The University of Utah Presidents includes all sixteen men who served as president of the University of Utah

University of Utah

The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

 or its predecessor the University of Deseret, which was founded in 1850 just a few years after the Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley

Salt Lake Valley

Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably West Valley City, Murray, Sandy, and West Jordan; its total population is 1,029,655 as of 2010...

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List of Presidents

According to the university's official count the current president, Michael K. Young, is the 14th president of the University. The university only counts the presidents that have served since the name was officially changed to the University of Utah, starting with John R. Park

John R. Park

John Rockey Park was a prominent educator in the Territory and State of Utah in the late 19th century, and in many ways was the intellectual father of the University of Utah....

. The count also only counts the presidents, not the actual terms, because Joseph T. Kingsbury was president two different times.

University of Utah Presidents:		Tenure	Bio
	Orson Spencer Orson Spencer Orson Spencer was a prolific writer and prominent member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in several highly visible positions within the church and left an extensive legacy of theological writings...	1850–1852	Orson Spencer was named as the first chancellor of the University of Deseret when it was created on February 28, 1850. His tenure only lasted a short time until the university was temporarily closed.
	NONE	1852–1867	The University of Deseret was suspended for fifteen years due to the lack of funds and "feeder" schools.
	David O. Calder	1867-1869	David O. Calder was a Mormon Pioneer from Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...  who was assigned by Brigham Young Brigham Young Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...  to re-open the University after its fifteen year closure.
	John R. Park John R. Park John Rockey Park was a prominent educator in the Territory and State of Utah in the late 19th century, and in many ways was the intellectual father of the University of Utah....	1869–1892	John R. Park is the longest tenured president in the history of the University of Utah, serving for 23 years. At the end of his tenure the name of the university was changed to The University of Utah and planning began to move the campus to the east bench of Salt Lake City. Upon his death in 1900, Dr. John R. Park bequeathed his entire fortune, plus his library, to the University of Utah.
	Joseph T. Kingsbury	1892-1894	Joseph T. Kingsbury became the first president of the university to have actually attended the university.
	James E. Talmage James E. Talmage James Edward Talmage born in Hungerford, Berkshire, England, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1911 until his death in 1933....	1894-1897
	Joseph T. Kingsbury	1897–1916	For the second time Kingsbury was appointed as the president of the University of Utah, this time serving for nearly twenty years.
	John A. Widtsoe John A. Widtsoe John Andreas Widtsoe was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1921 until his death. Widtsoe was also a noted author, scientist, and academician.-Early life:...	1916–1921	John A. Widtsoe was the president of Utah State University Utah State University Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....  from 1907 until 1916 when he became the president of the University of Utah. He continued as president until he was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve in the LDS church. The University of Utah, Utah State, and BYU BYU -Education:* Brigham Young University, a university located in Provo, Utah, USA administered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.**BYU Salt Lake Center, a satellite center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...  all have buildings named after him.
	George Thomas	1921–1941
	LeRoy E. Cowles	1941–1946	His presidency, 1941–46, spanned the World War II years. Classes were added in military science, economics and philosophy of war and programs began in Army pre-flight, Navy V-1 and R.O.T.C. One of the far-reaching academic achievements of the period was expansion of the medical program into a four-year medical school. In 1980 one of the first three buildings on the campus was renamed in his honor. The LeRoy E. Cowles Building currently houses Communications.
	A. Ray Olpin A. Ray Olpin Albert Ray Olpin was president of the University of Utah from 1946 to 1964. During his presidency the university quadrupled in size and the enrollment tripled from 4,000 to 12,000 students.-Biography:...	1946–1964	During A. Ray Olpin's presidency the university quadrupled in size and the enrollment tripled from 4,000 to 12,000 students. The current student union building at the university is named in his honor.
	James C. Fletcher James C. Fletcher James Chipman Fletcher was the president of the University of Utah from 1964 to 1971. He also served as the 4th and 7th Administrator of NASA, first from April 27, 1971, to May 1, 1977, and again from May 12, 1986, to April 8, 1989 and also worked at BPP.-Biography:Born in Millburn, New Jersey,...	1964–1971	James C. Fletcher was the president at the university from 1964 until he became the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1971.
	Alfred C. Emery	1971–1973
	David P. Gardner David P. Gardner David Pierpont Gardner was the 17th president of the University of California and was also the president of the University of Utah.-Biography:...	1973–1983
	Chase N. Peterson Chase N. Peterson Chase Nebeker Peterson was the president of the University of Utah from 1983 to 1991.-Biography:Peterson was born in Logan, Utah where his father, E. G. Peterson was the president of what is now Utah State University. Peterson received both his bachelors degree and MD from Harvard University...	1983–1991
	Arthur K. Smith	1991–1997
	Bernie Machen Bernie Machen James Bernard "Bernie" Machen is an American university professor and administrator. Machen is a native of Mississippi, and earned multiple academic degrees before becoming a university administrator and president...	1998–2004
	Michael K. Young	2004–2011