Personality Spotlight: Ken Salazar

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., a rancher, was tapped Wednesday by President-elect Barack Obama to head the U.S. Department of Interior.

Salazar, 53, served as Colorado's attorney general before winning a U.S. Senate seat in the 2004 election, and has been the state's junior senator since.

Salazar and Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., were the first Hispanic U.S. Senators since 1977, joined by Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., in January 2007. He also is the second Hispanic nominated to the Obama Cabinet, joining New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who was nominated as commerce secretary.

Salazar was born in Alamosa and grew up in La Jara in the San Luis Valley area of south-central Colorado, and can trace his family to before its arrival in North America to 12th century Spain, Wikipedia said. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1977 from Colorado College, and received his law degree from University of Michigan Law School in 1981.

Salazar and his wife Esperanza, "Hope," have two daughters and one granddaughter.

In 1986, Salazar became chief legal counsel to Gov. Roy Romer, who appointed him as director of the state Department of Natural Resources in 1990. As director, Salazar wrote the Great Outdoors Colorado Amendment, which created a huge land conservation program, and created the Youth in Natural Resources program for environmental education in public schools. He also developed reforms forcing mining and oil operators to better protect the environment.

In 1994, Salazar returned to private practice before being elected state attorney general in 1998. During his two terms, police operations were streamlined , and several new branches of law enforcement were created. He also strengthened consumer protection and anti-fraud laws and policies that cracked down on sex offenders.

Soon after arriving in the Senate, Salazar raised eyebrows within his party by introducing attorney general nominee Alberto Gonzales and sitting by his side during the confirmation hearings. He also was a member of the "Gang of 14" moderate senators to forge a compromise concerning judicial nominees and Democrats' ability to filibuster.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Salazar would be in charge of the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Geological Survey, among other agencies.