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.Hickenlooper was born in Narberth, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, part of the suburban Main Line. Hickenlooper was raised by his mother after his father suffered a premature death.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.Hickenlooper has campaigned for increasing homeless services since taking office in 2003. He announced a “10 year plan to end homelessness” at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.In 2006, Denver became the first major U.S. city to legalize the private use of (less than one ounce of) marijuana by those over age 21. Hickenlooper opposed the marijuana legalization initiative, which voters approved 53.49%-46.51%; but, he did say that the vote “reflect[s] a genuine shift in people’s attitudes.” Under the current Denver Police interpretation of the law, supported by Hickenlooper, the initiative doesn’t usurp the state law, the Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS). The CRS currently treats marijuana possession similarly to exceeding a speed limit, with fines of up to $100 and no jail time.In his State of the City address on July 12, 2006, Hickenlooper announced an initiative called Greenprint Denver to promote sustainable development and practices and reduce citywide greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the 2006 U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.The initiative, guided by a leadership group of city and community members, features a series of goals to meet over a five-year period.

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