Michael Hancock (Colorado politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Hancock
Hancock in 2022
45th Mayor of Denver
In office July 18, 2011 – July 17, 2023
Preceded by	Bill Vidal
Succeeded by	Mike Johnston
Member of the Denver City Council from the 11th district
In office July 21, 2003 – July 18, 2011
Preceded by	Jon Bowman
Succeeded by	Unknown
Personal details
Born	(1969-07-29) July 29, 1969 (age 56) Killeen, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Children	3
Education	Hastings College (BA) University of Colorado, Denver (MPA)

Michael B. Hancock (born July 29, 1969) is an American politician and author. He served as the 45th mayor of Denver, Colorado, from 2011 to 2023. As a member of the Democratic Party, he was the second African American to be elected mayor of Denver.

Before becoming mayor, Hancock was a member of the Denver City Council for the 11th district. He was first elected to the council in 2003 and served until 2011. During his time on the council, he was chosen by his peers to be the council president for two terms.

Hancock won the election for mayor in 2011. He was reelected in 2015 and again in 2019 for his third and final term.

Early Life and Education

Michael Hancock was born at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. His family moved to Denver when he was a baby. He and his twin sister are the youngest of ten children. A DNA study showed that many of his ancestors were from Cameroon in Africa.

When he was in high school, Hancock had a fun job during the 1986 Denver Broncos Super Bowl season. He was the team's mascot, "Huddles," and earned $25 an hour.

Hancock graduated from Denver's Manual High School in 1987. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in political science from Hastings College in Nebraska. Later, he received a Master's degree in public administration, which is the study of how to manage government services, from the University of Colorado Denver.

Career Before Politics

In the early 1990s, Hancock worked for the Denver Housing Authority and the National Civic League. At the Housing Authority, he created programs for sports, culture, and leadership for thousands of kids living in public housing.

At the National Civic League, he helped communities across the country create plans to solve money problems and improve their local governments.

In 1995, Hancock joined the Metro Denver Urban League, an organization that works for economic and civil rights. He started as a program director and eventually became the president of the organization in 1999. At 29, he was the youngest president of any Urban League chapter in the country. He helped create a successful job training program and worked with major companies to build partnerships.

Denver City Council

In 2003, Hancock was elected to the Denver City Council, representing the 11th district in northeast Denver. He was reelected in 2007. His fellow council members elected him as the City Council President from 2006 to 2008.

As a council member, he helped create the Denver Pre-School Initiative. He also worked on plans to help people facing home foreclosures and oversaw the largest project to improve Denver's infrastructure in the city's history.

Mayor of Denver

When Denver's mayor, John Hickenlooper, was elected governor of Colorado in 2010, a special election was held to choose a new mayor. In 2011, Michael Hancock ran for mayor. After a close first round of voting, he faced Chris Romer in a second election called a runoff. Hancock won the runoff election and was sworn in as the 45th Mayor of Denver on July 18, 2011.

Hancock was easily reelected in 2015. In 2019, he won his third and final term as mayor.

Important Actions as Mayor

In 2020, Hancock supported the idea of reparations for slavery. Reparations are actions taken to make amends for a past wrong. He helped create a fund to collect donations that would eventually be given to the city's Black residents. In 2021, he co-founded Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), a group of mayors working to start reparations programs in their cities.

In April 2022, Hancock officially apologized on behalf of the city of Denver for anti-Chinese race riots that happened in 1880. He promised that the city would create an Asian Pacific District, work with schools to teach about Asian Pacific Coloradans, and build a museum for the Asian Pacific American community.

Personal Life

Hancock is married to Mary Louise Lee, an actress and singer. They have three children. He is also a deacon at the New Hope Baptist Church.

In 2004, Hancock co-wrote a book with former Colorado State Senator Peter Groff called Standing in the Gap: Leadership for the 21st Century.

See also

• List of mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States