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 55) 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. He served as the 45th mayor of Denver, Colorado. His time as mayor was from 2011 to 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, he was a Denver City Council member for the 11th district.

Hancock served on the Denver City Council from 2003 to 2011. During this time, he was the council's president twice. He became Mayor of Denver on July 18, 2011. He won against Chris Romer in an election. He was reelected easily in 2015 and again for a third term in 2019. Michael Hancock was Denver's second African American mayor. The first was Wellington Webb.

About Michael Hancock

Michael Hancock was born in Killeen, Texas, at Fort Hood. He moved to Denver with his family when he was a baby. He has a twin sister and is the youngest of ten children. DNA tests show that his family mainly came from enslaved people in Cameroon.

Early Life and Education

While in high school, Michael Hancock worked as the mascot for the Denver Broncos. He was "Huddles" during the 1986 Super Bowl season. He graduated from Denver's Manual High School in 1987.

He then earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Hastings College in Nebraska in 1991. Later, he received a master's degree in public administration management. He earned this from the University of Colorado Denver.

Books and Public Recognition

Michael Hancock co-wrote a book called Standing in the Gap: Leadership for the 21st Century. He wrote it with former Colorado State Senator Peter Groff. The book was published in 2004.

In 2012, Hancock visited Reykjavík, Iceland. He met with the Mayor of Reykjavík, Jón Gnarr. In 2014, he was named an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow. This is a special recognition for leaders.

Family Life

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

Michael Hancock's Career

Hancock began his career in the early 1990s. He worked two jobs while also studying for his master's degree. He worked at the Denver Housing Authority and the National Civic League.

Working with Communities

At the Denver Housing Authority, he created programs for kids. These programs offered sports, cultural activities, and leadership training. They helped 11,000 children living in public housing.

With the National Civic League, Hancock helped many communities. He worked with non-profits and other groups. He helped them create plans to solve money problems and get more people involved in their communities.

Leading the Urban League

In 1995, he joined the Metro Denver's Urban League. This group helps people with economic empowerment and civil rights. The organization was facing difficulties when he joined.

Hancock worked hard and moved up in the organization. He created a plan for the group and managed its daily work. He also led efforts to raise money. In 1999, he became the President of the Urban League.

At 29 years old, he was the youngest leader of an Urban League chapter in the United States. He built a strong team and created a successful job training program. He also made partnerships with companies like Qwest, Comcast, and AT&T.

Serving on the City Council

After almost five years as President of the Urban League, Hancock left in 2003. Voters in northeast Denver's 11th district elected him to the Denver City Council. He was reelected in 2007.

His fellow council members chose him to be President of the Denver City Council twice. He served in this role from 2006 to 2008. During his time as president, he oversaw important projects. These included the Denver Pre-School Initiative and plans to help with home foreclosures. He also helped with the largest infrastructure improvements in Denver's history.

As a City Council member, Hancock focused on neighborhood issues. He also worked on city money matters, economic growth, and issues important to children.

Mayor of Denver

In 2010, Mayor John Hickenlooper was elected governor of Colorado. This opened up the mayor's position in Denver. In the first election for Denver mayor on May 3, 2011, Hancock was one of the top two candidates. He ran against State Senator Chris Romer.

Hancock then won the runoff election on June 7, 2011. He won by a large margin. He received 70,780 votes (58.08%) compared to Romer's 51,082 votes (41.92%). Michael Hancock became the 45th Mayor of Denver on July 18, 2011.

Reelection as Mayor

Hancock was reelected on May 5, 2015, with a big victory. He received 75,774 votes (80.16%). He was sworn in for his second term on July 20, 2015.

In June 2019, Hancock was reelected for a third term. He won with 56.3% of the votes in a runoff election. He ran against Jamie Giellis, who received 43.7% of the votes.

Important Initiatives as Mayor

In 2020, Mayor Hancock supported the idea of reparations for slavery in the United States. Reparations are ways to make up for past wrongs. He created a Black Reparations Fund at the Denver Foundation. This fund collects donations to help Black residents in the city.

In June 2021, Hancock helped form a group called Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE). This group includes mayors from different U.S. cities. They work to start pilot reparations programs in their cities. Hancock is a co-chair of MORE.

In April 2022, Mayor Hancock officially apologized for the anti-Chinese race riots that happened in Denver in 1880. He gave a special token and a signed apology letter to the victims' descendants. The apology letter promised to build an Asian Pacific District in Denver. It also promised to partner with schools for programs on Asian Pacific Coloradans. And it included plans for an Asian Pacific American Community Museum.

See also

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