Herbert B. Maw as Governor of Utah

Author

John C. Setmire, Utah State University

Date of Award

5-1966

Degree Type

Report

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

History

Committee

Not specified

Abstract

Herbert B. Maw, like many other Utahn’s, is a self-made man, a poor boy who sold newspapers from the age of ten to fifteen, and worked nights to put himself through college. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1923 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree, and in 1926 he obtained a Master’s Degree from Northwestern University. Maw received his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1927 from Northwestern University, and in the same year he was elected to the Utah Senate on the Democratic ticket. In 1934 Maw ran for the United States Senate and lost the election, however, in the same year he was elected President of the Utah Senate, an office which he held until he left that legislative body in 1938, after serving for eleven years. While in the senate, Maw became the champion of progressive legislation in the fields of labor, social security, utility control, and political reform, such as the direct primary. Regular party leaders disliked Maw and his progressive movement. They claimed that by his amiable manner, his ability to speak (he was a professor of speech at the University of Utah), and his emotional appeal, he exploited an element of discontent purely for political and personal advantage.

Recommended Citation

Setmire, John C., "Herbert B. Maw as Governor of Utah" (1966). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023. 1093.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/1093