Email Mayor Crane

J. Lynn Crane was born August 1, 1938 in the old maternity home in Murray, Utah. He is the 4th child in a family of 5 children, with 2 brothers and 2 sisters. At the time of his birth and for most of his life, Mayor Crane has lived in Herriman. Historically, his family names go back to the beginnings of Herriman, with the Butterfield family arriving in Herriman in 1851 and the Cranes in 1856.

During his elementary and middle school years, he attended school in Herriman. At this time his father ran sheep in southeastern Idaho, where he spent all his summers during his young life. The sheep experience prompted a family move to central Idaho, where he attended his junior and senior year of High School at Challis, Idaho. Following his graduation from high school, his family returned to Herriman to live. With the exception of his years in Challis, his mission, time in the military, and his college years, Mayor Crane has lived in Herriman.

After high school, he served for three years in the U. S. Army which ended with a year in Thule, Greenland. Following his military service, Mayor Crane served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the West Central States Mission, which is now Montana and Wyoming. Mayor Crane has always been involved in Church callings of leadership and teaching opportunities.

J. Lynn Crane married a Herriman girl, Suzanne Miller, and they have seven children and 13 grandchildren.

Mayor Crane attended BYU, where his professional training was in Education. He graduated from BYU with a degree in Secondary Education. Following college, he taught for three years in Jordan School District. After that he worked in educational sales, and in 1976 became self-employed as an independent sales representative, and spent 25 years selling curriculum materials in the Intermountain West, mainly in Utah and Idaho. He obtained his insurance license and has been a licensed insurance representative since 1968.

Mayor Crane has been visible in community and civic opportunities since his college years, working with Herriman Pipeline, the Herriman Community Association, and later with the Salt Lake County Herriman Community Council. He was actively involved in the effort to gain the petitions for the incorporation of Herriman. He was appointed by the Salt Lake County Commission in June 1999 as the first Mayor of Herriman. He ran unopposed for the office in November 1999, and was re-elected as Mayor in November 2001.

Mayor Crane likes yard work when he has the time to do it, and isn’t rushed. He likes to read good books, especially historical fiction, and is an avid BYU sports fan. He enjoys the outdoors, camping, and the mountains. One of his favorite camping spots while his children were young was at Bridger Lake in the High Uintahs.

Mayor Crane never expected, anticipated, prepared, or dreamed of, or had any interest in politics, but he says it has been an interesting and energizing experience. He hopes that when his term of Mayor is through, that Herriman will still be a good, family oriented place to raise children. When he reports to his grandfathers regarding what he has done here, he wants to be able to report that he has helped preserve their historical spot on the earth and has maintained the place called Herriman, and that it remains a good place to live.