Joel Ferry

Joel Ferry is an American politician and rancher who served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives from the 1st district. Elected in 2018, he assumed office on January 2, 2019.

Joel Ferry
Executive Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources
Incumbent
Assumed office September 2022
Nominated by	Spencer Cox
Member of the Utah House of Representatives from the 1st district
In office January 1, 2023 – January 2023
Preceded by	Thomas Peterson
Succeeded by	Thomas Peterson
In office January 1, 2019 – August 26, 2022
Preceded by	Scott Sandall
Succeeded by	Thomas Peterson
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Becca
Children	5
Education	Utah State University (BS)

Early life and education

Ferry is a native of Box Elder County, Utah and graduated from Box Elder High School in 1996. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and finance from Utah State University.^[1]

Career

After graduating from college, Ferry worked as a banker at Zions Bancorporation in Salt Lake City. Ferry later returned to Corinne, Utah to work on his family's farm with his father and uncle.^[2][3] Ferry has also served as the chairman of the Box Elder County Republican Party. In 2018, he was elected to the Utah House of Representatives, assuming office on January 2, 2019, and succeeding Scott Sandall.^[4][5][6] Ferry appeared at the signing ceremony of the 2018 United States farm bill.^[7] He has expressed concern about the potential for the Great Salt Lake to dry up, comparing the effect to "a potential environmental nuclear bomb".^[8]

In July 2022, Governor Spencer Cox nominated Ferry to serve as Utah Department of Natural Resources. The position requires confirmation by the Utah State Senate.^[9] He resigned in August and was replaced by Thomas Peterson but remained on the November 2022 ballot and was re-elected. He resigned again in January 2023 and was again replaced with Peterson.^[10][11]

Personal life

Ferry and his wife, Becca, have five children. His uncle, Ben Ferry, also served in the Utah House of Representatives.^[7][12]

References

1. "Candidate Profile for Joel Ferry". ivoterguide.com. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
2. "Farmers looking ahead, hopeful that the market will recover from severe cuts in revenue". KSTU. 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
3. Standard-Examiner, MEGAN OLSEN. "Box Elder family farm and ranch honored for cutting edge conservation practices". Standard-Examiner. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
4. DeMoss, Jeff. "Ferry excited to begin first Utah legislative session". The Herald Journal. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
5. "Rep. Ferry, Joel". Utah House of Representatives. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
6. "Joel Ferry". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
7. "Joel Ferry third-generation Utah Legislator". Retrieved 2021-01-05.
8. Flavelle, Christopher; Tarnowski, Bryan (2022-06-07). "As the Great Salt Lake Dries Up, Utah Faces An 'Environmental Nuclear Bomb'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
9. "Is Gov. Spencer Cox's pick to run the Natural Resources Department violating the Utah Constitution?". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
10. "Rep. Joel Ferry resigns from the Legislature but is still on the November ballot". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
11. "Whom Democrats picked to replace Karen Mayne in the Utah Senate". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
12. "JOEL & BECCA FERRY". utahfarmbureau.org. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2021-01-05.