GEORGE HENRY DERN
Governor 1925-1933
George Henry Dern (1872-1936) was born in Nebraska and came to Utah at age 22. He
co-invented the Holt-Dern ore roasting process and worked for the Mercur Gold Mining
and Milling Company and other local mining companies. While not a member of the
predominant political or religious groups in the state, Dern was widely successful in
politics. He was elected to the state Senate in 1914 on the Democratic ticket. When he
won the gubernatorial race in 1924, he was the only Democrat elected to a statewide
office that year.
Governor Dern was a progressive politician, and his accomplishments included
establishing teaching certificate requirements and revising tax laws to favor middle- and
low-income groups. He also secured federal funds for road construction and other
programs. Dern declined to run for a third term in 1932 and promoted Henry Blood as his
successor.
Dern became the first Utahn to hold a position in a presidential cabinet when President
Franklin D. Roosevelt named him Secretary of War. Dern was instrumental in enlarging
and motorizing the nation’s military at a time when domestic concerns took priority over
foreign affairs. During his time in the presidential cabinet, he also supported the creation
of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a public work relief program that provided manual
labor jobs for young unemployed men during the Great Depression.
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, Cutler, and Bamberger.