John Hickenlooper | |
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![]() Official portrait, 2021 | |
United States Senator from Colorado | |
Assumed office January 3, 2021 Serving with Michael Bennet | |
Preceded by | Cory Gardner |
42nd Governor of Colorado | |
In office January 11, 2011 – January 8, 2019 | |
Lieutenant | Joe García Donna Lynne |
Preceded by | Bill Ritter |
Succeeded by | Jared Polis |
Chair of the National Governors Association | |
In office July 13, 2014 – July 25, 2015 | |
Deputy | Gary Herbert |
Preceded by | Mary Fallin |
Succeeded by | Gary Herbert |
43rd Mayor of Denver | |
In office July 21, 2003 – January 11, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Wellington Webb |
Succeeded by | Bill Vidal |
Personal details | |
Born | John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. February 7, 1952 Narberth, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses | |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Smith Hickenlooper (grandfather) Bourke B. Hickenlooper (great-uncle) Andrew Hickenlooper (great-grandfather) George Hickenlooper (cousin) |
Education | Wesleyan University (BA, MS) |
Website | Senate website |
John Wright Hickenlooper Jr.[1] (/ˈhɪkənluːpər/ HIK-ən-loop-ər; born February 7, 1952) is an American politician, geologist, and businessman serving as the junior United States senator from Colorado since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd governor of Colorado from 2011 to 2019 and as the 43rd mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011.
Born in Narberth, Pennsylvania, Hickenlooper is a graduate of Wesleyan University. After a career as a petroleum geologist, in 1988 he co-founded the Wynkoop Brewing Company, one of the first brewpubs in the U.S. Hickenlooper was elected the 43rd mayor of Denver in 2003, serving two terms. In 2005, TIME named him one of America's five best big-city mayors. After incumbent governor Bill Ritter said that he would not seek reelection, Hickenlooper announced his intention to run for the Democratic nomination in January 2010. He won an uncontested primary and faced Constitution Party nominee Tom Tancredo and Republican Party nominee Dan Maes in the general election. Hickenlooper won with 51% of the vote and was reelected in 2014, defeating Republican Bob Beauprez.
As governor, he introduced universal background checks and banned high-capacity magazines in the wake of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting. He expanded Medicaid under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, halving the rate of uninsured people in the state. Having initially opposed marijuana legalization, he has gradually come to support it.
He sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. president in 2019 but dropped out before primaries were held. He subsequently ran for the U.S. Senate, winning the Democratic nomination and the general election, defeating incumbent Republican Cory Gardner.[2] At 68, Hickenlooper became the oldest first-term senator to represent Colorado.[3]
MACDONALD, ANNE MORRIS, age 82, of Dunwoody Village, Newtown Square, PA. On April 3, 2003. Beloved wife of William M. Macdonald, loving mother of Elizabeth Kennedy Hollins, Sydney Morris Kennedy, Deborah Hickenlooper Rohan and John W. Hickenlooper, Jr.; also survived by 4 grandchildren, sister of Maysie Morris Henrotin, Jane Morris Stewart-Clark and Helen Morris Blackwood.
At 68, Hickenlooper is the oldest Coloradan to first win election to the U.S. Senate.