Christian Hansen Jr. (October 16, 1931 – May 14, 2023) was an American businessman and government official from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. A Republican, he was best known for his service as

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...

for the District of Vermont from 1969 to 1977 and again from 1982 to 1994.

Early life

Christian Hansen Jr. was born in

Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fitchburg State University is located here. History ...

, on October 16, 1931, a son of Christian Hansen Sr. and Margaret Hansen. He attended the schools of Fitchburg, and graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1949. Hansen attended

Fitchburg State University Fitchburg State University (Fitchburg State) is a public university in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It has 3,421 undergraduate and 1,238 graduate/continuing education students, for a total student body enrollment of 4,659. The university offers und ...

and Stevens Business College of Fitchburg. Hansen served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

from 1951 to 1955 and attained the rank of

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a Military rank, rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administr ...

. He completed basic training at

Sampson Air Force Base Sampson Air Force Base is a closed United States military facility, last used by the United States Air Force Air Training Command as a Basic Military Training Center. It was closed in 1956 and put into caretaker status. As of at least the 2 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, then carried out assignments at

Lake City Air Force Station Lake City Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-42) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located west-southwest of Lake City, Tennessee. It was closed in 1960. History Originally designed as Cross Mountain A ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, and

Donaldson Air Force Base Donaldson Air Force Base is a former facility of the United States Air Force located south of Greenville, South Carolina. It was founded in 1942 as Greenville Army Air Base; it was deactivated in 1963 and converted into a civilian airport. It ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Start of career

After his military service, Hansen resided in

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...

and was employed by

New England Telephone and Telegraph Company The first incarnation of the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company was a short-lived company set up to develop the then-new telephone. New England Telephone and Telegraph lasted only a year as a separate entity, from 1878 to 1879, and had no ...

(NET&T); beginning as a business office representative in the company's Fitchburg office in 1955, he became a sales representative in 1957, then a corporate communications consultant, followed in February 1965 by promotion to business office manager in

St. Albans, Vermont St. Albans, Vermont may refer to: *St. Albans (town), Vermont, established 1763, a town in Franklin County, Vermont, U.S. * St. Albans (city), Vermont, established 1902, a city in Franklin County, Vermont, U.S. See also * St. Albans Bay, Vermont, ...

. In December 1965, Hansen was transferred to the business office manager's position at NET&T's office in

Brattleboro Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located about north of the Massachusetts state line at the confluence of Vermont's West River and the Connecticut River. With a 2022 Census populat ...

. While residing in St. Albans, Hansen served as a

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is commonly ...

for Franklin County, and after moving to Brattleboro, he was a Windham County deputy sheriff. Interested in politics as a Republican, in 1968 Hansen was active in the gubernatorial campaign of

James L. Oakes James Lowell Oakes (February 21, 1924 – October 13, 2007) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for ...

. Oakes lost the Republican nomination to

Deane C. Davis Deane Chandler Davis (November 7, 1900December 8, 1990) was an American attorney and insurance executive from Vermont. Long active in Republican politics, he is most notable for his service as the 74th governor of Vermont from 1969 to 1973. E ...

, after which Hansen was active in the successful Davis campaign. In March 1969, Hansen and his wife purchased a Brattleboro flower shop, Taylor for Flowers.

United States Marshal

As a result of Hansen's connections to the Republican Party, when Republican

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

assumed the presidency in January 1969, Hansen was considered for appointment as Vermont's United States Marshal. Vermont's senior U.S. Senator, Republican

George Aiken George David Aiken (August 20, 1892 – November 19, 1984) was an American politician and horticulturist. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 64th governor of Vermont (1937–1941) before serving in the United States Senate for 34 ye ...

, considered Hansen and Howard P. Lunderville, a member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

from Williston, and decided to recommend Hansen. Nixon nominated Hansen in May 1969, and he was confirmed in June. After Nixon was reelected in 1972, he nominated Hansen for a second term, which was confirmed in October 1973. He served until August 1977, when President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, nominated Earle B. McLaughlin, the sheriff of Chittenden County, to succeed Hansen.

Later career

After leaving the Marshal's office, Hansen was the owner and operator of Avenue Grocery Store in Brattleboro. In 1978, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for Windham County

assistant judge Side judge, or assistant judge, is a judicial position unique to the U.S. state of Vermont. There are two side judges in each of Vermont's 14 counties. Like lay judges, side judges are usually not legal professionals. Duties and responsibilities ...

. In 1980, he was the successful Republican nominee to succeed

Timothy J. O'Connor Timothy J. O'Connor Jr. (December 13, 1936 – January 16, 2018) was a Vermont lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives. Biography Timothy J. "Tim" O'Connor Jr. was born in Brattleboro, Vermont, on ...

as the Windham 4-3 district member in the

. Hansen served in the House from January 7, 1981 to April 22, 1982, and was succeeded by Dart W. Everett.

Return to Marshal's office

In 1980, Republican

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

won the presidency and in December 1981 he appointed Hansen to succeed Earle McLaughlin as Vermont's U.S. Marshal. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 1982 and was sworn in on April 26. During his second tenure as Marshal, Hansen relocated from Brattleboro to

South Burlington South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292, making it the seco ...

. Hansen continued to serve until September 1994. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

, a

, took office in January 1993, and in October 1994 he appointed John E. Rouille as Hansen's successor. In retirement, Hansen became a resident of

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

and spent winters in Florida.

Personal life and death

In 1955, Hansen married Nancy C. Fletcher (1934–2021). They were the parents of three children— Susan, Cindy, and Mark. Hansen died in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...

, on May 14, 2023. Hansen was buried at Hillside Cemetery in

Castleton, Vermont Castleton is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. Castleton is about to the west of Rutland, the county's seat and most populous city, and about east of the New York/Vermont state border. The town had a population of 4,458 at the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen Christian Jr. 1931 births 2023 deaths Law enforcement officials from Vermont People from Fitchburg, Massachusetts People from Brattleboro, Vermont People from South Burlington, Vermont People from Rutland (city), Vermont Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives United States Air Force non-commissioned officers United States Marshals 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly