Spencer Cox (politician)
Spencer James Cox (born July 11, 1975) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 18th governor of Utah since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the eighth lieutenant governor of Utah from 2013 to 2021. In Fairview, Utah, where Cox lives and was raised, he was elected to the city council in 2004 and then as mayor in 2005. In 2008, he was elected as a Sanpete County county commissioner.[1]
This article is about the politician. For the HIV/AIDS activist, see Spencer Cox (activist).
Spencer Cox
He was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2012. In October 2013, Governor Gary Herbert appointed Cox to replace Greg Bell as lieutenant governor; he was confirmed unanimously by the Utah State Senate. Cox was elected to the lieutenant governorship as Herbert's running mate in 2016, and was elected governor in 2020.
Early life and education[edit]
Cox was raised in Fairview, Utah; he graduated from North Sanpete High School. He enrolled at Snow College and completed a mission to Mexico for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while he was a student. During that time, he married his high-school sweetheart, Abby, who also graduated from Snow College. After graduating with an associate's degree, he attended Utah State University (USU), graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.[2] At USU, Cox was named Student of the Year and graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.
After graduating from university, Cox was accepted to Harvard Law School but instead chose to enroll at Washington and Lee University School of Law. He was a member of the Washington and Lee Law Review and graduated in 2001 with a Juris Doctor with honors.[2][3]
Career[edit]
Early legal work[edit]
After law school, Cox was a law clerk for judge Ted Stewart of the United States District Court for the District of Utah. After his clerkship, Cox joined Fabian and Clendenin, a Salt Lake City law firm. He returned to rural Utah and became a vice president of Centracom.[4]
Political career[edit]
Cox was elected as a city councilor of Fairview, Utah in 2004,[3] and mayor the next year. In 2008, he was elected as a Sanpete County commissioner.[5][6][2] Cox was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2012 and became the first member to call for the impeachment of John Swallow, the attorney general of Utah, over violations of campaign finance laws.[7] Cox and Lieutenant Governor Bell served as co-chairs of Governor Herbert's Rural Partnership Board.[8]
Lieutenant governor of Utah[edit]
In October 2013, Herbert selected Cox to succeed Bell as lieutenant governor following Bell's resignation.[8] The Utah Senate's Government Operations Confirmation Committee unanimously approved his nomination on October 15.[9] The next day, the full Utah Senate confirmed him unanimously and he was sworn in.[10] As lieutenant governor, Cox produced a report on Swallow's financial interests, demonstrating that Swallow had failed to properly disclose all of his income and business interests. Swallow resigned before the report's release.[11]
In the 2016 Utah gubernatorial election, Cox was elected to a full term as lieutenant governor as Herbert's running mate.[12][13]