Carl W. Buehner

Here is a biographical / “author-style” piece about Carl W. Buehner (1898–1974). While he is not primarily known as a “politician” in the traditional sense, his life involved civic service, religious leadership, and a bid for public office.

Carl W. Buehner – Life, Service, and Quoted Wisdom

Learn about Carl W. Buehner (1898–1974) — a German-American religious leader, civic figure, businessman, and Republican gubernatorial candidate in Utah. Discover his life story, roles, influential quote, and legacy.

Introduction

Carl William Buehner is best remembered as a prominent leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a community builder, and for his 1968 candidacy for Utah governor. Though not a career politician in the usual way, his public life bridged religion, business, civic duty, and an appeal to moral leadership. He is also widely attributed with the oft-quoted line:

“They may forget what you said — but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

This saying, sometimes misattributed to others like Maya Angelou, underscores Buehner’s sense of relational influence and character.

In what follows, we trace his early life, service roles, business activity, political campaign, the context of his times, his personal traits, his legacy, and lessons we can draw from his life.

Early Life and Emigration

Carl William Buehner was born December 27, 1898, in Stuttgart, Germany, to Carl Frederick Buehner and Anna Bertha Geigle. When he was about two years old, his family emigrated to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they settled in the LDS community.

Growing up in Utah, he was educated locally. His early life included athletic interests; according to historical summaries, he excelled in athletics during his school years before pursuing higher education.

He later attended the Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago) for advanced studies.

After schooling, Buehner entered business, joining and helping run family enterprises, particularly in construction, brick manufacturing, and real estate concerns (such as the Buehner Block Company) and related ventures.

He married Lucille Thurman (also spelled “Thurmon” in some sources) and the couple had four children.

Carl W. Buehner died on November 11, 1974, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is buried at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Utah.

Service, Leadership & Church Roles

Much of Buehner’s public life was in religious service within the LDS Church, with responsibilities that extended into community and social welfare.

Church Leadership & General Authority

• In 1952, Buehner was called as Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric (under Joseph L. Wirthlin), a high leadership office overseeing the temporal affairs (buildings, welfare, property) of the Church. He served in that capacity until September 30, 1961.

• Immediately upon his release from that role, he was appointed Second Assistant in the general superintendency of the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA) on September 30, 1961.

• He continued in YMMIA leadership under successive general superintendents (e.g. Joseph T. Bentley, later G. Carlos Smith) until 1967, when he was succeeded by George R. Hill III.

• Beyond these official roles, prior to 1952 he had served in multiple ecclesiastical positions: bishop, stake president, stake high councilor, and was a member of the Church’s Welfare Committee.

Civic & Community Involvement

• Buehner was President of the Great Salt Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and for his contributions was honored with the Silver Beaver Award (a national BSA recognition for distinguished service).

• In business and civic circles, he served on boards and in leadership in multiple ventures: the Buehner Block Company, Beehive State Bank, Utah Fur Farms, Brookfield Products, Sunset Lawn Memorial Corporation, and building contract firms.

• As early as 1938, he took a role in a grand jury investigation into irregularities in Salt Lake City policing and state government, marking his occasional engagement in reform or oversight actions.

Thus, Buehner’s life reflected a blending of religious stewardship, community service, and business leadership.

Political Candidacy

Although his public life was not that of a conventional politician, Buehner did enter electoral politics in 1968, when he was nominated by the Utah Republican Party as their candidate for Governor of Utah.

In the 1968 gubernatorial election held on November 5, 1968, Buehner was decisively defeated by the incumbent Democrat Calvin L. Rampton, who captured 68.71% of the vote to Buehner’s 31.29%. Buehner’s tally was 131,729 votes versus Rampton’s 289,283.

His candidacy was not a narrow contest; political analysts regard it as a long shot from the start.

After the election, Buehner returned to his religious and civic roles. He did not hold further elected political office.

Context & Historical Setting

Carl W. Buehner’s lifespan (1898–1974) spanned many pivotal epochs in American and Utah history: world wars, the Great Depression, postwar expansion, the civil rights movement, and the evolving role of religion in public life.

