Ted Wilson (mayor)

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Ted Wilson
Wilson in 1984
30th Mayor of Salt Lake City
In office 1976–1985
Preceded by	Conrad B. Harrison
Succeeded by	Palmer DePaulis
Personal details
Born	(1939-05-18)May 18, 1939 United States Army National Guard
Years of service	1957–1963

Ted Lewis Wilson (May 18, 1939 – April 11, 2024) was an American politician who served as the 30th

.

His terms were highlighted by an election in May 1979 to change the five-member commission form of government to a mayor/council form. This initiative was the consequence of a city scandal involving the take-over of the city personnel department by the chief of police.

Other highlights of Wilson's administration included reconstruction of the Salt Lake City International Airport, re-building the city's sewage treatment plant, retooling the water system, and expanding the green space of the city's parks department. Wilson also initiated and passed the first historical and foothill preservation ordinances in the city's history. Wilson was the executive director of the Utah Rivers Council, a Utah-based environmental organization.

Early life and education

Ted Wilson was born May 18, 1939, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended schools in Salt Lake City, graduating from

from Westminster College of Salt Lake City.

Career

From 1957 to 1963, he served in the Utah Army National Guard and was activated to full-time status during the Berlin Crisis. He was an instructor at the Leysin American School, Leysin, Switzerland for one year. He also taught economics at Skyline High School, Salt Lake City, Utah for seven years. During the summer months of 1966 to 1969 he was a mountaineering park ranger in Grand Teton National Park.

He was appointed Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Wayne Owens (D-UT) in March 1973. In April 1975 he was appointed to direct the Department of Social Services in Salt Lake County. In November 1975 he was elected as Mayor of Salt Lake City. He served as Mayor until July 1, 1985, when he became the Director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. Retiring from the Hinckley Institute in September 2003, Wilson retained status as Professor Emeritus of political science and continued to teach classes at the university. Wilson was a founder of the Exoro Co.

He ran against

as an institute fellow during the Autumn Semester.

Personal travel to India allowed Wilson to study and understand the Indian system of government. Wilson made ten trips to India leading university student expeditions. During those visits, he met with the

.

Wilson loved the sport of

U.S. Department of the Interior

Valor award for a mountain rescue on the North Face of the Grand Teton in 1967.

Wilson was married to former

Salt Lake Tribune

columnist Holly Mullen. From his previous marriage to Kathryn Carling, Wilson had five children. He was stepfather to Mullen's two children. He was also a grandfather to 13 grandchildren.

Wilson served on several boards including the Friends of Alta, the Utah Governor's Energy Task Force, and was chairman of the Utah Governor's Council on Balanced Resources. He enjoyed bicycling, skiing, rock climbing, and backpacking with his family.

Ted Wilson died from complications from heart failure and Parkinson's disease on April 11, 2024, at the age of 84.^[3]

Awards and honors

• National Science Foundation Fellow, University of Washington, 1968–69
• Department of Interior, Valor Award, 1968, for Grand Teton north face rescue
• Utah Bolivian Partners, Fern Wiser Award for Distinguished Service to Bolivian Education, 1976
• Utah National Guard, Bronze Minuteman Award, 1979
• Chairman, Utah Presidential Inaugural Hosting Committee for President Carter, 1977
• Utah League of Cities and Towns Award - Outstanding Utah Elected Municipal Official, 1983
• Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Westminster College of Salt Lake City June, 1984
• Fellow, John F. Kennedy Institute of Politics, Harvard University, 1991
• Pi Sigma Alpha "Professor of the Year," 1994; University of Utah Political Science Department
• Mortar Board National Honor Society "Top Professor Award," 1996
• Professor Emeritus, University of Utah
• Department of Communication, University of Utah, Distinguished Service Award, 2011
• University of Utah Emeritus Alumni Board, Merit of Honor Award, 2012

Publications

Books

• Utah's Wasatch Front, Utah Geographic Series, 1987
• Utah Then and Now, Westcliffe Publishers, 2000.

Press

• Numerous articles in The Wasatch Runner and the Utah Business Review Op-Ed articles in Deseret News and
  Salt Lake Tribune
  , The Event, "Putting Together the Leadership Puzzle."
• Weekly political column in The Enterprise, a Salt Lake City business newspaper 2000 to 2001
• Weekly political column in
  The Deseret News
  , a Salt Lake City daily newspaper, Wilson and Webb 2000–2002.
• Article in Utah Forum, "Professor Productivity: An Emerging Issue in America and Utah," June, 1994.

References

Party political offices
Preceded by Frank Moss	Class 1) 1982	Succeeded by Brian Moss
Preceded by Wayne Owens	Governor of Utah 1988	Succeeded by Stewart Hanson
Political offices
Preceded by Conrad B. Harrison	Mayor of Salt Lake City 1976–1985	Succeeded by Palmer DePaulis