Nationality United States Spouse(s) Joan Cartan-Hansen Name Jim Hansen Parents Orval H. Hansen | Religion Christian Children 2 Role Attorney Political party Democratic Party | |
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Full Name James Duncan Hansen Born November 5, 1959 (age 64) ( 1959-11-05 ) Idaho Falls, Idaho Occupation Ada County Highway District Commissioner, nonprofit consultant, attorney Residence Boise, Idaho, United States Education University of Idaho, College of William & Mary | ||
James Duncan "Jim" Hansen (born November 5, 1959) is an American attorney, Ada County Highway District Commissioner and former Democratic politician from Idaho. He was the 2006 Democratic nominee for Congress in Idaho's 2nd district, but was defeated by four-term incumbent Mike Simpson.
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Hansen was elected to the Ada County Highway District in 2012 and is serving a four-year term.
Background
Hansen attended grade school in Idaho Falls, then moved with his family in 1969 to Arlington, Virginia. His father, Orval Hansen, was elected to Congress in 1968 as a Republican from Idaho's 2nd district, and served three terms.
Hansen is a 1982 graduate of the College of William and Mary and earned a J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law in 1985. While in school, Hansen worked as a ranger and naturalist in Yellowstone National Park.
Hansen began his legal career as an intern for state attorney general Jim Jones in 1984. He was a law clerk for Chief Justice Charles Donaldson of the Idaho Supreme Court from 1985 to 1986 and practiced law with Givens Pursley from 1985 to 1991, focusing primarily on water and natural resource issues.
Hansen was elected to the state legislature in 1988, representing southeast Boise, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1992. Hansen imposed his own term limits and voluntarily retired in 1994.
In 1995 Hansen founded United Vision for Idaho, a coalition of organizations to empower participation in democracy and served as its first executive director. He took a sabbatical from that position during his run for the seat once held by his father, but returned to the coalition after the election in 2006. Hansen resigned from United Vision for Idaho in April 2008 upon being named executive director of the Idaho Democratic Party.
Hansen has been married to Joan Cartan-Hansen since 1990. They have two children. Hansen has one brother and five sisters; his mother, June, is a well-known actress in the Washington, D.C. area, who was awarded the prestigious Helen Hayes Award and been nominated several times.
In 2012 Hansen was elected as a commissioner of the Ada County Highway District for east and south Boise and eastern Ada County.
Election results
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