Herbert Brown Maw (March 11, 1893 – November 17, 1990) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

and educator who was the eighth governor of Utah. He served as governor from 1941 to 1949. He was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and was a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church).

Early life

Maw was born in Ogden in the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...

. When he was seven his family moved to Salt Lake City. He studied at

LDS High School LDS High School (previously known as Salt Lake Stake Academy or Latter-day Saints' High School, and sometimes spelled Latter-day Saints High School) was a secondary school in Salt Lake City, Utah operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da ...

as a youth.

Education

Sigma Chi White Cross 1975 Herbert Maw Beta Epsilon

Maw received his

bachelor of laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

and Bachelor of Science degrees from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

, an MA from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1926 and a Juris Doctor degree also from Northwestern in 1927. While in school at the University of Utah, he joined the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...

fraternity and became a member of the inaugural pledge class initiated to the Beta Epsilon chapter.

Military

Maw was trained as a pilot by the Aviation Corps during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

at Kelley Air Base in Texas. Before he was deployed in this service he was made an LDS Chaplain with the rank of

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

and assigned to work with the 89th Division at Camp Funston,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

. He was then sent to Europe and after the end of the war served in the Army of Occupation in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Maw was one of only three LDS chaplains in the US military during World War I.

Early career

Maw taught at

LDS Business College Ensign College (formerly LDS Business College) is a private college in Salt Lake City, Utah. The college is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and operates under its Church Educational System. It also includes a ...

from 1916 to 1917 and from 1919 to 1923. He was a professor of speech at the University of Utah from 1927 until 1940. Maw served as Dean of Men at the University of Utah from 1928 until 1936.National Governors Association
/ref> Maw was influential on the development of the University of Utah and its future course.

Political career

Maw was elected to the Utah State Senate in 1928 where he served until 1938. Maw served as the President of the Utah State Senate from 1934 until 1938. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate in 1934 and Governor in 1936. His loss was partly a result of his strong support of measures to help workers. Maw's winning the Democratic nomination in 1940 was largely the result of his successful push for direct primaries. Maw was first elected governor of Utah in 1940, defeating Republican Don B. Colton. While serving as governor Maw pushed through reductions in the utility rates and regulations on ore extraction in the state. In 1944 Maw was narrowly re-elected over Republican J. Bracken Lee in the closest gubernatorial election in Utah history. In 1948 Maw lost to Lee in a re-match. In this election Maw was a clear and consistent opponent of liberalizing Utah's drinking laws.

Religious life

Maw held many positions in the LDS Church. He was a Sunday School teacher in both Salt Lake City and Chicago. He also taught in the

Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association The Young Men (often referred to as Young Men's) is a youth organization and official program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Its purpose is to assist the church's Aaronic priesthood-aged young men in their growt ...

(YMMIA) and was a ward and stake leader of that organization. In 1928 and 1929, he was the Superintendent of the Liberty Stake Sunday School, during which years he was also a member of the stake high council. From 1928 to 1935, Maw was a member of the general board of the YMMIA. In December 1935, Maw became a member of the

Deseret Sunday School Union Sunday School (formerly the Deseret Sunday School Union) is an organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 11 and older, are encouraged to participate i ...

General Board.

Family

Maw married Florence Buehler on June 22, 1922. They had five children.

References

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Maw, Herbert B. 1893 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century Mormon missionaries American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints United States Army chaplains United States Army personnel of World War I American Mormon missionaries in the United States Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Democratic Party governors of Utah Ensign College faculty Mission presidents (LDS Church) Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni Sunday School (LDS Church) people University of Utah alumni University of Utah faculty Utah lawyers Democratic Party Utah state senators Young Men (organization) people World War I chaplains Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from Illinois 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American clergy S.J. Quinney College of Law alumni