Kenneth Lee Salazar (born March 2, 1955) is the current Secretary of the Interior of the United States, a politician and rancher from the U.S.. UU in the state of Colorado. Salazar, a Democrat, he served as Attorney General before winning a Senate seat in the 2004 election. It was the junior Senator from Colorado, since January 2005 and became Senator higher after retirement of Sen. Wayne Allard in January 2009. He and Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), were the first Hispanic U.S. Senators. UU. since 1977. They were joined by Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) in January 2006.
On 17 December 2008, the then President-elect Barack Obama ad that Salazar would nominate as Secretary of the Interior. The environmental movement of the reaction to that proposal has been mixed. Previously, Salazar supported the appointment of Gale Norton for Secretary of the Interior, who was his predecessor as Attorney General of Colorado, to the position of the Cabinet. On 20 January 2009, Salazar was confirmed unanimously by the Senate.
Early life and family
Senator Ken Salazar was born in the town of Alamosa and grew up near the town of Manassa, Colorado in the community of La Jara in the area of the San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado. His parents were Emma and Henry M. Salazar, Spanish-American descent. Ken is part of 5 first generation Coloradoan of America.
Salazar attended St. Francis Seminary and Centauri High School in La Jara, graduating in 1973. He later attended Colorado College where he earned a BA in Political Science in 1977 and received his Juris Doctor (JD), Faculty of Law at the University of Michigan in 1981. Salazar later awarded honorary degrees (Doctor of Laws) University of Colorado (1993) and the University of Denver (1999). After graduating, Salazar began private law practice.
Cabinet Member State
In 1986, Salazar became chief legal counsel of former Governor Roy Romer in 1990, Romer appointed him Chief of Staff of Colorado, Department of Natural Resources. In this position, was the author of the amendment from Colorado outdoors, I think a major program of conservation of the land which he became president. Salazar has also created the Youth in Natural Resources to establish the program of environmental education in public schools. Depending on your cabinet, imposed reforms that forced the mining and oil operations to better protect the environment.
Colorado Attorney General
In 1994, Salazar returned to private practice. In 1998 he was elected attorney general, and was reelected to this position in 2002. Rationalizing police operations were under Salazar, and many new areas of application of the law have been created: the Gang Prosecution, Environmental Crimes Unit and Fugitive Unit Prosecutive, targeting murderers. We also work to strengthen consumer protection and laws to combat fraud and to protect children through new policies aimed at ending sex offenders.
As Colorado Attorney General Salazar actively opposed list of species threatened with extinction dog black-tailed prairie, which, despite its population decreases, remains classified as a "plague" of Colorado.
Senator from Colorado
In 2004, Salazar declared his candidacy for U.S. Senate since vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Salazar considers himself a moderate and has sometimes taken positions that are at odds with his party's base - for several years opposed gay adoption. Salazar Mike Miles lost against the designation of a candidate. Despite this loss, the National Democratic Party Salazar supported by contributions from the DSCC and promotion of Salazar as the only major candidate. Salazar defeated Republican Pete Coors won the inauguration of Senator.
Secretary of the Interior
Ken Salazar was nominated by President Barack Obama to occupy the post of Secretary of the Interior, which was confirmed by the Senate by unanimous vote. Salazar plays in this position since January 20, 2009, the same day as the then president-elect position.
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