Joseph Bracken Lee (January 7, 1899 – October 20, 1996) was an American political figure in the state of

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he served two terms as the 9th Governor of Utah (1949–1957), six 2-year terms as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Price, Utah Price is a city in the U.S. state of Utah and the county seat of Carbon County. The city is home to Utah State University Eastern, as well as the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum. Price is located within short distances of both Nine Mile Canyon and ...

(1935–1947), and three terms as the 27th mayor of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

(1960–1971). Lee was the most recent of three Governors of Utah who was not a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church), the other two being

Simon Bamberger Simon Bamberger (February 27, 1845October 6, 1926) was the fourth Governor of Utah (1917–1921) after it achieved statehood from territorial status in 1896. Bamberger retains the distinction of being the first non-Mormon, the first Democrat, ...

(1917–1921) and

George Dern George Henry Dern (1872–1936) was an American politician, mining man, and businessman. He co-invented the Holt–Dern ore roasting process and was United States Secretary of War from 1933 to his death in 1936. He also served as the List of Gov ...

(1925–1933).

Early life

Lee was born in

Price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, the price of production has a different name. If the product is a "good" in the ...

, to Arthur J. Lee (1870-1934) and Ida Mae (Leiter) Lee (1874–1980). When he was five, the family moved to Fruita,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, where they remained until he was in the eighth grade. The family then returned to Price. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Lee served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, lying about his age and passing up his high school graduation in order to enlist. During training in California, the Army kept him there as a trainer for the soldiers going to Europe, believing that he had the excellent people skills needed for this job. This was a decision that Lee initially regretted, as he wished to serve in combat. After the war, he joined his father in the insurance business in Price prior to going into politics. Lee married Nellie Pace. Their daughter, Helen (Nelson), was born in 1922 (died 2005). Two years later Nellie became seriously ill, first with

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

, and then with Hodgkin's disease, of which she died in 1926. The medical expenses placed Lee in considerable debt. Until the debts were paid, Lee moved into his own garage and rented out his house. Another way he tried to save money was by eating only one hamburger and drinking a quart of milk a day. During this time, his daughter lived with Lee's parents. This experience helped form his fiscal conservatism, as he vowed he would never go into debt again. On February 23, 1928, he married Margaret Draper (1909–1989) of Wellington, Utah. They had three children, a son, James (1930-2021), a daughter, Jon (Taylor) (born 1935), and a son, Richard (1944-2012). Margaret fueled Lee's political ambition, encouraging his entry into politics and actively contributing to his career. Together, they made a formidable team. She had a remarkable memory for names, a skill helpful to Bracken in public life. Margaret was active in the Women's Literary Society. She also did historical research on prominent women in the West and gave speeches about them. Bracken and Margaret were married for 61 years, until her death in 1989. Lee was an avid hunter and outdoorsman, particularly enjoying the high desert in eastern Utah near Price. He played semi-professional baseball as a young man, playing

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

. He was also an extraordinary handyman, with skills in jewelry making and painting. He was a member of the Freemasons,

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

, and

Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

. Lee died in Salt Lake City and is interred in a family plot at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Salt Lake City. Dying at 97 years of age, he lived longer than any other Utah Governor.

Political career

Lee was fiscally conservative and a deep opponent of the

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...

. With hefty cuts in spending, he was able to run surpluses in all of his administrations. As governor, he trimmed both spending and bureaucracy by cutting the number of departments and commissioners. He particularly angered the teachers' union for his cuts in higher education. In addition to his fierce opposition to the income tax, he opposed foreign aid and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

. While Lee was the descendant of Mormons, he had no religious affiliation himself, but still enjoyed political success despite the fact that he was not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Although he did not shy from criticism of the church, he was careful to maintain good diplomacy with its leadership. For a time Lee became involved in conservative anti-tax groups who advocated the formation of an independent third party because of the increasing liberalism of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Lee lost his first political campaign for mayor of Price in 1931. He returned in 1935 to win by just two votes, enjoying reelection another 5 times there. He lost two runs for governor in the 1940s before a successful bid in the fall of 1948. In 1956, he lost the

primary, which caused him to run a strong but unsuccessful race as an independent. He ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in both 1958 and 1962, and again for governor in 1964, though he was defeated in the Republican state convention. Under the political system at the time, if no candidate running for statewide office or House of Representatives got 80% of the delegate votes at the convention, a primary was held between the top two candidates. Lee came in third at the convention, which eliminated his candidacy. In

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

, he was the Conservative Party's nominee for president. His Running Mate was Kent Courtney. They came in 9th place by popular vote.

Firing of Police Chief Skousen

W. Cleon Skousen had served as

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, police chief for four years before being fired. Salt Lake City had a weak-mayor system, with the mayor being a member of the five member commission. In 1960 Lee offered a motion to fire Skousen and the majority of the commission voted yes. This happened shortly after Skousen raided an illegal poker club, where Lee was in attendance. Lee characterized Skousen's strict enforcement of anti-gambling laws as "like a

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

."The Washington Monthly
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Legacy

Lee's biographer, Dennis Lythgoe, regards his greatest contribution his terms as mayor of Salt Lake City, where he brought fiscal responsibility and capital improvements to the city. With age having moderated his temper somewhat, he was more effective in office while remaining true to his principles. Lee's legacy as governor is sometimes disputed. While many point to his temper, opinionated personality, and battles with educators as problems, he is also generally praised for his fiscal responsibility, and for the fact that Utah enjoyed a prosperous economy during his administration. Throughout his entire tenure, the state had a surplus rather than debt. Even Lee's political opponents respected his integrity and honest, open and straightforward ways of dealing. Lee was often compared to President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

. Though the two had differing political viewpoints and were members of opposite parties, their personalities were similar. They shared folksy manners, never shied from stating their opinions, and were bluntly honest. With the two in office at the same time from 1949 to 1953, it was easy for many to compare the two.

References

* George B. Russell, ''J. Bracken Lee: The Taxpayer's Champion'', New York: R. Speller, 1961 * Dennis L. Lythgoe, ''Let 'em holler: a political biography of J. Bracken Lee''. Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society, 1982. * Dennis L. Lythgoe, 'J. Bracken Lee', in Allan Kent Powell, ed., ''Utah History Encyclopedia''. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1994. * Lee, Bracken J.
J. Bracken Lee Papers
(MSS 1375), L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.

External links