Mayor, senator, astronaut, general, pilot, businessman — Edwin Jacob "Jake" Garn has worn many hats since he first came to the public forefront in 1971.
Garn, 76, is still in the public eye, making public appearances before groups of schoolchildren who are much more interested in his single flight into space as a "payload specialist" on the crew of the space shuttle Discovery in 1985 than they are in his three terms in the U.S. Senate.
"In fact, 'Sen. Garn' died a long time ago. But 'astronaut Garn' is still alive. About 95 percent of the talks that I am requested to give are about space, and virtually none are about Congress," Garn told Lee Davidson in an Oct. 7, 2006, Deseret News interview.
And that was OK with him. In an April 12, 2006, story by Deseret News reporter Joe Bauman, Garn was quoted as saying: "I'd rather talk about space than anything else."
Over the years, Garn was one of Utah's most respected — and photographed — politicians. Photo researcher Ron Fox has culled the Deseret News archives for photos, some never-before-seen, of Garn that encompass his years as a naval pilot and member of the Air National Guard, Salt Lake City's youngest mayor, Garn's Senate career and his 109 orbits around Earth.
In the 1972 mayoral election, Garn received 73 percent of the vote, the largest majority in the city's history. Then 39, Garn had already served four years on the City Council, where he oversaw the city's water department.
Over the next seven years, Garn helped create a cooperative team and overcome the bickering that had typified the council, and he built a relationship with the residents of Salt Lake City.
A Sept. 19, 1973, article by Deseret News food editor Winnifred Jardine featured recipes by the mayor's mother Fern Garn and his wife, Hazel Garn, including his mother's scones, one of Garn's favorites.
In the article, Garn admitted that the rigors of the mayor office, including 10 or 12 job-related meals a week and inadequate time to exercise had helped him pack on 10 extra pounds his first two years in office.
"It is no treat for me to eat out anymore," he said vehemently. "My great pleasure is eating at home with my family."
Family would play an important part in Garn's life.
The state mourned with him in 1976 when his first wife, Hazel, died in a Nebraska car crash. He married his second wife, Kathleen, in 1977.
In the 2006 interview with Davidson, Garn explained that when he retired from the Senate after his third term, he said family was a primary reason:
"What he does not miss about Congress is 'its many late nights and heavy schedule. When my youngest daughter was 3, a picture of the Capitol came on TV. She said, "Daddy, that's where you live." I said, "No, that's where I work." She said, "No, you live there.' "
"He says a main reason he walked away from Congress was truly to find a lifestyle where he could spend more time with his family. He says he knew how important that is because his first wife died shortly after he was first elected, and his current wife 'was essentially raising seven kids by herself. Our family life improved dramatically' when he moved them out of Washington back to Utah, and commuted there more often."
When Garn ran for the Senate, he faced Rep. Wayne Owens, who entered the race a clear favorite. Garn gained ground slowly throughout the campaign, and won in a close race.
And while Garn was recognized as one of the true conservatives in the U.S. Senate, it was his time off the ground for which he is most remembered today.
E-MAIL: mhaddock@desnews.com