Rosemary T. Lesser is an American physician,United States Air Force veteran,and Democratic politician who represented Utah House of Representatives District 10 from January 2021 until December 2024.[1][2]
Lesser was raised in an Air Force family and lived on multiple U.S. and European bases during childhood.[3] She was a member of the first cohort of undergraduate women admitted to the University of Notre Dame,earning a B.S. in preprofessional studies in 1976.[4][5] She received an M.D. from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 1981.[2]
Military and medical career
After medical school,Lesser served around 15 years in the United States Air Force as an obstetrician-gynecologist,with duty assignments including Germany and Texas.[6][7] She completed an OB/GYN residency at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in San Antonio,Texas.[8]
After completing military service in 1992,she settled in Ogden,Utah,practicing at the Ogden Women’s Clinic and at Ogden Regional Medical Center and McKay-Dee Hospital until 2012;she later worked as an OB hospitalist,including at the Ogden Clinic.[6][9] Lesser has also participated in medical volunteer work,including surgical outreach in Mali,West Africa,and emergency medical response following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[6][a]
Political career
Following the death of Rep. LaWanna “Lou”Shurtliff on December 30,2020,Democratic delegates in House District 10 recommended Lesser for appointment;Governor Spencer Cox appointed her on January 16,2021,and she took office during the 2021 general session.[1][11][12]
In the 2022 general election she defeated Republican nominee Jill Koford with 52.3% of the vote (5,771 to 5,271).[13] In 2024,Koford narrowly defeated Lesser in one of the state’s closest House races;canvassed county results certified Koford’s win and flipped the Weber County–based seat to Republicans.[14][15][16]
Lesser’s priorities included expanding access to health care,eliminating the state sales tax on groceries,strengthening early childhood supports,and clean air and natural resource protection.[20] Commentators frequently noted her uncommon status as a Democratic legislator from outside Salt Lake County.[21]
Personal life and community
Lesser and her husband,physician and Air Force veteran Dave Lesser,live in Ogden;they have six children and grandchildren.[6] She has been involved with community organizations including the Boys &Girls Clubs of Weber–Davis,Onstage Ogden,the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics &Public Service at Weber State University,and the Women in Business Committee of the Ogden–Weber Chamber of Commerce.[22]
Her recognitions include the 2024 Community Leader of the Year award from United Way of Northern Utah[23] and the 2025 ATHENA International Leadership Award from the Ogden–Weber Chamber of Commerce.[24][25]
↑ While numerous sources document extensive medical relief efforts in Haiti, specific rosters of individual volunteers are not always publicly listed.[10]
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