John Hickenlooper

John Wright Hickenlooper (born February 7, 1952) is an American politician and current Governor of Colorado. A Democrat, he was previously the Mayor of Denver, Colorado from 2003 to 2011.

Early life, education and career

Hickenlooper was born in Narberth, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, part of the suburban Main Line. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University where he received a B.A. in English in 1974 and a master’s degree in geology in 1980.

Before becoming mayor in July 2003 he was a geologist turned entrepreneur. He is often considered a prominent figure in the LoDo urban renewal period during the early 1990s. Hickenlooper owned several restaurants in LoDo in the late 1980s, before the area's renewal. He was one of the founders of the original Wynkoop Brewing Company brewpub; these and others companies contributed to the redevelopment of the area following the arrival of major league baseball in the neighborhood. The area had been known to be dangerous; Hickenlooper is quoted as saying, "I must've had rocks in my head." The rent for Wynkoop's real estate was $1 per square foot per year."", by Rick Reilly, Sports Illustrated, October 2007

Mayor of Denver

Hickenlooper's first tasks included handling the city's budget crisis and changing its career personnel system. He has appointed a relatively young crew of appointees to his cabinet. Mayor Hickenlooper is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns...
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