Ralph Elihu Becker Jr. (born May 30, 1952) is an American politician, planner, and

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

who served as the Minority Leader of the Utah State House of Representatives and the 34th mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Early life and education

Becker was born in Washington, D.C. to Ralph Elihu Becker and Ann Watters Becker. His father, Ralph Elihu Becker, was

United States Ambassador to Honduras The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to Honduras. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.'' See also * Hon ...

from 1976 to 1977 during the Ford administration. He graduated from

St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.) , motto_translation = For Church and For State , streetaddress = 3001 Wisconsin Ave NW , city = Washington, D.C. , country = United States , zipcode = 20016 , ceeb = 090165 , established ...

and attended Lafayette College before he received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1973, his J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law in 1977, and his M.S. in Geography/Planning from the University of Utah in 1982.

Career

Early career

Becker is an

and

planner Planner may refer to: * A personal organizer (book) for planning * Microsoft Planner * Planner programming language * Planner (PIM for Emacs) * Urban planner * Route planner * Meeting and convention planner * Japanese term for video game de ...

who co-founded Bear West in 1985, a planning, natural resources consulting firm, selling the firm in 2007. He also was an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

at the College of Architecture and Planning, University of Utah from 1978 to 2015. Becker worked in the National Park Service as a garbage man,

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

, and ranger (law enforcement and EMT), and Legislative Assistant (1971–76), Utah State Planning Coordinator under Governor Scott Matheson (1981–1985), and Salt Lake City Planning Commissioner (1988–1996). He is a Fellow of the

American Institute of Certified Planners The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is the American Planning Association's professional institute. AICP certifies professionals in the United States in the field of town planning and assists planners in the areas of ethics, profess ...

Utah Legislature

During his tenure in the Utah State Legislature, Becker served as House Democratic Leader for four years. He also led the passage of the Quality Growth Act (1999) and supported funding for trails, open space, parks, transit, and Utah's first Energy Policy Act. Becker was also an advocate of social justice issues.

Mayor of Salt Lake City

In November 2006, Becker announced his candidacy for the 2007 race for Salt Lake City Mayor and won on November 6, 2007. On January 7, 2008, Becker took the oath of office and began his four-year term as mayor. In 2011, Becker was reelected in a landslide, winning 75% of the vote. In November 2009, Becker signed into law non-discrimination ordinances that forbid landlords and employers to deny housing or jobs due to sexual orientation or gender identity. In December 2013, Becker officiated over some of the first same-sex marriages performed in the state of Utah. In February 2014, Becker signed the Freedom to Marry Petition, a non-partisan declaration that "all people should be able to share in the love and commitment of marriage." Becker served as the 2014–2015 President of the National League of Cities.

2007 General Election

2007 Primary Election

Top 2 candidates advance to General Election (Regardless of Party Affiliation)

2011 General Election

Central Wasatch Commission

Becker served as the first Executive Director of the Central Wasatch Commission from 2018 to 2022. The Central Wasatch Commission was the outgrowth of Mountain Accord, a consensus-based agreement to better protect the Central Wasatch Mountains and solve issues like mountain transportation.

References

External links

Mayor's Office website

Campaign website

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Ralph 1952 births Living people Mayors of Salt Lake City Democratic Party members of the Utah House of Representatives State cabinet secretaries of Utah American urban planners S.J. Quinney College of Law alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Politicians from Washington, D.C. St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.) alumni Lafayette College alumni