The 1st Utah Senate District is located in Salt Lake County, which includes

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, and includes Utah House Districts 20, 22, 23, 26, 29, 31 and 33. The current State Senator representing the 1st district is Luz Robles Escamilla. Former Senator Fred Fife was elected to the Utah Senate in 2004. Fife was defeated by Robles at the Salt Lake County Democratic Convention on April 26, 2008. Robles won against Salt Lake City Councilman Carlton Christensen, the Republican nominee, in the General Election on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

History

Senate district one was created in 1896 when Utah was admitted as a state. Abraham Zundel of Willard was elected to serve as the first Senator for District 1 in a special election held on November 5, 1895, but wasn't subsequently re-elected in the 1896 election. The district has undergone several major changes as a result of re-districting, originally representing

Box Elder ''Acer negundo'', the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, compound leaves. It is sometimes considered a weedy or inva ...

and Tooele counties instead of present-day

Salt Lake County Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The cou ...

. Because of this the second Senator to represent the 1st District was William G. Nebeker of

Ophir Ophir (; ) is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. King Solomon received a shipment from Ophir every three years (1 Kings 10:22) which consisted of gold, silver, sandalwood, pearls, ivory, apes, and peacocks. ...

in Tooele County while the first was from Willard in Box Elder County. W. Hughes Brockbank, a Republican, was elected president of the National Legislative Conference in 1969 becoming the first Utahn to hold this office. Terry Williams, a Democrat from

, served in the

Utah State Senate The Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Utah Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of senate districts. Each senate district is ...

from 1983 to 1986 thus becoming the first African American to serve in the State Senate. Williams was originally elected to the

Utah State House of Representatives The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district con ...

and served from 1981 to 1982 but was preceded by Reverend Robert Harris of Ogden in 1976 as the first African American to serve in the State Legislature. Williams unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1986. Craig Oliver, a real estate salesman, defeated Terry Williams in a tight primary election. Williams garnered 14,385 votes, or 49.55% to Oliver's 14,646 votes, or 50.45% for a vote difference of 261. Oliver faced off against Republican incumbent

Jake Garn Edwin Jacob "Jake" Garn (born October 12, 1932) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as a United States senator representing Utah from 1974 to 1993. Garn became the first sitting member of Congress to fly in sp ...

Frances Farley Frances Farley (August 27, 1923 ~ January 16, 2004) was a Democratic member of the Utah State Senate, representing the state's Senate District 1. Early life and education Farley was born August 27, 1923, in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She recei ...

, a Democrat, served as Senator for District 1 from 1976 to 1982 being the first woman to be elected to the Utah Senate in 20 years. Farley unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1982 and 1984 before again mounting a successful run for State Senate in District 1 in 1986. Farley was an advocate for women's rights and according to the Deseret News,

arley Arley may refer to: Places England * Arley, Cheshire, a village ** Arley Hall, Cheshire * Arley, Warwickshire, a village * Upper Arley Upper Arley () is a village and civil parish near Kidderminster in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershi ...
staged a news conference blasting the University Club for not allowing her into its sports grill. The protest launched a movement that eventually led decades-old male-only private clubs to open memberships to women.

Farley retired from the Utah Senate in 1990. Karen Shepherd, a Democrat, served as state senator for District 1 from 1991 to 1992. She was subsequently elected to represent Utah's 2nd congressional district in the

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

when Wayne Owens chose to run unsuccessfully for the

. Robert Steiner, a Democrat, replaced her as state senator. Steiner, the great grandson of Utah's U.S. Senator

Thomas Kearns Thomas Kearns (April 11, 1862 – October 18, 1918) was an American mining, banking, railroad, and newspaper magnate. He was a US Senator from Utah from 1901 to 1905. Unlike the predominantly Mormon constituents of his state, Senator Kearns w ...

was a former part owner of the

Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History A ...

and heir of th
Steiner American Linen Corporation
Steiner retired from the Senate in 1999. Steiner purchased Jon Huntsman, Jr's. home when he became Governor of Utah. Shepherd represented the 2nd congressional district from 1993 to 1995. Shepherd was the first female Senator to represent Utah in Congress since Reva Beck Bosone (1949–1953) who was the first female Congresswomen to represent Utah in the U.S. House. There has been no female U.S. Senator from Utah. Fred J. Fife of

was elected to represent District 1 in 2004. Fife was defeated at the state Democratic Convention by Luz Robles. Robles went on to win the general election, defeating Salt Lake City Councilman Carlton Christensen, winning 56% of the vote.

Historical Representation

Note: This information may not be complete. Please add additional information and sources.

Previous State Senators (District 1)

Note: Information about legislators obtained fro
Utah State Legislature
website.

Election results

2004 election

2008 election

2012 election

Current candidates

This seat is not currently up for election in the 2010 election but will be up for election in the 2012 election.

References

External links

Utah Senate District Profiles

Official Biography of Fred J. Fife
{{UtahStateSenateDistricts 1 Salt Lake County, Utah