John S. Bransford

Who was John S. Bransford?

John Samuel Bransford was the 15th mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah from 1907 to 1911.

Bransford was born in Richmond, Missouri. As a child, Bransford had traveled the Mormon Trail with his family on their journey to California in 1864, stopping temporarily in Salt Lake City. In Plumas County, California, Bransford was a county assessor from 1886 to 1890 and served three terms as the county sheriff. He was elected to these positions as a Democrat.

Bransford moved to Salt Lake City in 1899 and remained there permanently. In 1900, Bransford was elected the president of the Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange. In 1904, he joined Utah's anti-Mormon American Party, but remained a member of the Democratic Party.

Bransford became the mayor on August 13, 1907, 11 days after Ezra Thompson resigned due to ill health and accusations of corruption. Bransford was unanimously elected by the city council as the replacement for Thompson. Bransford served out the remainder of Thompson's term and was elected mayor in the election of 1907. He was re-elected in 1909, and served until the end of his second elected term in 1911.