Spencer Cox facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spencer Cox
Cox in 2024
18th Governor of Utah
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 2021
Lieutenant	Deidre Henderson
Preceded by	Gary Herbert
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office July 14, 2023 – July 12, 2024
Preceded by	Phil Murphy
Succeeded by	Jared Polis
8th Lieutenant Governor of Utah
In office October 16, 2013 – January 4, 2021
Governor	Gary Herbert
Preceded by	Greg Bell
Succeeded by	Deidre Henderson
Member of the Utah House of Representatives from the 58th district
In office January 1, 2013 – October 16, 2013
Preceded by	Stephen Sandstrom
Succeeded by	Jon Cox
Personal details
Born	Spencer James Cox (1975-07-11) July 11, 1975 (age 50) Mount Pleasant, Utah, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Abby Palmer
Children	4
Residence	Governor's Mansion
Education	Snow College (AA) Utah State University (BA) Washington and Lee University (JD)
Signature

Spencer James Cox (born July 11, 1975) is an American lawyer and politician. He is the 18th governor of Utah, a role he started in 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Before becoming governor, Cox held several other political jobs. He was the lieutenant governor of Utah from 2013 to 2021. He also served as a city council member and later the mayor of his hometown, Fairview, Utah. He was also a commissioner for Sanpete County.

In 2012, he was elected to the Utah House of Representatives. Governor Gary Herbert chose Cox to be the new lieutenant governor in 2013. Cox was elected governor in 2020 and was reelected for a second term in 2024. He has said this will be his last term as governor.

Growing Up and Going to School

Cox grew up in the small town of Fairview, Utah. After graduating from North Sanpete High School, he went to Snow College. While he was a student, he took a break to serve a two-year mission in Mexico for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

During this time, he married his high school sweetheart, Abby. After getting his first degree from Snow College, he went to Utah State University (USU). He studied political science and graduated in 1998 with a perfect grade point average.

Cox was accepted to Harvard Law School but decided to go to Washington and Lee University School of Law instead. He did very well there and graduated with honors in 2001 with a law degree.

Cox's Career in Law and Politics

Working as a Lawyer

After finishing law school, Cox worked as a law clerk for Judge Ted Stewart in a federal court in Utah. A law clerk helps a judge with research and writing. After that, he joined a law firm in Salt Lake City. He later moved back to rural Utah and became a vice president at a telecommunications company called Centracom.

Starting in Politics

Cox's political career began in his hometown of Fairview. He was elected to the city council in 2004 and became the mayor the next year. In 2008, he was elected as a Sanpete County commissioner.

In 2012, he was elected to the Utah House of Representatives. There, he became the first person to call for the removal of John Swallow, the state's top lawyer, because of concerns about how Swallow handled his campaign money.

Lieutenant Governor of Utah

In October 2013, Governor Gary Herbert picked Cox to be the new lieutenant governor after the previous one, Greg Bell, stepped down. The Utah State Senate approved his appointment, and he was sworn into office.

As lieutenant governor, Cox helped investigate John Swallow. He wrote a report showing that Swallow had not been honest about his money and business deals. Swallow resigned from his job before the report was released. In 2016, Cox was elected for a full term as lieutenant governor.

Becoming Governor of Utah

In 2019, Governor Herbert announced he would not run for reelection. Cox then announced he would run for governor in the 2020 election. He won the Republican primary election against several other candidates, including former governor Jon Huntsman Jr..

In the main election, Cox defeated the Democratic candidate, Chris Peterson, with 63% of the vote. His inauguration, or swearing-in ceremony, was held in southern Utah. This was unusual, but Cox said he did it to show he wanted to be a governor for the whole state, not just the big cities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of Cox's main goals was to get vaccines to people in Utah quickly. He also faced some challenges, like questions about how the state spent money on supplies.

In March 2023, Cox signed the Utah Social Media Regulation Act. This law requires kids under 18 to have their parents' permission to create social media accounts on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Vetoes

As governor, Cox has used his power to veto, or reject, five bills passed by the state legislature. A veto means the governor does not sign a bill into law.

One important veto was in March 2022. He rejected a bill that would have stopped transgender youth from playing on girls' sports teams. Cox pointed out that there were very few transgender athletes in the state and said it was important to support these kids. The legislature later voted to override his veto, which means the bill became a law anyway.

What Cox Believes: His Political Views

Cox is often seen as a moderate Republican, meaning his views are not as extreme as some others in his party.

Donald Trump

In 2016, Cox did not support Donald Trump for president. He said Trump did not represent "goodness nor kindness." However, by 2020, he said he supported Trump, even though he did not vote for him in 2016 or 2020. After the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021, Cox said Trump was responsible for the violence.

In July 2024, after a failed attempt on Trump's life, Cox endorsed him for president. He wrote a letter saying he believed Trump could unite and save the country.

Environment

Cox does not support using the Antiquities Act to create large national monuments. He believes these large protected areas can sometimes harm the land they are meant to protect.

Guns

In 2021, Cox signed a bill that allows people in Utah to carry a firearm in public without a permit. This is sometimes called constitutional carry. He has also said he is open to discussing a "red flag law," which would allow a court to temporarily take away guns from someone believed to be dangerous.

Health

In March 2025, Cox signed a law to stop adding fluoride to public drinking water in Utah. Fluoride is a mineral that helps prevent cavities and has been added to water for many years. Some people, including the lawmaker who proposed the bill, raised concerns about its health effects. However, major health groups like the American Dental Association support water fluoridation.

LGBT Rights

Cox has shown support for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2016, after a shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, he gave a speech apologizing for not being more supportive of the LGBTQ community in the past.

In 2021, at a town hall meeting, he shared that his personal pronouns are "he, him, and his." In 2022, he became the first Utah governor to officially recognize June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

In 2023, he signed a bill that bans certain types of medical care for transgender youth under 18. He also signed a law that officially banned conversion therapy, a practice that tries to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Life Outside of Politics

Cox with his wife Abby in 2024

Cox is the oldest of eight children and grew up on a farm. He and his wife, Abby, have four children. They still live on their family farm in Fairview.

Cox enjoys music and plays the bass guitar in a garage band. His brother-in-law, who is the son of singer Merrill Osmond, taught him how to play. He is a fan of the band The Killers. In 2024, he was seen crowd-surfing at a concert by the band's lead singer, Brandon Flowers.