James Vear Hansen (August 14, 1932 – November 14, 2018) was an American politician from

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, who was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1981 to 2003.

Early life and education

Hansen was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, graduating from the city's East High School. From 1951 until 1955, he served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. He attended the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

, receiving a business degree from the school in 1961.

Career

The same year that he left college, Hansen was elected to the Farmington City Council. He also worked as an insurance agent. From 1973 until 1980, Hansen was a member of the

Utah House of Representatives The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district cont ...

, serving as speaker of the house from 1979 until 1980. In 1980, he defeated

K. Gunn McKay Koln Gunn McKay (February 23, 1925 – October 6, 2000) was an American politician who represented the state of Utah. He served from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1981, beginning in the ninety-second Congress and in four succeeding congresses. ...

to represent . He faced off against McKay two more times, in 1986 and 1988, prevailing in both races. Hansen retired on January 3, 2003. Hansen served as chairman of the Committee on Resources in his last term in the

107th Congress The 107th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January ...

. Hansen ran for the governorship in 2004, but was defeated at the Republican convention by

Jon Huntsman Jr. Jon Meade Huntsman Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is an American politician, businessman, and diplomat who served as the 16th governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the ambassador of the United States ...

who went on to win the election. He was appointed a commissioner on the

2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission preliminary list was released by the United States Department of Defense on May 13, 2005. It was the fifth Base Realignment and Closure ("BRAC") proposal generated since the process was created in ...

. When a portion of

U.S. Route 89 U.S. Route 89 (US 89) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway with two sections, and one former section. The southern section runs for from Flagstaff, Arizona, to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The northern sectio ...

Weber County, Utah Weber County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 262,223, making it Utah's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Ogden, the home of Weber State Univers ...

was upgraded to freeway standards, it was named the James V. Hansen Highway. The federal building in

Ogden, Utah Ogden ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the United States Census ...

was renamed the James V. Hansen Federal Building in his honor in 2004.Federal Judicial Center
Retrieved on 2009-04-19.

Personal life

Hansen died on November 14, 2018, at the age of 86.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Jim 1932 births 2018 deaths 20th-century members of the Utah Legislature American businesspeople in insurance Businesspeople from Salt Lake City Latter Day Saints from Utah Republican Party members of the Utah House of Representatives Military personnel from Salt Lake City People from Farmington, Utah Politicians from Salt Lake City Speakers of the Utah House of Representatives United States Navy sailors University of Utah alumni Utah city council members Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Utah 20th-century American businesspeople Members of Congress who became lobbyists 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links