George H. Utter

George H. Utter

George Herbert Utter (born July 24, 1854 in Plainfield , New Jersey , † November 3, 1912 in Westerly , Rhode Island ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Rhode Island from 1905 to 1907 . Since 1911 he represented his state in the US House of Representatives .

Early years and political advancement

In 1861, George Utter came to Westerly, Rhode Island with his parents. There he attended public schools and then until 1877 Amherst College in Massachusetts . After completing school, he joined his father's printing company and the newspaper business. In 1893 he founded the weekly "Westerly Sun".

Utter was a member of the Republican Party . Between 1883 and 1885 he was a member of the advisory board of Governor Augustus O. Bourn . From 1885 to 1889 he was an MP in the Rhode Island House of Representatives , where he was President of the House from 1887. After that he was a member of the State Senate between 1889 and 1891 ; from 1891 to 1894 he was Secretary of State executive officer of the government of Rhode Island. In 1903 Utter was elected lieutenant governor of his state.

Governor and Congressman

In the gubernatorial elections of 1904, George Utter was the candidate of his party against the incumbent Lucius Garvin . After a re-election, he held this office between January 3, 1905 and January 1, 1907. He introduced the custom according to which the lieutenant governor took over the presidency of the State Senate at the same time. Otherwise, his term of office passed without any particular incident. After an election defeat in 1906, he had to hand over his office to James H. Higgins . Then he returned to the newspaper business.

In the 1910 congressional elections, Utter was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC . He took up this mandate on March 4, 1911. He died while campaigning for re-election in November 1912. He had four children with his wife, Elizabeth L. Brown.

Web links

• George Utter in the National Governors Association (English)
• George H. Utter in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• George H. Utter in the database of Find a Grave (English)