Mildred Adelaide Cox Oberhansley Bernard (May 28, 1920 – November 7, 2005) was a member of the

Utah House of Representatives The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district cont ...

from Kearns, Utah, serving five terms from 1966 to 1976.

Early life and career

Bernard was born May 28, 1920, in

Brewster, Nebraska Brewster is a village in and the county seat of Blaine County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 12 at the 2020 census. History The town was laid out in 1884 by George Washington Brewster who had homesteaded the land there. It was ...

, to Robert E. and Eleanor Jarvis Cox. She graduated with honors from Broken Bow High School in

Broken Bow, Nebraska Broken Bow is a city in Custer County, Nebraska, Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,559 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Custer County. History Broken Bow was platted in 1882. Its ...

, after which she attended business college in Denver."Obituary: Mildred Adelaide Cox Bernard".''Deseret News''.
2005-11-09. Retrieved 2011-07-19. Two marriages, to Robert E. Workman and to Rex E. Oberhansley, ended in divorce. In 1972, she married Justice Court Judge Lynn (Bud) Bernard; the marriage lasted until his death in 1987.

Political career

After moving to Kearns, where she was one of the earliest residents, she helped to organize the Kearns Town Council, on which she served for many years. She was a charter member of the Kearns Water & Sewer District Board, and the first woman to sit on the Salt Lake Planning and Zoning Commission, a seat that she held for 13 years. In 1967, she was elected to the Utah House of Representatives as Milly Oberhansley. She served five terms, until 1976, changing her name to Milly O. Bernard in 1972. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, she served as

Majority Whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline (that members of the party vote according to the party platform rather than their constituents, individual conscience or donors) in a legislature. Whips a ...

, and as

Minority Minority may refer to: Politics * Minority government, formed when a political party does not have a majority of overall seats in parliament * Minority leader, in American politics, the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative b ...

and Majority Leader. She also sat on a number of boards and committees, including the Juvenile Court Governing Board, the Judicial Council, the Granite Mental Health Board, the Community Action Board, and the Social Services Committee. Bernard described herself as a "minority, minority, minority", as a woman, a non-

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

, and as a non-native of Utah. Colleagues described her as a supporter of higher education and of women's rights.Canham, Matt.
"Oberhansley was a trailblazer in Capitol politics".''Salt Lake Tribune''.
2005-11-11. Retrieved 2011-07-19. In 1976, Bernard was appointed by Governor

Cal Rampton Calvin Lewellyn Rampton (November 6, 1913September 16, 2007) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 11th governor of Utah from 1965 to 1977. With a tenure spanning for 12 years, he is both the longest serving governor of Ut ...

and reappointed by Governor Scott M. Matheson to the Utah Public Service Commission, on which she served as Chairman until her retirement in 1982. Bernard worked for fifteen years for EIMCO, a Salt Lake supplier of mining machinery; her tenure at EIMCO encompassed her ten years in the House.Reid, Bill.
"EIMCO to close plant".''Coal Leader''.
January 2003. Retrieved 2011-07-19. Bernard died in Keans at the age of 85.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, Mildred 1920 births 2005 deaths Democratic Party members of the Utah House of Representatives Women state legislators in Utah People from Blaine County, Nebraska People from Kearns, Utah Utah city council members University of Colorado Denver alumni Women city councillors in Utah 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women 20th-century members of the Utah Legislature