Governor Spencer J Cox

Moral & Ethical Leadership

Spencer J. Cox is Utah’s 8th Lieutenant Governor and soon to be 18th Governor of Utah. 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 pipe, 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 were reelected 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.