Former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson has died from congestive heart failure and Parkinson’s disease. His family announced his passing in a statement on April 11. Wilson was 84.
Wilson’s family described him as “the eternal optimist” who “loved people and people loved him back.” They added his priorities in life were centered around “family and public service.”
“We are honored that his memory will live on in the legacy he built as Salt Lake City Mayor, through the countless people he has taught and mentored, his decades of humanitarian service, and his mountaineering accomplishments,” read the statement.
The Democrat led Utah’s capital city from 1976 to 1985. During his tenure, Wilson was known for being environmentally-minded. He supported the protection of public lands, even if they were not in his direct jurisdiction. Wilson worked to expand green spaces and established landmark historical and foothill preservation ordinances within Salt Lake City limits.
Wilson also oversaw the reconstruction of the Salt Lake City International Airport and improvements to the city’s sewage and water systems.
His political career didn’t stop at being mayor.
Wilson ran, but lost his 1982 bid for the U.S. Senate against the late Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch. Wilson ran for governor in 1988, but lost to incumbent Gov. Norman H. Bangerter.
In a KUER RadioWest film, Wilson said he knew winning the senate race in a vastly Republican state would be difficult, though it didn’t feel out of reach.
“We were polling every day, doing rolling polls and we started out about 10-points behind,” Wilson recalled. “But then we were up to eight, then seven, six… We were coming up on Orrin.”
During a candidate debate at Brigham Young University, Wilson said attendees treated Hatch like their “favorite basketball team” but treated him as if he were a “slippery rock.” At one point, Hatch referred to Wilson as a socialist. “Orrin got a little bit intemperate and kind of lashed out at me,” Wilson said with a chuckle. “I think he [Hatch] was looking at the polls a little bit.”
Even though he lost, Wilson called the campaign against Hatch “good politics” and “fun,” which would eventually make for a “good story.”
In July 1985, Wilson left the mayoral office before the end of his third term to run the University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics, where he served as director for nearly two decades.
Current director of the institute Jason Perry described Wilson’s legacy as one that rose above party politics.
“When you think about his career and his impact, it was because it was about policy. Yes. But it was also about people. And he was one of those people that really cared about doing the right thing, and the right thing often transcended politics.”
Rep. Angela Romero, the Utah House Minority Leader, said his legacy is a testament to his unwavering dedication to improving society.
“As the director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, he mentored countless individuals, myself included, shaping the next generation of public servants.”
In a tweet Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said Wilson “always put people over politics,” and that he served former GOP Gov. Gary Herbert as a trusted environmental advisor.
“Abby and I are grateful for his devotion to our state and we express our deepest sympathies to his family,” Cox said.
Wilson was born in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor's in political science.
He also left a lasting political legacy that has carried onto his children. He is the father of seven, including two stepchildren from his marriage to Holly Mullen. His daughter, Jenny Wilson, is the mayor of Salt Lake County. Wilson was surrounded by his family when he passed.
“He built and nurtured many deep and meaningful friendships and would remind us all to ‘never sweat the small stuff,’” Wilson’s family said.
