LAYTON—Haven Barlow, who served in the legislature for 42 years from 1952 – 1995 making him the longest serving legislator, passed away over the weekend. He turned 100 last month.

Barlow was also a champion of education and his impact in the state and county was immeasurable. As a legislator, not only was he instrumental in getting the funding to buy the land the Weber/Davis campus sits on, he helped in transitioning Weber State into a four year institution and then a university. He was also known as the “father” of the technical school and pushed to create Davis Technical College.

“I’m sad today,” said Rep. Steve Handy, R-Layton. “He became a nice friend of mine. I kept my horse on his property and we rode together in parades.”

Handy also helped Barlow complete his biography. “It was underway, I just helped him finish it and get it published for his family,” he said. “He had a remarkable life. He was born on the same date as Utah received statehood, Jan. 4.”

He was never supposed to live, said Handy. “At 9 months old he was with his mother when their car was hit by a train. His mother was killed. He was thrown from the car and lived.”

Barlow was also instrumental in getting the causeway built on Antelope Island. “People had a hard time realizing how important Antelope Island is,” he said in an earlier interview with the Journal. “We needed money to build a causeway and that was money that could be put into education but we needed people to come to our state. I’m proud to be a part of getting that causeway built.”

Handy accompanied Barlow on the Honor Flight back to Washington, D.C. in 2015. “He served in WWII in the Navy in both the Pacific and Atlantic.”

His legacy will never be repeated, said Handy. “He served for 42 years. He made an incredible impact on Davis County. What an amazing life this guy had. I will miss him very, very much.”