Community, Collaboration, Action
Ted Wilson Bio, Executive Director, UCAIR
Ted Wilson was born May 18, 1939, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended schools in Salt Lake City, graduating from South High School in 1957 and from the University of Utah in 1964, with a B.S. degree in Political Science. He received a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Washington in 1969. In 1983, he received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Westminster College of Salt Lake City.
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 (DUT) 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 retains status as Professor Emeritus of political science. He
ran for the U.S. Senate in 1982. In 1988, he was the Democratic candidate for Governor of the State of Utah. In 1991, Wilson was selected by the Harvard University John F. Kennedy Institute of Politics as an institute fellow during the Autumn Semester.
Recent employment includes serving as director of the Utah Rivers Council from 2008 to 2010, as senior environmental advisor to Governor Gary Herbert from 2010 to 2011, and as government affairs director of the Talisker Co. from 2011 to 2013.
In September, 2013, Wilson was appointed as director of the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR.)
Wilson is married to former Salt Lake Tribune columnist Holly Mullen. From his previous marriage to Kathryn Carling, Wilson has five children. He is stepfather to Mullen’s two children.