Calvin Lewellyn Rampton

CALVIN LEWELLYN RAMPTON was born in Bountiful, Utah. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah, attended George Washington University, and received an LL.B. from the University of Utah Law School. Rampton served in the Utah National Guard beginning in 1932, and served with the Army in Europe during World War II, earning a Bronze Star. He went on to become Davis County attorney and assistant attorney general for Utah. Elected Utah’s 11th governor in 1964, Rampton was reelected twice—the state’s first governor to win three terms in office. His gubernatorial administration focused on industrial development, the promotion of tourism in Utah, increased educational resources, and expansion of construction programs in anticipation of the demands that would be placed on higher educational institutions by a rapidly maturing boomer population. He established the Industrial Promotion Council and the Utah Travel Council and initiated civil rights legislation that conformed to federal policy. He also developed the Commission on the Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government (Little Hoover Commission) to consolidate and streamline Utah state government operations. He was a member of the National Governors Association’s Executive Committee for a number of terms. In his final months in office, Rampton dealt with the controversial issue of capital punishment. Although Gary Gilmore—a convicted murderer who had been sentenced to be executed—expressed his wish to die, the governor stayed his execution until the board of pardons was given time to review the case. After the review had been completed, the use of capital punishment was accepted and Gilmore was executed two weeks after Rampton left office and retired to the practice of law.