Olene Walker

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Olene Walker

| image = Olene Walker.JPG

| order = 15th Governor of Utah

| lieutenant = Gayle McKeachnie

| term_start = November 5, 2003

| term_end = January 3, 2005

| predecessor = Mike Leavitt

| successor = Jon Huntsman Jr.

| office1 = 4th Lieutenant Governor of Utah

| governor1 = Mike Leavitt

| term_start1 = January 4, 1993

| term_end1 = November 5, 2003

| predecessor1 = Val Oveson

| successor1 = Gayle McKeachnie

| birth_name = Olene Smith

| birth_date = {{birth date|1930|11|15}}

| birth_place = Ogden, Utah, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2015|11|28|1930|11|15}}

| death_place = Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

| party = Republican

| spouse = Myron Walker

| children = 7

| education = Brigham Young University (BA)
Stanford University (MA)
University of Utah (PhD)

| office2 = Member of the Utah House of Representatives

| termstart2 = 1981

| termend2 = 1989

}}

Olene Walker (née Smith; November 15, 1930 – November 28, 2015) was an American politician who served as the 15th governor of Utah from 2003 to 2005, succeeding the governorship after Mike Leavitt's resignation.

A member of the Republican Party, Walker was Utah's first female lieutenant governor of Utah as well the first and currently only female governor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/291505280/Former-Utah-Gov-Olene-Walker-Has-Died#download&from_embed|title=Former Utah Gov. Olene Walker Has Died {{!}} Utah {{!}} Government Health Care|website=Scribd|language=en|access-date=2018-06-06}}

She is also the shortest serving Governor of Utah, serving for only a year and two months.

Early life and education

Walker was born Olene Smith in Ogden, Utah, in 1930 to Thomas Ole Smith and Nina (née Hadley) Smith, the second of their five children. She graduated from Weber High School. Walker received her bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 1953, her master's from Stanford University, and her doctorate in education administration from the University of Utah.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MpIYAAAAIAAJ&q=Olene+S.+Walker+stanford+thomas|title=Current Biography Yearbook|work=google.ca|access-date=November 30, 2015|last1=Block|first1=Maxine|last2=Rothe|first2=Anna Herthe|last3=Candee|first3=Marjorie Dent|year=2005}}{{Cite news|url=http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2992498&itype=CMSID|title='Sweet,' 'tough' Olene Walker was a pioneer and an advocate for bettering lives in Utah|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|access-date=2018-06-07|language=en-US}}

Career

Walker's began her career in the Utah House of Representatives, including a term as Majority Whip, during which she helped create Utah’s Rainy Day Fund. She served in the Utah House from 1981 to 1989.{{cite web |last1=Carricaburu |first1=Lisa |title=Olene S. Walker Biography |url=https://www.weber.edu/walkerinstitute/biography.html |access-date=21 April 2024 |website=Weber State University}} She served as the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Utah for the 10 years prior to becoming governor. She founded the Salt Lake Education Foundation and served as its director. She served as director of the Utah Division of Community Development. She has chaired the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Utah State Housing Coordinating Committee, the Governor's Commission on Child Care, and the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thespectrum.com/story/opinion/2015/12/03/olene-smith-walker-smart-classy-wonderful/76723900/|title=Olene Smith Walker – Smart, classy, wonderful|work=The Spectrum & Daily News|access-date=2018-06-07|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://utahstatecapitol.utah.gov/explore/capitol-art/governors/olene-walker|title=Olene Walker {{!}} Utah State Capitol|website=utahstatecapitol.utah.gov|language=en-US|access-date=2018-06-07}} She also became the first woman governor of Utah. Senator Orrin Hatch said Walker "truly paved the way for women in government in Utah."{{Cite news|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865642614/Olene-Walker-Utahs-first-and-only-female-governor-dies-at-age-85.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130202914/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865642614/Olene-Walker-Utahs-first-and-only-female-governor-dies-at-age-85.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 30, 2015|title=Olene Walker, "one of Utah's finest public servants," Utah's first and only female governor, dies at age 85|last=Chen|first=Daphne|date=2015-11-28|work=DeseretNews.com|access-date=2018-06-06|language=en}} Also, throughout her political career "her passion across the board" was education.

