William Spry (January 11, 1864 – April 21, 1929) was an American politician who was the third governor of the State of Utah. He is the namesake of the William Spry Agriculture Building that houses the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
In 1885, Spry was called as an LDS Church missionary and went to serve in the Southern States Mission. From 1888 to 1891, Spry served as president of the Southern States Mission.[1] In 1890, during his mission, Spry received permission from the leaders of the church to return briefly to Salt Lake City where he married Mary Alice Wrathall.[2]
He served as governor of Utah from 1909 to 1917. He was a Republican. Spry was a strong opponent of Prohibition, and vetoed two bills that would have implemented this.[4] In 1915, Spry refused President Woodrow Wilson's request to reconsider the impending execution of Joe Hill and allowed the execution to take place on November 19.[5]
From 1921 to 1929 Spry served as commissioner of Public Lands.[6] Spry died in Washington, D.C., in 1929 when he was still serving as the Federal Commissioner of Public Lands. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.
^Rosemont, Franklin (2002). Joe Hill: The IWW & the Making of a Revolutionary Workingclass Counterculture. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr. p. 139. ISBN088286-264-2.
