Spencer J. Cox is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Utah.
Education
Cox graduated from North Sanpete High School in Mount Pleasant, Utah. He enrolled at Snow College, and completed a mission to Mexico while he was a student. After graduating from Snow College with an Associate"s degree, he attended Utah State University (USU), where he obtained his Bachelor"s degree in Political Science.
At USU, Cox was named the Student of the Year, and graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.
Career
He was elected as a Sanpete County commissioner in 2008, and to the Utah House of Representatives, representing the 58th district, in 2012. Gary Herbert, the Governor of Utah, selected Cox to replace Greg Bell as Lieutenant Governor of Utah in October 2013. Accepted to Harvard Law School, Cox instead opted to enroll at the Washington and Lee University School of Law, where he received his juris doctor.
After law school, Cox became a law clerk for Ted Stewart of the United States District Court for the District of Utah.
Following his clerkship, Cox joined Fabian and Clendenin, a Salt Lake City law firm. Cox then decided to return to rural Utah.
He became a vice president of CentraCom. The next year, he was elected mayor.
In 2008, he was elected as a county commissioner of Sanpete County.
Cox was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in district 58 in the 2012 elections. In October 2013, Herbert selected Cox to succeed Bell as Lieutenant Governor, following Bell"s resignation. His nomination was approved unanimously by the Utah Senate Government Operations Confirmation Committee on October 15.
The next day, he was confirmed unanimously by the full Utah Senate and sworn in as Lieutenant Governor.
As lieutenant governor, Cox"s office produced a report on Swallow"s financial interests, demonstrating that Swallow failed to properly disclose all of his income and business interests. Swallow resigned before the release of the report.
Cox endorsed Marco Rubio as the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 presidential election. Cox is the oldest of eight children, and grew up on his family farm in Fairview.
Cox"s father, Eddie, serves on the Utah Transportation Commission, and was a county commissioner for Utah County.
Cox plays bass guitar in a garage band. State Representative Mike McKell is also a brother-in-law.
Politics
Cox began his political career as a city councilor for Fairview, Utah, and he next served as its mayor. Cox was appointed as a city councilor of Fairview, Utah.
Membership
A member of the Republican Party, Cox is the Lieutenant Governor of Utah. Despite being a freshman, Cox became the first member of the Utah House to call for the impeachment of John Swallow, the Attorney General of Utah, over violations of laws governing campaign finance.