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John W. HickenlooperDEMDemocrat United States Senator
72
Years of Age
19
Years of Experience
COResidence (state)

John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. (HIH-kən-LOOH-pər; born February 7, 1952) is an American politician, geologist, and businessman serving as the junior United States senator from Colorado since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd governor of Colorado from 2011 to 2019 and as the 43rd mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011. Born in Narberth, Pennsylvania, Hickenlooper is a graduate of Wesleyan University. After a career as a petroleum geologist, in 1988 he co-founded the Wynkoop Brewing Company, one of the first brewpubs in the U.S. Hickenlooper was elected the 43rd mayor of Denver in 2003, serving two terms. In 2005, TIME named him one of America's five best big-city mayors. After incumbent governor Bill Ritter said that he would not seek reelection, Hickenlooper announced his intention to run for the Democratic nomination in January 2010. He won an uncontested primary and faced Constitution Party nominee Tom Tancredo and Republican Party nominee Dan Maes in the general election. Hickenlooper won with 51% of the vote and was reelected in 2014, defeating Republican Bob Beauprez. As governor, he introduced universal background checks and banned high-capacity magazines in the wake of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting.

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0 / 6
Education4 - 4 of 2
Wesleyan University
MA Geology
1980
Wesleyan University
BA English
1974
Past Positions1 - 5 of 5
Senator
United States Senate, Colorado
2021 - Current
Governor
State of Colorado
2011 - 2019
Mayor
City of Denver
2003 - 2011
Co-Founder
The Wynkoop Brewing Company
1987 - 2003
Geologist
Buckhorn Petroleum
1981 - 1986
Other Experience1 - 4 of 4
Chair
National Governors Association
2014 - 2015
Chair
Western Governors' Association
2013 - 2014
Vice-Chair
Democratic Governors Association
Former Member
Subcommittee on Children and Families