John Hickenlooper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Hickenlooper
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Official portrait, 2021
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| United States Senator from Colorado |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2021 Serving with Michael Bennet
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| Preceded by | Cory Gardner |
| 42nd Governor of Colorado | |
| In office January 11, 2011 – January 8, 2019 |
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| 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 |
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| Deputy | Gary Herbert |
| Preceded by | Mary Fallin |
| Succeeded by | Gary Herbert |
| 43rd Mayor of Denver | |
| In office July 21, 2003 – January 11, 2011 |
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| 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 |
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) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | |
John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. (born February 7, 1952) is an American politician, scientist, and businessman. Since 2021, he has served as a United States senator for the state of Colorado. Before becoming a senator, he was the 42nd governor of Colorado from 2011 to 2019 and the 43rd mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Hickenlooper was born in Pennsylvania and went to college at Wesleyan University. He started his career as a geologist. In 1988, he helped start the Wynkoop Brewing Company, one of the first special breweries called brewpubs in the United States.
He was elected mayor of Denver in 2003 and served two terms. In 2005, TIME magazine named him one of the five best big-city mayors in America. He later ran for governor of Colorado and won in 2010. He was reelected in 2014. As governor, he signed new laws about gun safety and expanded Medicaid, a government health care program.
In 2020, Hickenlooper ran for the U.S. Senate and won, defeating the senator who was in office at the time, Cory Gardner.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Hickenlooper was born in Narberth, Pennsylvania, a town near Philadelphia. His great-grandfather, Andrew Hickenlooper, was a general in the Union Army during the Civil War. His grandfather, Smith Hickenlooper, was a federal judge. Another relative, Bourke B. Hickenlooper, was a governor and U.S. senator from Iowa.
Hickenlooper's father passed away when he was young, so his mother raised him. He graduated from The Haverford School in 1970. He then went to Wesleyan University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1974 and a master's degree in geology in 1980.
From Geologist to Businessman
In the early 1980s, Hickenlooper worked as a geologist for a company called Buckhorn Petroleum in Colorado. A geologist is a scientist who studies the Earth, including rocks and minerals. After losing his job in 1986, he decided to start a new business.
With a few partners, he opened the Wynkoop Brewing Company in Denver in 1988. It was one of the first brewpubs in the country. A brewpub is a restaurant that brews its own beer. The business was very successful and helped make Denver a popular city for brewpubs.
Mayor of Denver (2003–2011)
In 2003, Hickenlooper decided to run for mayor of Denver. He used his experience as a business owner in his campaign. He won the election and became the city's 43rd mayor.
As mayor, Hickenlooper faced a big budget problem. The city was short $70 million. He was able to fix the budget without cutting important city services. He also supported a large public transportation project called FasTracks.
Hickenlooper also started a plan to help people experiencing homelessness in Denver. He created the Denver Scholarship Foundation, which gives money to high school graduates to help them pay for college.
In 2007, he was reelected as mayor with 88% of the vote. He served as mayor until he became governor in 2011.
Governor of Colorado (2011–2019)
Hickenlooper was elected governor of Colorado in 2010 and took office in January 2011. He was reelected for a second term in 2014. As governor, he was known for working with both Democrats and Republicans to solve problems.
Gun Safety Laws
After a tragic mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, in 2012, Hickenlooper signed new gun safety laws. These laws required background checks for almost all gun sales in Colorado. They also banned gun magazines that hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition.
Health Care
Hickenlooper expanded Medicaid in Colorado as part of the Affordable Care Act. This helped many more people in the state get health insurance. The number of people without insurance in Colorado was cut in half during his time as governor.
Disaster Recovery
In 2014, after major floods and wildfires, Hickenlooper signed bills to help communities recover. The money was used to clean up damage, repair schools, and fix water systems.
United States Senator (2021–Present)
After serving two terms as governor, Hickenlooper could not run again because of term limits. In 2020, he ran for the U.S. Senate. He won the Democratic primary election and then defeated the Republican senator, Cory Gardner, in the general election. He took office as a U.S. senator on January 3, 2021.
Committee Work
In the Senate, Hickenlooper serves on several important committees. These groups focus on specific topics and help create new laws. His committees include:
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Key Political Positions
Hickenlooper is known for having moderate or "centrist" views on many issues. This means he often looks for a middle ground between different political ideas.
- Economy: He calls himself a "fiscal conservative," which means he is careful with government spending. He believes in helping businesses grow and creating jobs. He started a program called Skillful to help people find training for jobs that are in high demand.
- Environment: Hickenlooper's government created the first rules in the U.S. to capture methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from oil and gas operations. He also supports hydraulic fracturing, a method of getting oil and gas from the ground, but believes it should be done safely.
- Immigration: As governor, he signed a law allowing some undocumented students, known as Dreamers, to pay in-state tuition at Colorado colleges. He has said he supports creating a path for undocumented immigrants to become citizens.
Personal Life
Hickenlooper's first wife was Helen Thorpe, a writer. They have a son named Teddy. The couple divorced in 2012. In 2016, Hickenlooper married Robin Pringle. They have one son.
Hickenlooper's family has Quaker roots. Quakers are a religious group known for their values of peace and simplicity. He has said that these values have influenced how he approaches his work in government.
A cousin, George Hickenlooper, was a filmmaker who won an Emmy Award. Hickenlooper has a condition called prosopagnosia, or "face blindness," which makes it difficult for him to recognize people's faces.
See also
In Spanish: John Hickenlooper para niños
