John Hickenlooper is the incumbent Governor of Colorado who assumed the office on January 11, 2011. Previously, he was Chair of the National Governors Association (2014 – 2015) and Mayor of Denver (2003 – 2011).
Early Life and Education
John Hickenlooper was born on 7 February 1952 as the son of John and Anne Hickenlooper. Soon, his father died and had to be raised by a single mother in Narberth, Pennsylvania. For early education, Hickenlooper went to Haverford School and joined the Wesleyan University for an undergraduate degree in English. Later, he graduated with a Master’s degree in geology from the same university.
Personal Life
John Hickenlooper is married two times. First, he married a professional writer named Helen Thorpe in 2002 and lived together until 2014 with a son in Park Hill, Denver. As the couple parted their ways, Hickenlooper tied the marital knot with Robin Pringle in early 2016.
Career
Before joining the American mainstream politics, Hickenlooper was a geologist at Buckhorn Petroleum. Unfortunately, he couldn’t use his Master’s degree holder mind for too long as Buckhorn Petroleum laid off many employees including Hickenlooper. Then, he turned his mind towards business – he commenced Wynkoop Brewing Company, especially targeting the audiences who would be attracted to the Major League Baseball games at an under-construction stadium nearby.
Alongside business career, Hickenlooper rose significantly in politics as well. As a democrat, he joined the Colorado politics as Mayor of Denver. Under the capacity of Mayor, Hickenlooper was crucial in solving Denver budget crisis and personnel system. Hence, he was re-elected to the post in 2007 with 88% votes. In 2011, he joined the highest office in the US States as Governor. As a 42nd Governor of Colorado, Hickenlooper was also in the seat of vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association. Later, he joined National Governors’ Association as Chairman.
Under the capacities of various political positions, Hickenlooper has served his state and the country for a long time. Since 2003, he has been appealing to end homelessness and even started a strategy titled ’10 Year Plan to End Homelessness’. Likewise, his tenures have seen the legalization of marijuana of medical use and permission to carry one ounce of cannabis for recreation. Also, Hickenlooper regulated gun ownership in Colorado by limiting the number of rounds each consumer can buy. Moreover, Hickenlooper is skeptical about capital punishment. He once stated, “It is a legitimate question whether we as a state should be taking lives.”
In 2014, Hickenlooper administration allocated $17 million to rebuild water systems and $5 million to clear out debris after a flood hit many parts of Colorado. In the pursuit of developing the rural Colorado, Hickenlooper devised Rural Economic Development Initiative. More than 150 rural jobs have been created as a result of this 2014 program. As a tribute to these works, Hickenlooper earned another term in the Governor’s office in 2014 gubernatorial election.
Trump and Hickenlooper
Us President Donald Trump and Colorado Governor Hickenlooper differ fundamentally with contrasting political views of opposing Republican and Democrat respectively. As a responsible of the United States, Hickenlooper has vowed to support Donald Trump succeed in his tenure. Recently, however, he opposed Trump’s travel ban from the seven Muslim states in the Middle East.
