George Dern was a politician, reformer, businessman, inventor, and the sixth governor of Utah.
In Short
He was also the first Utahn to work for a United States president! He brought political savviness, business-mindedness, and an investment in making life better for Utahns to the table.
More of the Story
Dern was born to German immigrants in Nebraska on September 8, 1872. He went to the University of Nebraska and was the football captain there. In 1894, Dern moved to Salt Lake City with his family to work for the Mercur Gold Mining and Milling Company. He worked in mining until he started his political career. He served as a Democrat on the Utah state senate, as governor for two terms, and as the Secretary of War for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Dern married Charlotte “Lottie” Brown, and together they had six children.
Mining and Inventing
Dern started as the bookkeeper at Mercur Mining and then became the company treasurer and finally the company’s general manager. He co-invented the Holt-Dern roaster, a furnace that used coal dust and salt to pull metal from ore. Dern also developed a process of using slime to filter metal from the rock!
“We want a Dern good governor, and we don’t mean Mabey.”
Dern ran for governor against Republican candidate Charles R. Mabey in 1924 and won! He used the slogan “We want a Dern good governor, and we don’t mean Mabey” to encourage people to learn about his political ideas and vote for him.
Dern dedicated his time as governor to public education, tax reform, and improving the state economy by using Utah’s natural resources. Dern helped secure a state income tax and a corporate franchise tax that required companies to pay taxes to help the state economy. Dern met presidential candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt—often called FDR—in 1932. They found they liked each other, and Dern supported Roosevelt’s presidential campaign.
Secretary of War
Once FDR became president, he asked Dern to serve as Secretary of War (today, this position is called the Secretary of Defense). He enlarged the military, emphasized quick response times to conflicts, and got money for new planes and vehicles. This work took place during the Great Depression when the US was struggling through an economic crisis! Dern’s work prepared the United States for involvement in World War II.
Dern’s Legacy
George Dern served as Secretary of War until he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1936. President Roosevelt traveled from Washington, DC to Utah to go to Dern’s funeral. You can see his grandson, Bruce Dern, and great-granddaughter, Laura Dern, on television and in movies! Dern’s work influenced mining and politics for years to come.
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