= Governorship =

Walker assumed the office of Governor of the State of Utah after previous governor Mike Leavitt was nominated by President George W. Bush to lead the Environmental Protection Agency in 2003. Walker served as governor until the end of the term on January 3, 2005.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/30/us/olene-walker-utahs-first-female-governor-dies-at-85.html|title=Olene Walker, Utah's First Female Governor, Dies at 85|date=2015-11-29|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-06-06|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

During her short term as governor, Walker focused on supporting education in Utah. She created the Read With a Child Early Literacy Initiative, visited classrooms often to read to children, and vetoed a proposal for vouchers for private schools with the reasoning that the proposal would take funding away from public schools. She also signed legislation ending the use of firing squads for execution in Utah and worked to preserve Utah wilderness and to create affordable housing.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/30/us/olene-walker-utahs-first-female-governor-dies-at-85.html|title=Olene Walker, Utah's First Female Governor, Dies at 85|date=2015-11-29|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-06-07|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

In a move that caused a degree of controversy within the state, the Utah Republican Party at its convention on May 8, 2004, elected not to place Walker on the ballot for the party primary (held on June 22, 2004), selecting instead Jon Huntsman, Jr. and Nolan Karras as the two potential Republican party candidates for the office of Governor of the State of Utah, the first time in 48 years that an incumbent Utah governor failed to win a party nomination.{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,595062022,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121095139/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,595062022,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 21, 2013|title=GOP selects Huntsman, Karras|date=May 9, 2004|publisher=Deseret News}} Huntsman went on to win the primary election with more than 66% of the vote. These events effectively ruled out any possibility of Walker being on the ballot in the 2004 general election. Convention delegates defended their choice by claiming that many of the delegates were already pledged to other candidates, because Walker had served only six months as Governor before the party convention.{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}} She had also waited until two months before the nominating convention to choose to run for re-election, giving her rivals a head start to build their campaigns. She left office with an 87% approval rating.

=Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service=

In 2012 Walker created the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service to "help foster in Weber State University students and the broader community the ideals of public service and political engagement that motivated her decades-long career in Utah politics."{{Cite web|url=http://www.weber.edu/walkerinstitute/default.html|title=Walker Institute {{!}} Weber State University|website=www.weber.edu|access-date=2015-11-29}} The Walker Institute coordinates internships for Weber State University students, holds public forums and debates on public policy issues, and provides leadership and engaged-citizenship workshops for students and the community at large.{{Cite news|url=http://www.standard.net/Guest-Commentary/2017/06/13/Weber-State-University-Olene-Walker-Institute-politics-public-service-civil-discourse-column-McNamara|title=An enduring legacy of civil politics at Weber State University|last=McNamara|first=Carol|date=13 June 2017|work=Standard-Examiner|access-date=2018-06-06}}

Personal life

Walker was married to Myron Walker; they had seven children. Walker and her husband were Latter-day Saints (Mormons). She and her husband served as International Affairs missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York City.{{Cite news|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/600133251/Walker-to-serve-an-LDS-mission.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424183348/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600133251/Walker-to-serve-an-LDS-mission.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 24, 2011|title=Walker to serve an LDS mission|date=2005-05-12|work=DeseretNews.com|access-date=2018-06-06|language=en}} Starting in spring of 2010 she served as the Primary president in the Bloomington 7th Ward on the south side of St. George, Utah.

Olene Walker died of natural causes on November 28, 2015, thirteen days after her 85th birthday.{{cite web|url=http://www.sltrib.com/home/2992498-155/olene-walker-a-utah-original-and|title=Olene Walker: A Utah original and pioneer is gone|author=Dan Harrie|date=November 28, 2015|work=The Salt Lake Tribune}}

Recognition

The State of Utah operates the Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund, which seeks to provide affordable housing throughout the state,{{Cite web|url=http://www.housing.utah.gov/housing/affordable/owhlf/index.html|title=Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund - Mission Statement|website=www.housing.utah.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-06-05}} renovate rural housing, protect tenants from landlords who seek to exploit them, and in other ways provide livable housing options to low income residents of the state.

In 2003, The Salt Lake Tribune named her Utahn of the Year.{{Cite web |title=Governor Olene Walker |url=https://www.utahwomenshistory.org/bios/olenewalker/ |access-date=2022-03-04 |website=Better Days Curriculum |language=en}}

In May 2010 the Utah County Democratic Party gave Walker its first distinguished service award.{{cite web|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700029354/Utah-County-Democrats-to-honor-former-GOP-governor-Olene-Walker.html|title=Utah County Democrats to honor former GOP Gov. Olene Walker|author=Marc Haddock|date=May 17, 2010|work=DeseretNews.com|access-date=May 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712042126/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700029354/Utah-County-Democrats-to-honor-former-GOP-governor-Olene-Walker.html|archive-date=July 12, 2010|url-status=dead}}

Walker was one of the first co-chairs of the Utah Debate Commission.

Olene Walker Elementary School opened in 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ksl.com/article/50061971/school-named-for-utahs-first-female-governor-celebrates-grand-opening|title=School named for Utah's first female governor celebrates grand opening|website=www.ksl.com}}

References

External links

[http://www.nndb.com/people/440/000044308/ Olene Walker]
[http://www.weber.edu/walkerinstitute/default.html Walker Institute Weber State University]
{{C-SPAN|44760}}
[https://www.utahwomenshistory.org/bios/olenewalker/ Governor Olene Walker, Utah's First (and only) Female Governor]