Ken Salazar

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Ken Salazar
Signature of Ken Salazar

Kenneth Lee "Ken" Salazar (born March 2, 1955 in Alamosa , Colorado ) is an American politician ( Democratic Party ) and ranch owner from the state of Colorado. He was Secretary of the Interior of the United States under President Barack Obama from January 20, 2009 to April 2013 . With his wife Esperanza he has two daughters and a granddaughter (as of 2010).

Education and family

Ken Salazar grew up near Manassa in the Los Rincones community in the San Luis Valley area of ​​southern Colorado. His parents were Emma M. Salazar and Henry (Enrique) S. Salazar. His brother John Salazar was a member of Congress and represented Colorado in the US House of Representatives .

Salazar attended St. Francis Seminary and Centauri High School in La Jara , where he graduated from college in 1973. He then studied at Colorado College , where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1977 . In 1981 he graduated from the University of Michigan Law School with a Juris Doctor (JD) degree . He then worked as a lawyer in private practice.

Salazar later received honorary degrees in law from Colorado College (1993) and the University of Denver (1999).

Government member in Colorado

Environment Minister

In 1986 Salazar became legal advisor to then Colorado Governor Roy Romer , and in 1990 Romer appointed him director of the Department of Natural Resources, a cabinet position. In this position, Salazar created a comprehensive landscape conservation program with the Great Outdoors Colorado Amendment, established environmental education in state schools with the Youth in Natural Resources program, and strengthened the regulations that oblige mining and petroleum companies to be more environmentally friendly. In 1994 Salazar went back to his law firm.

Attorney General

In 1998 Salazar was elected Attorney General of Colorado; In 2002 he was re-elected. During his tenure, state police operations were streamlined and three new law enforcement units were created: one to prosecute and solve criminal gang mischief, one to pursue environmental offenses, and one to prosecute law enforcement officers targeting murderers. He also advocated strengthening consumer and fraud laws , as well as protecting children through a new policy against sex criminals .

US Senator

In 2004 Salazar declared his candidacy for the United States Senate , where he stood for the seat of the Republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell , who was retiring. He described himself as a moderator and also represented positions that were contrary to the party line. He rejected the right to adopt homosexuals for a long time. The election committee of the state party nominated Mike Miles instead of Salazar. The federal party, however, supported Salazar and reached a decision by a primary . Salazar won this against Miles, as did later the election itself against Pete Coors. He took office on January 4, 2005. Shortly after his election, Salazar sparked an internal party controversy when he proposed Republican Alberto R. Gonzales for election as Attorney General .

In May 2005, Salazar was one of 14 moderate senators negotiating a compromise to have Republicans abandon their idea of breaking the power of so-called filibusters . Through such persistent speeches, the Senate Democratic minority prevented the election of several conservative candidates for the DC Circuit . The Democrats, on the other hand, agreed to only use the Filibuster under “exceptional circumstances” and not to prevent the election.

In 2005, Salazar voted against tightening the consumption limits for motor vehicles ( CAFE ), which was criticized by the League of Conservation Voters as being environmentally unfriendly. In the same year he voted against the lifting of tax breaks for large oil companies like ExxonMobil . In 2006 he voted for the lifting of protective regulations against oil production off Florida's Gulf Coast .

In August 2006 Ken Salazar supported Joe Lieberman in a primary against Ned Lamont in Connecticut , who is close to the anti-war movement. The continued support of Lieberman, who won the election as an independent candidate, fueled anger for Salazar among the anti-war wing of the Democrats.

Salazar was one of the few Democrats who voted against a law in 2007 that would require the United States Army Corps of Engineers to include the effects of global warming in water projects .

Ken Salazar resigned from his Senate seat on January 20, 2009 to take up his post as Secretary of the Interior of the United States .

US Secretary of the Interior

Barack Obama announced on December 17, 2008 that he would propose Salazar as home secretary after taking office. The environmental movement 's reaction to Obama's announcement was furious, as Salazar had previously supported George W. Bush's nomination of Gale Norton , his predecessor as Attorney General in Colorado, as US Secretary of the Interior . On the day of Obama's inauguration, January 20, 2009, Obama's announcement was not only adhered to, but the US Senate unanimously confirmed the nomination on the same day. With the assumption of ministerial office, Salazar left the Senate, almost two years before the end of his term. His seat was taken over by Michael Bennet .

Salazar was one of two Hispanics in Obama's cabinet at the time of his inauguration, alongside Hilda Solis . He was also the second Hispanic Minister of the Interior after Manuel Lujan under George Bush from 1989 to 1993.

Gene Karpinski , the president of the League of Conservation Voters , said of Salazar:

“Throughout his career, Senator Salazar has campaigned on a pledge of support for 'our land, our water, our people.' With a perfect 100% score on the 2008 LCV Scorecard, he has lived up to that pledge. As a westerner, Senator Salazar has hands on experience with land and water issues, and will restore the Department of the Interior's role as the steward of America's public resources. We look forward to working with him to protect the health of America's land, water, and people in the coming years. "

“All his career Senator Salazar has come under the promise to 'support our land, our water, our people'. With a perfect 100% rating on the LCV Scorecard 2008, he fulfilled this promise. As a Westerner, Senator Salazar has hands-on experience with land and water affairs and he will restore the Home Office's role as the custodian of America's public resources. We look forward to working with him in the years to come to protect the health of America's land, water and people. "

On January 23, 2009, Salazar announced that he would reopen to tourists the crown of the Statue of Liberty , which had been closed since the September 11, 2001 attacks . He said: “I hope we can find a way. It would show the world - both figuratively and literally - that the path to the light of freedom is open to all. "

On May 9, 2009, Salazar announced that the Bush policy would not be allowed to regulate greenhouse gas emissions with the Endangered Species Act (a law on the preservation of protected species) . Originally he had agreed to break with this practice. This decision led to criticism from various environmental organizations and the simultaneous praise of energy companies and many Republicans.

At the State of the Union Address in 2011, Salazar was Designated Survivor . In the event of an attack on the Capitol, he would have been the highest-ranking survivor and would have succeeded Barack Obama as president.

In the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election , Ken Salazar led the transition team for Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton . It was supposed to prepare the takeover of government after a successful election.

Web links

Commons : Ken Salazar  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Interior Secretary: Ken Salazar
  2. ^ A b Biography of Senator Ken Salazar . In: US Senator Ken Salazar . United States Senate. Archived from the original on June 24, 2005. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  3. ↑ Jeff Brady: Environmentalists Fuming Over Salazar's New Post . In: National Public Radio , December 16, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2013. 
  4. ↑ Jim M. Broder: Environmentalists Wary of Obama's Interior Pick . In: The New York Times , December 17, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2013. 
  5. ↑ Obama Names Salazar As Secretary of Interior
  6. ↑ politico: Salazar to lead Clinton's transition team , August 16, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Salazar, Ken
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Salazar, Kenneth Lee (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician (Democrat)
DATE OF BIRTH March 2, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH Alamosa , Colorado