Margaret Dayton (born 1949) is an American politician from Utah. A member of the Republican Party, she served longer in the Utah Legislature than any other woman in Utah history. After serving a decade in the

Utah 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 conta ...

, she unseated an incumbent senator in 2006 and served in that position until June 2018, when she resigned for medical reasons. She represented the 15th Senate District which includes parts of Provo, Orem, Vineyard, Lindon and Pleasant Grove.

Personal life, education, and career

Growing up in a military family, Dayton attended schools in five states. She graduated from Merced High School (California) and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

. Dayton worked for several years as a registered nurse. In 1977, she married Lynn T. Dayton, a physician. Shortly after her marriage, Dayton chose to put aside her career as a nurse to become a full-time stay at home mother. The Daytons have five children. She is 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 c ...

Political career

In 1996, Dayton was appointed by Utah governor Mike Leavitt to fill out the remaining four months of the term of Rep. Lee Ellertson in Utah House District 61, a seat for which she was already running.(3 August 1996)
GOP HOUSE CANDIDATE TO FINISH DISTRICT 61 TERM
''Deseret News''(4 August 1996)
Leavitt Appoints Orem Woman To Fill Vacant Utah House Seat
''Salt Lake Tribune'' She defeated Independent American Party candidate Gordon Norman with 90% of the vote in the election to retain the seat.(6 November 1996)
Republicans Make A Clean Sweep Of Utah Valley's House Seats
''Deseret News'' In 2006, Dayton ousted Republican incumbent Parley G. Hellewell to win the Republican nomination for the Utah Senate, and handily defeated Democrat Bethanie Newby in the November 2006 general election.Choate-Nielsen, Amy (8 November 2006)
Republicans win in Utah County
''Deseret News'' Dayton won re-election in 2014 with over 80% of the vote against her Democratic challenger. Dayton served in Senate leadership, and on the following committees: *Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee *Retirement and Independent Entities Appropriations Subcommittee *Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee *Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee – Chair *Water Development Commission - Senate Chair Dayton has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Utah System of Higher Education, is a recipient of the Friend of Taxpayer Award and is included annually in Top Business Friendly Legislators. In 2017, Dayton announced that she would run to fill the vacancy caused by

Jason Chaffetz Jason E. Chaffetz (; born March 26, 1967) is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017. Ch ...

resigning from Congress.

Election

Legislation

2016 sponsored bills

Notable legislation

In 2013, Dayton sponsored a bill that would require Utah to collect data on women who undergo

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

s, including their race and their reason for doing so. Dayton, who is known for her opposition to legal abortion, wants to restrict the pathway to abortion in Utah. The Governor signed the bill on 22 March 2013. In 2016, Dayton questioned whether the state should be providing housing to the homeless through House Bill 346, asking if the "bill is based on the assumption that housing is a right the government is obligated to provide? Is that why we are providing tax payer money for that?" Dayton voted against the bill; however, it still passed both chambers and was signed by the Governor on March 25, 2016.

Boards, affiliations, and awards

*Utah Valley University Executive Advisory Board *College of Eastern Utah Board of Trustees *Honorary Doctorate from USHE *Utah Medical Association Alliance *Utah Hospital Association Annual Recipient *Guardian of Small Business Award *Defender of Free Enterprise Awards *Friend of Taxpayer Award, Utah Taxpayers Association *Member of the National Rifle Association *Cub Scout Leader *President, PTA *Member of the National Rifle Association *Defender of Free Enterprise *Teddy Roosevelt Award from Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dayton, Margaret 1949 births Dayton, Marageret Republican Party members of the Utah House of Representatives Brigham Young University alumni Republican Party Utah state senators Women state legislators in Utah Latter Day Saints from Washington (state) 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from California