Stephen Sandstrom

Early life

Sandstorm spent his childhood in a politically active home. Instead of watching television, Stephen's parents taught their children about American history, politics and the US constitution. He parents were also outdoor enthusiasts and he spent a great deal of time backpacking and camping in remote areas around the western United States. in As a boy Stephen once rode his bicycle into Provo, where he came across campaign literature and decided to help distribute this literature. A short time later, he was awarded the Boy Scouts of America's Eagle scout award. As a young man he heard a POW speak, which influenced his desire to join the military. At 17 he earned his pilot's licence and at age 19 he left to serve a Latter-Day Saints mission. After his Mission, he joined the military.

Career

He started working for his father's architectural firm at a young age and also per sued his dream of being a pilot. He received his pilots license on his 17th birthday (the earliest time you can become a licensed pilot). He also became involved in politics. After his father's stroke, Stephen took over his business and made it a success. Later he became a part of the Orem city council. He is a member of the Utah house of representatives.

As a Utah representative, Stephen was a strong proponent of public education He also passed significant legislation to further 2nd Amendment Rights. He built a record of fighting against gambling, identity theft, and restriction to use of public lands. In 2010, Sandstrom announced that he was drafting immigration legislation similar to Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB 1070. He later reversed his position on unauthorized immigration and called for the passage of the DREAM Act.

Personal life

He is married to Jennie Sandstrom (1990) and they have four children and two grand-children. He is an avid outdoorsman, hunter, survivalist and high-altitude mountaineer. He has summited many of the highest peaks in North & South America, Europe and the Himalayas. He has been on climbing expeditions to Manaslu in Nepal, world's eight highest mountain, and attempted Mt. Everest in 2011 were he fell short of summiting due to conditions out of his control. He has hunted throughout the world, which includes two hunting trips to Africa where he spent time hunting in South Africa and Namibia. He interest in survival skills that he learned at an early age from his parents, lead him to teach survival techniques at boy scout summer camps. When he is not working at his architectural firm, he can be found in the outdoors where he is at home.

Congressional campaign

He decided to leave his seat in the Utah Legislature in 2012 and run for Congress in the newly created 4th Congressional District. On April 21, 2012, at the Utah Republican Convention, Sandstrom was defeated by Mia Love as nominee to run for Utah's 4th District congressional seat. After spending nearly 18 years in political office, he officially retired from politics and now concentrates his efforts on his architectural career and per suing his mountain climbing ambitions and spending time in the outdoors.