This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
John Preston Creer, a former Salt Lake County commissioner who once ran for governor, has died.
Creer died Friday in Salt Lake City after a long illness, surrounded by his family, according to his obituary. He was 81.
Coming from a politically active family, Creer served as a Salt Lake County commissioner at 29. He ran for attorney general, as well as for governor as a Democrat in 1976. His uncle and grandfather had run for the state's top position before him.
Besides politics, Creer loved his faith and his family. They would vacation at their cabin on Hegben Lake in Montana, on the ski slopes, or southern Utah's red cliffs, according to his obituary.
He was also an attorney in Salt Lake City from 1962 until 1999.
"He developed his love for the law as a young boy, talking with his grandfather James H. Moyle, who was the first attorney in Utah with a law degree," Creer's obituary reads.
Creer's viewing is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Larkin Sunset Lawn Mortuary, at 2350 E. 1300 South, and before his funeral service Thursday from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Federal Heights chapel. His funeral is set for noon that day at the Federal Heights Ward, at 1300 E. Fairfax Road.
Creer is survived by his wife, five children, 15 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and five siblings.
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