Jackie Biskupski
| Jackie Biskupski | |
|---|---|
Jackie Biskupski in 2015
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| 35th Mayor of Salt Lake City | |
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Assumed office January 4, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Ralph Becker |
| Member of the Utah House of Representatives from the 30th district |
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In office January 1999 – June 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Gene Davis |
| Succeeded by | Brian Doughty |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 11, 1966 Hastings, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Iverson |
| Children | Archie and Jack |
| Residence | Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Arizona State University |
| Occupation | Insurance Industry Private Investigator Activist Politician |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Jackie Biskupski (born January 11, 1966) is an American Democratic politician, and the Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah. Upon taking office, Biskupski became Salt Lake City's 35th mayor, first openly gay mayor, and second female mayor (after Deedee Corradini). She is a former member of the Utah House of Representatives, representing the 30th District in Salt Lake County from 1999 to 2011.
One of four siblings raised in Hastings, Minnesota, Biskupski, of Polish-American descent, says that her Catholic parents, Marvin and Arlene Biskupski, named her after former First Lady Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis. While learning about the civil rights movement in history class at St. Boniface School, she says she was immediately attracted to the idea of working one day to champion the rights of women and minorities.
Later in life her collegiate activities would earn her a B.Sc. in criminal justice from Arizona State University. Biskupski decided to stay in Utah shortly after visiting for a ski trip.
In 2010, Biskupski adopted a son named Archie. On August 14, 2016, she married longtime partner Betty Iverson, who also has a son (named Jack). She currently lives in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City.
After graduating, Biskupski opened her own private-investigation firm, and then later went to work for the auto-insurance industry. Biskupski decided to get involved in politics after a 1995 controversy erupted at East High School (Salt Lake City), when the Board of the Salt Lake City School District and the Utah State Legislature tried to eliminate a gay/straight student alliance club.
When elected in 1998 to the Utah House of Representatives she became Utah’s first openly-gay person elected, to a state office. She was re-elected 6 times after that, serving in the legislature for 13 years, before retiring in 2011. She then went to work as an administrator for the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office on January 31, 2015.
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