Spencer J. Cox is Utah’s 8th Lieutenant Governor and one of the youngest Lt. Governors in the country. He was born in Mt. Pleasant, Utah in Sanpete County and grew up just six miles north in the small town of Fairview. As a young boy, he worked on the family farm milking cows, moving irrigation pipes, plowing fields, and hauling hay. After graduating from North Sanpete High School, he moved to Mexico for two years as a volunteer for his church. Upon returning, he attended Snow College and completed his associate’s degree. During that time, he also married his high school sweetheart, Abby, who also graduated from Snow College. He and Abby continued their education at Utah State University where Spencer graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science and Abby obtained her degree in special education. Though accepted to several law schools, including Harvard, Spencer ultimately decided to attend Washington and Lee Law School in Virginia.
Upon receiving his Juris Doctor, Spencer and Abby moved their small family back across the country to Salt Lake City where he practiced law with Fabian & Clendenin (now Fabian Vancott). Several years later, He and Abby missed their bucolic lifestyle and decided to return to Sanpete County where they could raise their children on the farm and give back to the community they deeply cherished. Once back in Fairview, Spencer joined the family telecom business, CentraCom, where he served as Vice President and General Counsel.
It was at this time that Spencer’s career in public service began. He was first appointed to fill a vacancy on the city council and was later elected as mayor of Fairview. In 2008, he was elected as a Sanpete County Commissioner and served for four years before being elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2012. During his tenure as a state legislator, Spencer sponsored and co-sponsored bills that championed STEM education, same-day voter registration, and water pollution, to name a few. After serving just nine months as a state representative, Spencer was selected by Governor Gary Herbert to succeed Greg Bell as Lt. Governor. He was confirmed unanimously by the Utah Senate and sworn in on October 16, 2013. Governor Herbert and Lt. Governor Cox was re-elected to another term in 2016.
Lt. Governor Cox is by statute the chief election officer of the state and liaison between the governor and the legislature. He travels extensively throughout the state as he leads some of the state’s most innovative policy initiatives. He is committed to transforming education, increasing voter participation, supporting rural communities, utilizing modern technologies and empowering the homeless and impoverished. He currently sits on nearly 30 boards and commissions dealing with issues such as mental health, suicide prevention, women’s leadership, multicultural involvement and more.
Lt. Governor Cox and his wife have four children and still reside in Fairview. In his limited spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family in Utah’s amazing backcountry, working on the family farm, tweeting about the Utah Jazz and playing bass with his brother in a local rock band.
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Spencer James Cox (born July 11, 1975) is an American attorney and politician. A Republican, Cox has served as the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Utah since 2013 and is the Governor-elect of Utah.
Cox was raised and lives in Fairview, Utah. He was elected to the city council in 2004 and mayorship the next year. After overseeing rural economic development in Fairview, Cox was elected as a county commissioner for Sanpete County in 2008.[3] He was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2012.
In October 2013, Governor Gary Herbert selected Cox to replace Greg Bell as Utah 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. In 2020, after Herbert decided to retire, Cox sought the Republican nomination for the governorship. He defeated former Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. in the primary election and went on to defeat Democrat Chris Peterson in the general election.
The Coxes showed they might have their own congenial style as the first family. They served hot chocolate and cookies to the protestors.'
In the Christmas issue, the Messenger, I ran a page interview with the Cox family talking about their remarkable journey in which Cox went from the first-term legislator to governor in seven years.
“We are who we are because of where we were raised,” Cox told the Messenger. “…I think the rest of the country, the rest of Utah, is hungry for what we have here. And I’m glad to take some of that to the Capitol.”
UTAH’S 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF STATEHOOD CELEBRATION
January 4th
Utahns are invited to participate in a statewide celebration of the 125th anniversary of Utah’s statehood, which will include a TV special and simultaneous fireworks in all 29 counties.
6:30 - 7:00 PM Televised event celebrating Utah culture
7:30 PM Fireworks
8:30 PM Re-air on PBS Utah
“Thrive125: A Utah Celebration” will air on Monday, January 4 at 6:30 p.m. on all four Utah network affiliates, with a repeat airing on PBS Utah at 8:30 pm. The special will celebrate the state’s artistic heritage, cultural diversity and scenic wonders. Performances will include musical and dance numbers from notable Utah performers and celebrity guests. The 30-minute television special will be followed by live fireworks displays at 7:30 pm in all 29 counties.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1335267852866088960
WE'VE COME A LONG WAY SINCE 1896
Honoring the Past and Celebrating the Future
Since joining the United States in 1896 after a 50-year effort, Utah has evolved into the dynamic and diverse state we all love today. It is a crossroads for America and an economic hub of the Rocky Mountains, anchored by vibrant culture.
This statehood celebration will include all of the people who have shaped Utah during the past 125 years, as well as all the indigenous peoples who lived in the region for thousands of years before statehood. And while this is a celebration, it is also a chance to honestly discuss our relationships to each other, to the nation as a whole, and to the land itself.
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