John David Vanderhoof (May 27, 1922 – September 19, 2013) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, Vanderhoof served as the 37th Governor of Colorado from 1973 to 1975, assuming the office from

John Arthur Love John Arthur Love (November 29, 1916 – January 21, 2002) was an American attorney and Republican politician who served as the 36th Governor of the State of Colorado from 1963 to 1973. Early life and education Love was born on a farm near Gib ...

, who was appointed to the National Energy Policy Office by President

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 ...

. Vanderhoof served out the remainder of Love's term, but failed to win a term in his own right, being defeated by

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 ...

Richard Lamm Richard Douglas Lamm (August 3, 1935 – July 29, 2021) was an American politician, writer, and attorney. He served three terms as the 38th Governor of Colorado as a Democrat (1975–1987) and ran for the Reform Party's nomination for Pre ...

in the 1974 election.

Early life and career

Born in

Rocky Ford, Colorado Rocky Ford is a statutory city located in Otero County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,876 at the 2020 census. History The community was named for a rocky ford across the Arkansas River near the original town site. Geography ...

, Vanderhoof graduated from Glendale College in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in 1942 and joined the Navy. He served in

Naval Aviation Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of Military aviation, military air power by Navy, navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves ''navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seab ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, flying over 100 sorties as a fighter pilot. In 1945, he suffered a broken leg when his aircraft was shot down near the Philippines and his parachute malfunctioned. Vanderhoof received two

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

s, the Distinguished Flying Cross and three

Air Medals The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

for his service from 1943 to 1945. After the war, he worked in the family sporting goods business and later became a bank executive. Vanderhoof was elected to the

Colorado House of Representatives The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distri ...

in 1950, and served twenty years until 1970. He was a former chairman of the Game and Fish Committee and Business Affairs Committee of the House. Minority floor leader during the 43rd General Assembly and elected Speaker of the House for the 44th, 46th, and 47th General Assemblies. In 1970, he became the first lieutenant governor elected under a new constitutional provision calling for the joint election of

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and Lieutenant Governor. In 1974, Vanderhoof sought election as Governor in his own right. In the Republican primary, Vanderhoof dispatched conservative cable television executive

Bill Daniels Robert William Daniels Jr. (July 1, 1920 – March 7, 2000) was an American cable television executive and owner of professional sports teams. He was a pioneer in building the cable television industry and was known as the "father of cable telev ...

with over 60% of the vote. He was defeated in the 1974 general election by State Senator

, 53% to 46%.

Colorado Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rock

In 2010, Richard Kevin Griffis, a graduate student at the

University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the Ac ...

was assigned the task of tracking down the Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rock by his Professor

Joseph Gutheinz Joseph Richard Gutheinz (born August 13, 1955) is an American attorney, college instructor, commissioner, writer, and former Army intelligence officer, Army aviator, and Federal law enforcement officer. He is known as the founder of the "Moon Ro ...

. He discovered that the Colorado Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rock was missing, which led to the admission by Vanderhoof that he had possession of one of two Colorado Moon rock displays that was presented to the state of

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

by President Richard Nixon in the 1970s. Vanderhoof voluntarily surrendered the rock, which at the time was estimated to be worth $5 million. The rock was subsequently put on display at the Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum.

Death

He died on September 19, 2013, aged 91.

References

External links

Colorado State Archives
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Vanderhoof, John 1922 births 2013 deaths 20th-century members of the Colorado General Assembly American bankers United States Navy personnel of World War II American United Methodists Businesspeople from Colorado Republican Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives Glendale Community College (California) alumni Republican Party governors of Colorado Lieutenant governors of Colorado Military personnel from Colorado People from Glenwood Springs, Colorado People from Rocky Ford, Colorado Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Shot-down aviators Speakers of the Colorado House of Representatives United States Naval Aviators United States Navy officers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century Methodists