Clifford Hansen
| Clifford Hansen | |
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United States Senator from Wyoming |
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In office January 3, 1967 – December 31, 1978 |
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| Preceded by | Milward L. Simpson |
| Succeeded by | Alan K. Simpson |
| 26th Governor of Wyoming | |
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In office January 7, 1963 – January 2, 1967 |
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| Preceded by | Jack R. Gage |
| Succeeded by | Stanley K. Hathaway |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Clifford Peter Hansen October 16, 1912 Teton County, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Died | October 20, 2009 (aged 97) Jackson, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Close Hansen (m. 1934-2009; his death) |
| Children | Mary Elisabeth Hansen Mead (1935-1996) Peter Arthur Hansen |
| Profession | Rancher |
| During dedication in 2005 of a bronze calf at the state capitol in Hansen's honor, then Wyoming Secretary of State Joseph B. Meyer said, "Cliff Hansen is the epitome of listen to the facts, get the show on the road, and get it done." | |
Clifford Peter Hansen (October 16, 1912 – October 20, 2009) was an American politician from the state of Wyoming. A Republican, he served as the 26th Governor of Wyoming (January 7, 1963 – January 2, 1967) and subsequently as a United States Senator (January 3, 1967 – December 31, 1978). Earlier, he was the president of the board of trustees of his alma mater, the University of Wyoming at Laramie in Albany County, then the state's only four-year institution of higher learning. He was also a county commissioner in Jackson, the seat of Teton County in far northwestern Wyoming. Before his death on October 20, 2009, he was the oldest living former U.S. Senator as well as the third oldest living former U.S. Governor.
Hansen was born in Zenith (now Teton County but then Lincoln County), a settlement so small that it is no longer listed on Wyoming road maps, and was the son of Sylvia Irene (née Wood) and Peter Christofferson Hansen. The senior Hansens were ranchers originally from Idaho: Peter, of Danish extraction, came from Soda Springs, and Sylvia, of English descent, was born in Blackfoot. Peter Hansen, who had some college training, was a "practical" engineer who did surveying and ditch work on ranch lands.
Clifford Hansen was reared in Jackson Hole, a high-mountain valley that includes what is now Grand Teton National Park. There he attended public schools. As a child, he overcame a serious speech impediment which baffled his teachers, some of whom first thought that he was "uneducable". His problem was not inability to learn but a severe stutter which was corrected by his attendance at a special school. Having overcome the speech impediment, Hansen forever stressed the value of an education, once having advised a grandson, "It's the one thing no one can take away from you."
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