Governors: John C. Cutler

JOHN CHRISTOPHER CUTLER
1846–1928

John Christopher Cutler was born in Sheffield, England and immigrated to Utah in 1864 when his family converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He became a businessman in Utah and worked for many local companies and banks. Cutler secured the GOP nomination for governor and won the 1904 election with the support of the Federal Bunch—a powerful group of Republicans led by Senator Reed Smoot. In his inaugural address as the state’s second governor, Cutler promised to make “no great changes” in state government and to continue following successful policies.

Cutler’s contributions to the state included establishing a juvenile court system and creating a board to manage state parks. In 1907, Cutler proposed that the Legislature fund the construction of a state capitol building; the Legislature refused. The Legislature also denied Cutler’s request for an institution to care for handicapped individuals. Cutler lost favor with the Federal Bunch and withdrew from the 1908 election for governor in support of William Spry.

ARTIST

John Willard “Will” Clawson (1858–1936) was a nationally known portrait painter. He studied locally with George Ottinger and in Europe with Impressionist masters Edouard Manet and Claude Monet. Clawson painted the portraits of many society figures of his day, including a portrait of his grandfather Brigham Young and three other Utah governors: Wells, Bamberger, and Dern.