John Hickenlooper

John Hickenlooper
Hickenlooper in 2021
Official portrait, 2021
United States Senator
from Colorado
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Serving with Michael Bennet
Preceded byCory Gardner
42nd Governor of Colorado
In office
January 11, 2011 – January 8, 2019
LieutenantJoe García
Donna Lynne
Preceded byBill Ritter
Succeeded byJared Polis
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office
July 13, 2014 – July 25, 2015
DeputyGary Herbert
Preceded byMary Fallin
Succeeded byGary Herbert
43rd Mayor of Denver
In office
July 21, 2003 – January 11, 2011
Preceded byWellington Webb
Succeeded byBill Vidal
Personal details
Born
John Wright Hickenlooper Jr.

(1952-02-07) February 7, 1952 (age 72)
Narberth, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
(m. 2002; div. 2015)
Robin Pringle
(m. 2016)
Children2
RelativesSmith Hickenlooper (grandfather)
Bourke B. Hickenlooper (great-uncle)
Andrew Hickenlooper (great-grandfather)
George Hickenlooper (cousin)
EducationWesleyan University (BA, MS)
WebsiteSenate website

John Wright Hickenlooper, Jr.[1] (/ˈhɪkənlpər/ 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]

  1. ^ "MacDonald, Anne Morris". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 6, 2003. Death notice. 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.
  2. ^ Pramuk, Jacob (November 3, 2020). "John Hickenlooper projected to win Colorado Senate race, a pickup for Democrats". CNBC.
  3. ^ Luning, Ernest (December 29, 2020). "TRAIL MIX | Superlatives pile up in record-shattering 2020 election". Colorado Politics. Retrieved December 29, 2020. At 68, Hickenlooper is the oldest Coloradan to first win election to the U.S. Senate.

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