebraska a year later.

JOHN WILSON SHAFFER
Governor: 1870
Republican
(Lived: 1827-1870)

Shaffer was born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, but little else is known of his early life. An officer in the Union Army, he was active in Republican politics in Illinois before Ulysses S. Grant named him governor of Utah in 1870. He was determined to carry out Grant's policy of putting down "rebellion" in the territory. This led to conflict with other officials. He died suddenly in Salt Lake City the year of his arrival. Following rites of the Masonic order, his body was sent to Illinois for burial.

VERNON H. VAUGHAN
Governor: 1870-1871
Republican
(Lived: 1838-1878)

Born in Alabama, Vaughan was territorial secretary when Governor Shaffer died. Ulysses S. Grant named him to fill the vacancy. However, Vaughan was not reappointed to the governorship. He died in Sacramento.

GEORGE LEMUEL WOODS
Governor: 1871-1875
Republican
(Lived: 1832-1890)

Born in Boone County, Missouri, Woods moved with his family to Oregon where he attended school. A founder of the Republican party in Oregon, he was elected governor of Oregon in 1866. When Woods failed to win renomination, Ulysses S. Grant named him governor of Utah in 1871. He worked for the establishment of free public schools, better mining laws, the end of polygamy, continued railroad development, and federal money to improve irrigation. However, he was not reappointed and returned to the practice of law. He died in Portland, Oregon.

SAMUEL BEACH AXTELL
Governor: 1875-1875
Democrat
(Lived: 1819-1891)

Born near Columbus, Ohio, Axtell married Adaline S. Williams and practiced law in Michigan and California. From 1867 to 1871 he served in Congress. Ulysses S. Grant named him governor of Utah Territory in 1875. Axtell treated the Mormons more kindly than some of those who served just before him. He was harshly criticized by a growing anti-Mormon group in Utah. After only a few months in Utah, he was sent by Grant to New Mexico Territory as governor. He died in Morristown, New Jersey.

GEORGE W. EMERY
Governor: 1875-1880
Republican
(Lived: 1830-1909)

Born in Penobscot, Maine, Emery graduated from Dartmouth, studied law in Albany, New York, and was a federal tax collector in the South. Ulysses S. Grant named him governor of Utah Territory in 1875. Despite the bitter Mormon-Gentile (non-Mormon) quarrel of the late nineteenth century, Emery accomplished election reforms and expanded government services for a fast-growing population. When President Grant visited Utah in October 1875 he was amazed at his friendly reception and reportedly told Emery he had been deceived about the Mormons. In February 1880, after Emery's term had ended, the legislature named a new county in central Utah after him. He died in Marshfield, Massachusetts.

ELI HOUSTON MURRAY
Governor: 1880-1886
Republican
(Lived: 1843-1896)

A native of Cloverport, Kentucky, Murray attained the rank of brigadier general during the Civil War. He married Evelyn Neal and was a U.S. marshal and newspaper editor before Rutherford B. Hayes named him governor in 1880. Murray's attacks on the Mormons influenced national policy. Chester A. Arthur reappointed Murray, but Grover Cleveland dismissed him in 1886. He died in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The city of Murray in Salt Lake County is named for

CALEB WALTON WEST
Governor: 1886-1888, 1893-1896
Democrat
(Lived: 1844-1909)

Born in Cynthiana, Kentucky, West served in the Confederate Army. He married Nancy Frazer, and in 1886 he was selected by Grover Cleveland to replace Eli Murray. A moderate Democrat, he visited polygamists in jail, but they refused his offer of conditional amnesty. He encouraged the organization of groups such as the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce that would serve broad community interests and include all parts of society. His first term ended with the election of Benjamin Harrison in 1888, but he returned as governor in 1893 following the reelection of Cleveland. By then the Woodruff Manifesto of 1890 had ended church-supported polygamy, and national political parties had replaced the old Peoples (Mormon) party and Liberal (non-Mormon) party. In January 1896 the governorship passed from West to Heber M. Wells, the first state governor.

ARTHUR LLOYD THOMAS
Governor: 1889-1893
Republican
(Lived: 1851-1924)

Born in Chicago, Thomas married Helena Reinberg and filled staff positions in the U.S. House of Representatives before serving as territorial secretary under governors Emery, Murray, and West. A member of the Utah Commission, he was named governor in 1889 by Benjamin Harrison. Improved education for children and the development of irrigation to open more land for settlement were two of his major concerns. An unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for the first state governor in 1895, Thomas remained in Utah as postmaster of Salt Lake City from 1898 to 1914 and was also involved in land development, mining, and publishing. He died in Salt Lake City.

Learn about
Utah's State Governors