Representative Orval Howard Hansen

Orval Howard Hansen (August 3, 1926 – November 2, 2017) was an American politician and attorney who served as a Republican Representative from Idaho in the United States Congress from 1969 to 1975. He represented Idaho’s 2nd congressional district for three consecutive terms, contributing to the legislative process during a significant period in American history and participating actively in the democratic governance of his state and nation.

Hansen was born on August 3, 1926, in Firth, Idaho, to Lily Dorothy Miriam (née Wahlquist) and Farrel L. Hansen. His mother was the daughter of Swedish immigrants, and his father was of Danish descent. He was raised in Idaho Falls, where he attended local schools and graduated from Idaho Falls High School in 1944. Growing up in eastern Idaho, he developed an early familiarity with the agricultural and rural communities he would later represent in public office.

Immediately after high school, Hansen entered military service during World War II. He served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946, including approximately one year in the Pacific theater aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. Following his active-duty service, he continued his military involvement as a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, ultimately retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1978. His military experience, spanning both wartime service and long-term reserve duty, informed his later interest in national defense and veterans’ issues.

After World War II, Hansen pursued higher education under the G.I. Bill. He attended the University of Idaho in Moscow, where he was a distinguished student and deeply involved in campus life. He became a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Sigma Chi fraternity and was noted for being extremely active in student and campus activities. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from the University of Idaho in 1950. Hansen then moved to Washington, D.C., to study law at George Washington University, receiving a J.D. from its law school in 1954. He later returned to George Washington University for advanced study, earning a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in 1973 and a Ph.D. in political science in 1986, reflecting a sustained commitment to legal scholarship and the study of government.

Hansen’s political career began in the Idaho state legislature. He was first elected to the Idaho House of Representatives in 1956 and served four terms in that body. During his tenure in the state House, he rose to a leadership position, serving as House Majority Leader from 1961 to 1962. In 1962, he made his first bid for the U.S. House of Representatives, winning the Republican nomination in a June runoff but losing the general election to the incumbent, Ralph Harding. After this defeat, Hansen returned to state politics, serving another two-year term in the Idaho House, followed by one term in the Idaho State Senate, thereby consolidating his legislative experience and statewide profile.

In 1968, Hansen again sought election to Congress. He ran for the open seat in Idaho’s 2nd congressional district, winning the Republican primary over two other candidates. The seat had been vacated by Republican George Hansen (no relation), who left the House to run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Senator Frank Church. Orval Hansen won the general election and entered the U.S. House of Representatives in January 1969. He served three terms, from 1969 to 1975, representing Idaho’s 2nd district during a period marked by the Vietnam War, social change, and evolving federal policy. During his time in Congress, he participated fully in the legislative process, representing the interests of his constituents from eastern Idaho. His office also provided early exposure to national politics for future leaders; U.S. Senator Mike Crapo, for example, received his first experience in Washington as an intern for Orval Hansen during the summer of 1972. Hansen’s congressional career ended after he was defeated in the 1974 Republican primary by George Hansen, the same man he had succeeded six years earlier.

Following his service in Congress, Orval Hansen returned to Idaho and resumed the private practice of law. In addition to his legal work, he remained engaged in public affairs and policy research. In 1977, he founded the Columbia Institute for Political Research, an organization intended to foster analysis and understanding of political and governmental issues. He continued to combine his interests in law, politics, and scholarship, building on his advanced academic work in law and political science and maintaining a presence in civic and intellectual life.

Hansen married June Duncan of Southport, and together they had seven children. His family maintained a connection to public service and electoral politics; in 2006, his son Jim Hansen won the Democratic nomination for the 2nd congressional district seat that Orval had once held, though Jim was defeated in the general election by the incumbent Republican, Mike Simpson. Orval Howard Hansen died at his home in Boise, Idaho, on November 2, 2017, at the age of 91, from cancer. His life encompassed military service in World War II, a substantial career in state and national legislatures, advanced academic achievement, and ongoing engagement in legal practice and political research.