Nolan E. Karras (born December 30, 1944, in

Ogden, Utah Ogden ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the United States Census ...

) is an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and businessman who served as 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 1981 to 1990.

Early life and education

Karras earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking and Finance from

Weber State College Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy and earned its current name in 1991. As of fall 2023, the student population reached 30,536 students, cons ...

and

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

in 1970.

Career

Karras has been a member of the board of trustees of

Weber State University Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy and earned its current name in 1991. As of fall 2023, the student population reached 30,536 students, cons ...

since 2013 and chair since 2015. He served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives from 1981 to 1990, representing

Roy, Utah Roy is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States, on the west side of Interstate 15 in Utah, Interstate 15. The 2020 United States Census, population in 2020 was 39,306; an increase of 6.6% from 36,884 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 ce ...

. He held the office of

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

from 1989 to 1990. After leaving office, Karras was succeeded as Speaker by Craig Moody. Karras later served as a member of the

Utah State Board of Regents The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) is the public university system of the state of Utah. It includes each of the state's sixteen public institutions of higher education, including its eight technical colleges. History On March 21, 1969, ...

for 12 years. He served as chairman from 2001 to 2005. Karras ran for Governor of Utah in the 2004 Utah gubernatorial election, coming in second after diplomat

Jon Huntsman Jr. Jon Meade Huntsman Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is an American politician, businessman, and diplomat who served as the 16th governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the ambassador of the United States ...

in the Republican primary election. Karras had selected former Congresswoman Enid Greene Mickelsen as his running mate. Karras was a member of the Board of Directors of

Scottish Power Scottish Power Limited, trading as ScottishPower, is a vertically integrated energy company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a subsidiary of Spanish utility firm Iberdrola. ScottishPower is the distribution network operator for Central an ...

, a corporation that operates as

PacifiCorp PacifiCorp is an electric power company based in the Lloyd Center Tower in Portland, Oregon with operations in the western United States. PacifiCorp has two business units: Pacific Power, a regulated electric utility with service territory thro ...

in the United States.

Personal life

Karras is 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 Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

. He and his wife, Lynda Karras, have three children and 13 grandchildren.

References

External links

Biography on the Scottish Power Website
1944 births Living people Speakers of the Utah House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Utah House of Representatives Politicians from Ogden, Utah Latter Day Saints from Utah Weber State University alumni University of Utah alumni 20th-century members of the Utah Legislature {{Utah-politician-stub