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John W. Hickenlooper

John W. Hickenlooper

DemocratU.S. Senator, CO
Age74 (b. 1952-02-07)
GenderMale
In office since2021-01-03 (~5 yrs)
Race / ethnicityWhite (partial Dutch descent)
ReligionQuaker background (mother's family); has said he does not consider himself a practicing Quaker but is influenced by Quaker values
EducationWesleyan University, B.A. in English (1974) and M.A./M.S. in geology (1980); graduate of The Haverford School (1970)
Prior occupationPetroleum geologist (early 1980s); co-founder of Wynkoop Brewing Company, Denver's first brewpub (1988), which he sold in 2007
Military serviceNo
BirthplaceNarberth, Pennsylvania
LanguagesEnglish
Marital statusMarried — Robin Pringle (m. 2016); previously Helen Thorpe (m. 2002, div. 2015)
Children2
ResidenceDenver, Colorado
Notable relativesGreat-great-uncle (relative) Bourke B. Hickenlooper, Governor of Iowa and U.S. Senator from Iowa; great-grandfather Andrew Hickenlooper, Union Army general; grandfather Smith Hickenlooper, federal judge; cousin George Hickenlooper, film director

Pending research: openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected2003
Previous officesMayor of Denver (2003-2011) · Governor of Colorado (2011-2019) · Chair, National Governors Association (2014-2015)
CommitteesCommerce, Science, and Transportation · Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) · Energy and Natural Resources · Small Business and Entrepreneurship
LeadershipChair, National Governors Association (2014-2015)
IdeologyWidely characterized as a centrist/moderate Democrat; helped broker the centrist deal on the Inflation Reduction Act with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2022

Financial

Net worth: disclosed $9,400,000–$27,300,000 (2019) · estimate

Procter & Gamble (PG)stock · $1,000,000–$5,000,000 · 2019
Apple (AAPL)stock · –$500,000 · 2019
Coca-Colastock · –$500,000 · 2019
Merckstock · –$500,000 · 2019
Duke Energystock · –$500,000 · 2019
ADPstock · –$500,000 · 2019
Exxon Mobilstock · –$500,000 · 2019

Scandals & crimes ledger

resolvedColorado Independent Ethics Commission gift-ban violations and contempt finding
ethics-violation · 2018 · Colorado Independent Ethics Commission · Found to have violated Colorado's constitutional gift ban on two counts; fined $2,750 total ($2,200 for a 2018 private-jet trip to Connecticut on a plane owned by donor Larry Mizel/MDC Holdings for the USS Colorado commissioning, $550 for benefits including a Maserati limousine ride and private security tied to a 2018 Bilderberg meeting in Italy). Also held in contempt for initially refusing to testify at the hearing, though no additional penalty was imposed for the contempt.
The Colorado Independent Ethics Commission ruled on June 5 and finalized on June 12, 2020 that then-former Governor John Hickenlooper violated the state's constitutional gift ban by accepting a 2018 flight on a private jet owned by homebuilder and political donor Larry Mizel (MDC Holdings) and by accepting private security and a Maserati limousine ride connected to a 2018 Bilderberg meeting in Italy. The commission fined him $2,750. It also unanimously held him in contempt after he initially declined to appear at the video hearing, though he testified the following day and no additional penalty was attached to the contempt finding. This occurred during his 2020 U.S. Senate campaign; he went on to win the election.