John Hickenlooper facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids John Hickenlooper
Official portrait, 2021

United States Senator from Colorado
Incumbent
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. (1952-02-07) February 7, 1952 (age 73) Narberth, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Helen Thorpe (m. 2002; div. 2015) Robin Pringle (m. 2016)
Children	2
Relatives	Smith Hickenlooper (grandfather) Bourke B. Hickenlooper (great-uncle) Andrew Hickenlooper (great-grandfather) George Hickenlooper (cousin)
Education	Wesleyan University (BA, MS)

John Wright Hickenlooper, Jr. (born February 7, 1952) is an American politician. He is currently a U.S. Senator for Colorado. He has served in this role since 2021.

Before becoming a senator, Hickenlooper was the 42nd governor of Colorado. He served as governor from 2011 to 2019. He was also the 43rd mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

John Hickenlooper was born in Narberth, Pennsylvania. He studied at Wesleyan University. He started his career as a petroleum geologist. In 1988, he helped start the Wynkoop Brewing Company. This was one of the first brewpubs in the U.S.

In 2005, TIME magazine called him one of America's five best big-city mayors. He ran for governor in 2010 and won. He was reelected in 2014. As governor, he worked on gun safety laws. He also expanded health care access. In 2019, he ran for U.S. president. He later ran for the U.S. Senate and won in 2020.

Early Life and Career

John Hickenlooper was born in Narberth, Pennsylvania. This is a town near Philadelphia. His father died when John was young. His mother raised him.

His great-grandfather, Andrew Hickenlooper, was a general. His grandfather, Smith Hickenlooper, was a federal judge.

John went to The Haverford School. He graduated in 1970. He then attended Wesleyan University. He earned a degree in English in 1974. Later, he got a master's degree in geology in 1980.

After college, Hickenlooper worked as a geologist in Colorado. In 1986, he lost his job. In 1988, he and five friends opened the Wynkoop Brewing Company. This was one of the first brewpubs in the country. It was located in Denver.

Mayor of Denver

In 2003, Hickenlooper decided to run for mayor of Denver. He used his business experience in his campaign. He won the election. In July 2003, he became the 43rd mayor of Denver.

When he became mayor, Denver had a large budget problem. He was able to fix this problem. He did it without cutting many services. He also gained support for a big public transit project. This project was called FasTracks. It aimed to improve public transportation.

Hickenlooper also started a plan to help people experiencing homelessness. He wanted to end homelessness in Denver. He also created the Denver Scholarship Foundation. This foundation helps high school students pay for college. In 2007, he was reelected as mayor. He won with a very high percentage of the votes.

Hosting the Democratic National Convention

Hickenlooper helped Denver host the 2008 Democratic National Convention. This was a big meeting for the Democratic Party. It happened in 2008. Denver had also hosted the convention 100 years earlier.

Governor of Colorado

John Hickenlooper became the 42nd governor of Colorado. He was sworn in on January 11, 2011. He won his election by a large amount. He was the second mayor of Denver to become governor.

He was seen as a leader who tried to bring people together. He worked with both Democrats and Republicans. In 2014, he was reelected for a second term.

Key Actions as Governor

As governor, Hickenlooper worked on many important issues.

Gun Safety: After a shooting in Aurora, Colorado, he signed new gun laws. These laws included requiring background checks for all gun sales. They also banned certain high-capacity magazines.
Health Care: He expanded Medicaid in Colorado. This helped more people get health insurance. The number of people without insurance in the state went down a lot.
Environment: His administration created new rules for oil and gas companies. These rules aimed to stop methane leaks. They were the first of their kind in the country. Other states and countries later used these rules as a guide.
Economic Growth: He launched a program called Skillful. This program helps businesses find skilled workers. It also helps people get job training.

Hickenlooper could not run for governor again in 2018. This is because of term limits in Colorado.

U.S. Senate

In 2019, John Hickenlooper announced he would run for the United States Senate. He wanted to represent Colorado. He won the Democratic primary election. In the general election, he defeated the Republican senator, Cory Gardner. He took office on January 3, 2021.

Important Events as Senator

January 6 Capitol Attack: After the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021, Hickenlooper supported efforts to remove Donald Trump from office.
Committee Work: As a senator, he serves on several important committees. These include the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. He also serves on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He is the chair of the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety. He also chairs the Subcommittee on Space and Science.

2020 Presidential Campaign

On March 4, 2019, John Hickenlooper announced he would run for president of the United States. He sought the Democratic nomination. He formally started his campaign a few days later. He released a video called "Stand Tall."

His campaign did not gain much support. He ended his presidential campaign on August 15, 2019.

Political Views

Capital Punishment

In 2013, Hickenlooper paused the execution of a man named Nathan Dunlap. He questioned if the death penalty was fair. He also thought about whether it truly stopped crime. Later, he wrote in his book that he is against the death penalty. He said his views changed after learning more about it. He noted that it often affects minorities and people with mental illnesses unfairly.

Disaster Recovery

In 2014, Hickenlooper signed bills to help with disaster recovery. These bills provided money to clean up after floods and wildfires. They also helped repair damaged schools and water systems.

Economic Policy

Hickenlooper calls himself a "fiscal conservative." This means he believes in careful spending of government money. He has said that government should work better, not necessarily be bigger. He supported programs to help rural economies. He also helped create Skillful, a program to connect people with jobs and training.

Energy and Environment

Hickenlooper's administration created rules to control methane leaks from oil and gas operations. These rules were the first in the country. They helped reduce pollution.

After the U.S. left the Paris Agreement on climate change, Hickenlooper joined other states. They decided to continue working towards the agreement's goals. He supports hydraulic fracking. He believes it can be done safely.

Gun Policy

As governor, Hickenlooper signed laws for universal background checks on gun sales. He also banned gun magazines that hold more than 15 rounds. He supported a "Red Flag" bill. This bill would allow judges to temporarily take guns from people who are a danger to themselves or others.

Health Care

Hickenlooper expanded Medicaid in Colorado. He also set up Connect for Health Colorado. This is a marketplace for health insurance. These actions helped many more Coloradans get health insurance.

Immigration

As governor, Hickenlooper supported "Dreamers." These are young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. He helped them get in-state college tuition. He also joined a lawsuit to protect the DACA program. He has spoken out against the policy of separating families at the border.

Technology and Cryptocurrency

Hickenlooper has expressed concerns about large tech companies. He thinks they might stop competition. He wants to update laws to prevent this. As governor, he also created a council to study blockchain technology. This technology is used for things like cryptocurrency.

Personal Life

John Hickenlooper's first wife was Helen Thorpe. She is a writer. They have a son named Teddy. They divorced in 2012. Hickenlooper later married Robin Pringle in 2016. They welcomed a baby boy in December 2022.

Hickenlooper has some famous relatives. His cousin, George Hickenlooper, was a documentary filmmaker. His great-uncle, Bourke Hickenlooper, was a governor and U.S. senator from Iowa.

John Hickenlooper enjoys playing squash. He still competes in national tournaments. He also lives with prosopagnosia. This is a condition commonly known as "face blindness." It means he has trouble recognizing faces.