Utah News Dispatch
‘The eternal optimist’: Former SLC mayor Ted Wilson dies at age 84
Former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson visits the Utah Senate chamber in November, 2023. Wilson died at the age of 84 on April 11, 2024. (Courtesy of the Utah Senate).
Utah’s political leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, unleashed an outpouring of love and condolences Thursday in reaction to the death of former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson.
Wilson, a three-term Democratic mayor of Salt Lake City, died Thursday at the age of 84 due to congestive heart failure and Parkinson’s disease, according to a statement issued by his family.
“Ted Wilson passed today surrounded by family,” the family’s statement said. “As the eternal optimist, he loved people and they loved him back.”
Wilson served as mayor from 1976 to 1985, until he became director of the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics where he served for nearly two decades.
“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,” his family’s statement said. “Ted’s lifetime priorities were his family and public service. He built and nurtured many deep and meaningful friendships and would remind us all to ‘never sweat the small stuff.’”
Abby and I express our deepest sympathies to the family of former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson. pic.twitter.com/qYUiKghsnT
— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) April 11, 2024
Top state and city leaders including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and others within Utah’s political circles shared messages of admiration of Wilson’s career and contributions to Utah’s capital.
To recognize Wilson’s life, Cox issued an order to all state facilities to lower U.S. and Utah flags to half-staff until sunset on Saturday. The governor also invited all Utahns, businesses and other organizations to follow suit.
Mendenhall called him a “giant and a champion.” She said his “legacy is a permanent thread” in Salt Lake City’s story.
Ted Wilson was my mentor, my cherished friend, and someone I could always count on. To this City, he was a giant and a champion. His legacy is a permanent thread in our City’s story. He was a committed leader, a driver of progress and someone willing to listen, learn, and evolve.… pic.twitter.com/uWMM0fBKEf
— Mayor Erin Mendenhall (@slcmayor) April 11, 2024
Highlights of Wilson’s mayoral tenure includes the reconstruction of the Salt Lake City International Airport, expanding the city park’s department to provide more green space, rebuilding the city sewage treatment plant, improving the water system, and passing historical and foothill preservation ordinances, according to his bio on the Hinckley Institute’s website.
The former mayor’s political career began in 1973, when he was appointed chief of staff to then Utah Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah. He then went on to serve as director of Salt Lake County’s department of social services before running for Salt Lake City mayor.
Wilson also ran as Democratic challenger against former Sen. Orrin Hatch in 1982. In 1988, he ran a Democratic bid for governor.
Wilson also had a passion for mountaineering. He climbed peaks around the world, from the Alps to the Andes, and established three climbing schools, according to his bio.
He also received the Department of the Interior Valor Award in 1967 for his role in helping rescue two climbers off of the north face of the Grand Teton. Wilson was 28 at the time of the rescue. A 2014 documentary titled “The Grand Rescue” tells the tale.
Utah House of Representatives’ Democratic Leader, Angela Romero, released the following statement reflecting on Mayor Ted Wilson’s legacy. pic.twitter.com/e8MMOZu82N
— Utah House Democrats (@utahhousedems) April 11, 2024
Wilson passed down his political leadership and aspirations. His daughter, Jenny Wilson, is currently serving as Salt Lake County mayor.
As news of her father’s death spread Thursday, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson posted a photo of herself and Ted Wilson with the caption: “My happy place with my dad.”
My happy place with my dad.
pic.twitter.com/lHEAnhRMkj
— Jenny Wilson (@JennyWilsonUT) April 11, 2024
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