{{Short description|American politician and rancher}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Joel Ferry | image = Ferry Joel (2021) (cropped).jpeg | office = Executive Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources | nominator = Spencer Cox | term_start = September 2022 | status = | state_house1 = Utah | district1 = 1st | term_start1 = January 1, 2023 | term_end1 = January 2023 | predecessor1 = Thomas Peterson | successor1 = Thomas Peterson | term_start2 = January 1, 2019 | term_end2 = August 26, 2022 | predecessor2 = Scott Sandall | successor2 = Thomas Peterson | party = Republican | education = Utah State University (BS) | spouse = Becca | children = 5 }}
'''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.
== 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Candidate Profile for Joel Ferry|url=https://ivoterguide.com/candidate?elecK=787&raceK=-52741&primarypartyk=ZZZZ&canK=-170025|access-date=2021-01-05|website=ivoterguide.com}}</ref>
== 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.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-12-11|title=Farmers looking ahead, hopeful that the market will recover from severe cuts in revenue|url=https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/farmers-looking-ahead-hopeful-that-the-market-will-recover-from-severe-cuts-in-revenue|access-date=2021-01-05|website=KSTU|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Standard-Examiner|first=MEGAN OLSEN|title=Box Elder family farm and ranch honored for cutting edge conservation practices|url=https://www.standard.net/news/environment/box-elder-family-farm-and-ranch-honored-for-cutting-edge-conservation-practices/article_226c63d2-fb98-5c42-a1f0-b98404feb8d1.html|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Standard-Examiner|language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DeMoss |first=Jeff |title=Ferry excited to begin first Utah legislative session |url=https://www.hjnews.com/tremonton/ferry-excited-to-begin-first-utah-legislative-session/article_5900c902-1f4e-11e9-9db9-1310cbfc7680.html |access-date=2021-01-05 |website=The Herald Journal |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Rep. Ferry, Joel|url=https://house.utah.gov/rep/FERRYJ/|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Utah House of Representatives|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-11-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117175517/https://house.utah.gov/rep/FERRYJ/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Joel Ferry|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Joel_Ferry|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Ballotpedia|language=en}}</ref> Ferry appeared at the signing ceremony of the 2018 United States farm bill.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Joel Ferry third-generation Utah Legislator|url=https://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/archive/2018/12/30/joel-ferry-third-generation-utah-legislator/|access-date=2021-01-05|language=en-US}}</ref> He has expressed concern about the potential for the Great Salt Lake to dry up, comparing the effect to "a potential environmental nuclear bomb".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flavelle |first=Christopher |last2=Tarnowski |first2=Bryan |date=2022-06-07 |title=As the Great Salt Lake Dries Up, Utah Faces An ‘Environmental Nuclear Bomb’ |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/07/climate/salt-lake-city-climate-disaster.html |access-date=2022-06-10 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Is Gov. Spencer Cox’s pick to run the Natural Resources Department violating the Utah Constitution? |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/07/15/is-gov-spencer-coxs-pick-run/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rep. Joel Ferry resigns from the Legislature but is still on the November ballot |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/08/26/rep-joel-ferry-resigns/ |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Whom Democrats picked to replace Karen Mayne in the Utah Senate |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2023/01/16/who-democrats-picked-replace/ |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Personal life == Ferry and his wife, Becca, have five children. His uncle, Ben Ferry, also served in the Utah House of Representatives.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-03-15|title=JOEL & BECCA FERRY|url=https://www.utahfarmbureau.org/Article/JOEL-BECCA-FERRY|access-date=2021-01-05|website=utahfarmbureau.org|language=en}}</ref>
== References == <references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferry, Joel}} Category:Living people Category:People from Box Elder County, Utah Category:Utah State University alumni Category:Republican Party members of the Utah House of Representatives Category:Businesspeople from Utah Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century members of the Utah Legislature