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

Kearns, Utah Kearns ( ) is a metro township in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. Named after Utah's U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns, it had a population of 36,723 at the 2020 Census. This was a 2.8 percent increase over the 2010 figure of 35,731. Kearns is ...

, 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 17 at the 2010 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, 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, she served as Majority Whip, 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 In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

. 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 seve ...

, 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 "Cal" Rampton (November 6, 1913September 16, 2007) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 11th governor of the state of Utah from 1965 to 1977. Early life and education He was born to Llewellyn Smith Rampt ...

and reappointed by Governor

Scott M. Matheson Scott Milne Matheson Jr. (January 8, 1929 – October 7, 1990) was an American politician who served as the 12th Governor of Utah from 1977 to 1985. He is the most recent Democrat to serve in that position. Biography Matheson was born on Janu ...

to the

Utah Public Service Commission The Utah Division of Public Utilities regulates the energy, telecommunications, gas and water companies located in Utah. See also * Public Utilities Commission External links Utah Division of Public Utilities Website Utah State agencies of ...

, 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 20th-century American politicians Women city councillors in Utah 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women