• Utah & the LDS Church: The mid-20th century in Utah was marked by growing tensions and collaborations between religious leadership and secular government, with the LDS Church playing a significant role in social welfare and community institutions. Buehner’s overlapping roles in church and civic life reflect this dynamic.

• Religious Leaders in Politics: While the U.S. maintains separation of church and state, in Utah it has been common for religious figures to wield influence, and occasionally to seek office. Buehner’s bid fits a pattern where respected ecclesiastical leaders occasionally step into electoral contests.

• Postwar Prosperity & Business Growth: His business ventures grew in an era of rising construction, urban development, and economic expansion in the American West. Buehner’s enterprises in real estate, building materials, and banking mirror broader patterns of growth in Utah in mid-century.

• Social and Youth Movements: Leadership in youth organizations (Boy Scouts, YMMIA) was especially consequential at a time when civic virtue, character education, and community involvement were emphasized in American culture.

• Public Trust & Moral Leadership: In a time of social change (1960s), older civic figures like Buehner were often seen as anchors of moral credibility—even if their political potency was variable.

Thus, Buehner’s life was woven into the religious, economic, and civic fabric of mid-20th-century Utah.

Personality, Values & Traits

From the records available, the following traits emerge of Carl W. Buehner:

1. Relational & Emotional Insight
   His famous quote about how people remember how you made them feel suggests that he placed value on empathy, human dignity, and interpersonal influence more than mere rhetoric.

2. Duty & Service Orientation
   His many church callings, civic roles, and public service inclinations point to a strong sense of obligation, responsibility, and devotion to community.

3. Entrepreneurial & Industrious
   His business ventures and real estate interests reflect a man comfortable in enterprise, leveraging opportunity, and maintaining diverse involvements.

4. Steadfast in Faith
   He held long tenures in church leadership, suggesting consistency, faithfulness, and respect within his religious community.

5. Bridge-builder
   He operated at the intersection of religion, business, community, and even electoral politics—acting as a bridge between spheres rather than a radical disruptor.

He also faced limitations: his political success was limited, and his public renown beyond Utah and LDS circles remains modest.

Famous Quotes

The principal quote attributed to Buehner is:

“They may forget what you said — but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

Quote Investigator (a respected quotations research site) reports that the earliest known publication of this phrase appears in 1971 in Richard Evans’ Quote Book, where it is ascribed to Carl W. Buehner. They note that over time the line has been misattributed to many others (including Maya Angelou), but the Buehner attribution is the earliest documented.

This quote captures a major theme of his philosophy of influence: beyond words or actions, emotional resonance matters deeply.

Legacy and Influence

Though Carl W. Buehner is not widely studied in political history, in religious and Utah cultural memory he retains significance:

• Within the LDS community, he is remembered as a capable and devoted general authority, youth leader, and steward of temporal programs.

• His business ventures left lasting imprints in Utah’s built environment, institutions, and economic networks.

• The quote attributed to him has achieved wide circulation in motivational, leadership, and educational contexts—proving that a single line can secure a kind of immortality.

• His 1968 gubernatorial run, although unsuccessful, remains a marker of his willingness to cross from ecclesiastical into public, electoral life.

In that sense, his legacy is more moral and symbolic than electoral. He exemplifies a person of faith and standing stepping into public life—though not primarily as a politician.

Lessons from Carl W. Buehner’s Life

1. Character endures more than speech.
   Buehner’s famous saying reminds us that influence lies not just in what you say but in how you make others feel. Kindness, empathy, integrity matter.

2. Service bridges roles.
   His life shows that religious, business, civic, and community roles can complement rather than compete—one can serve in multiple spheres without losing coherence.

3. Courage to engage.
   Though his political bid was not successful, he demonstrated a readiness to enter the public arena from a place of conviction, even when success was unlikely.

4. Rooted influence vs. fame.
   Many meaningfully impactful lives are lived locally rather than on national stages. Buehner’s influence is strongest in Utah and his church, rather than in national books.

5. Legacy through words.
   Sometimes a lasting legacy is achieved less through grand action than through a line of wisdom that resonates across generations.