SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Olene Smith Walker, Utah’s first and only female governor, has died. She was 85.
Amanda Covington, a former spokeswoman for Walker, says she died Saturday in Salt Lake City from natural causes.
Considered one of the highest profile women in Utah politics, the Republican served as lieutenant governor for 11 years. She was elevated to governor when Gov. Mike Leavitt left in 2003 to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Walker attempted re-election but finished fourth in a contest for the GOP nomination at the party’s convention in May 2004.
Gov. Gary Herbert praised Walker as a fearless champion of education and recognized its integral role in Utah’s future success.