Lee, J. Bracken (Joseph Bracken), 1899-1996

Mayor of Price, Utah; Governor of Utah; and Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah.

From the description of J. Bracken Lee and Margaret D. Lee oral history interview : Tape and transcript, 1979 November 28 [sound recording] / conducted by J. Keith Melville. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122367694

Mayor, government official.

From the description of Reminiscences of J. Bracken Lee : oral history, 1967. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 86158372

Utah politician and governor of the state.

From the description of J. Bracken Lee papers, 1949-1954. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122462052

From the guide to the J. Bracken Lee papers, 1949-1954, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)

A native of Price, Utah, J. Bracken Lee was born 7 January 1899, a son of Arthur James and Ida May (Leiter) Lee. He received his elementary school training in Fruita, Colorado, and later graduated from Carbon High School in Price, Utah, in 1917. On graduation day he enlisted in the United States Army and served throughout World War I. He was honorably discharged in March 1919, with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, but retained his commission in the reserve officers corps. After serving in the military, he returned to civilian life in Price where he became involved in the insurance and real estate business.

In 1920, J. Bracken Lee married Nellie Pace and two years later on January 29, 1922 they became parents of a daughter, Helen Virginia. Illness brought death to Nellie on January 1, 1926 leaving him a widower with a four-year old daughter. He married Margaret Draper on February 23, 1928 at Price, Utah. They are the parents of the following children: James Bracken, Margaret Jon, and Richard Lewis.

Beginning in the early 1930's Lee became very interested in public affairs. He was elected mayor of Price, Utah, in the fall of 1935 and served six successive terms before declining nomination for a seventh.

Defeat as a candidate for the U. S. House of Representatives and his first try for governorship of Utah did not discourage Lee. In 1948 he was elected to the office of governor by an overwhelming majority. In 1952 he was re-elected by an even greater margin.

After failing in his bid for the U. S. Senate on the Independent ticket in 1958, he ran for mayor of Salt Lake City in 1959. He received more votes than all five of his opponents combined in the primary contest, and in the general election he defeated his opponent with the largest number of votes received by a mayoralty candidate. He campaigned for re-election in November 1963 and again when the votes were counted it was another Lee landslide. In a third consecutive campaign in 1967 he received another vote of confidence and was re-elected for his third term as mayor.

J. Bracken Lee retired in 1972 after serving in public office for 32 years.

From the guide to the J. Bracken Lee papers, 1948-1974, (J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah)