William Spry

William Spry (born January 11, 1864 in Windsor , Berkshire , England , † April 21, 1929 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ), who was the third governor of the state of Utah from 1909 to 1917 .

Early years

His parents converted to Latter-day Saints of Jesus Christ shortly after William was born, and then immigrated to Utah in 1875. William left school at the age of 13. He then served from 1885 to 1891, first as a missionary and later as Mission President for the Church in the Southern States . He then became involved in livestock farming and a variety of other endeavors. In 1894 he was elected tax collector. Then in 1902 he was a member of the State Legislature and in 1904 Chairman of the Republican State Committee . He was also President of the State Land Board in 1903 and was appointed US Marshal of Utah in 1906.

Governor of Utah

As governor, he secured the necessary funding from the state legislature for the construction of the Capitol , which was inaugurated in 1916. The legislature also banned child labor and the sale and distribution of tobacco products to minors during his first term . During his second term, he got a bad rap when he refused to intervene in the case of Joe Hill , a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), who was convicted of murder in Utah and was ultimately executed. In addition, he was the first Utah governor to preside over the National Governors Association . Because of his support of the local forces regarding prohibition , he lost a Republican nomination for a third term as governor.

Another résumé

After the end of his second term as governor, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Congress in 1918 . He then served as a representative for the Western Irrigation Association until 1921 , when President Warren G. Harding appointed him US Commissioner of the General Land Office .

Spry died in Washington in 1929 and was buried in Salt Lake City . He was married to Mary Alice Wrathall. The couple had three children together.

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personal data
SURNAME	Spry, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	January 11, 1864
PLACE OF BIRTH	Windsor , England
DATE OF DEATH	April 21, 1929
Place of death	Washington, DC