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

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, who was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1981 to 2003.

Early life and education

Hansen was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

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

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. He attended the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

, receiving a business degree from the school in 1961.

Career

The same year that he left college, Hansen was elected to the

Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia * Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States *Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California *Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia * ...

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 conta ...

, serving as speaker of the house from 1979 until 1980. In 1980, he defeated K. Gunn McKay 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. Hansen ran for the governorship in 2004, but was defeated at the Republican convention by Jon Huntsman Jr. 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 section ...

in Weber County, Utah was upgraded to freeway standards, it was named the James V. Hansen Highway. The federal building in Ogden, Utah 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 American politicians 21st-century American politicians 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