Spencer Cox became Utah’s 18th governor on Monday, the 125th anniversary of Utah’s statehood. The former lieutenant governor took the oath of office at the Tuacahn Center of the Arts in Southern Utah. Cox is the first Utah governor to be sworn in outside of Salt Lake City. He said he wanted an outdoor venue because of pandemic safety precautions and as a part of an effort to show he is governor of the entire state.
Deidre Henderson became the state’s 9th lieutenant governor today as well. The former senator gave an inauguration speech at the event, the first for a lieutenant governor in the state.
The theme of the event was “One Utah” and Cox encouraged Utahns during his inauguration speech to set aside contempt and contention.
At 6:30 p.m. on Monday there will be a statehood celebration broadcast on PBS Utah and there will be fireworks across the state at 7:30 p.m.
