Federal building now bears Hansen's name

It's been four years in the making, but the federal building in Ogden now bears the name of the Utahn who served longest in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A sign with the name James V. Hansen Federal Building was unveiled Tuesday during a ceremony in Ogden. Actually, it was an old sign. But the top line now bears Hansen's name in big brass letters.

Hansen used the federal building as his Utah office during his 22 years in Congress, so it was an obvious place to post his name.

U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, worked for the past four years to get the building renamed. He said he did it to honor a good friend and a great representative.

In 2004, when the bill was sent to President George Bush for signing, Cannon said Hansen never tired of fighting to preserve Hill Air Force Base during the various rounds of federal base realignment and closure. Hansen was appointed to the nine-member Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 2005.

"He was a very, very well-respected member of Congress," Cannon said Tuesday. "I thought he needed an honor. A lot of people believe the same thing."

Cannon said he was mobbed by people on the floor of the House of Representatives who wanted to be co-sponsors of the bill.

"Some demanded to be," Cannon said. " 'Make sure I get on that bill,' " some members of Congress told him.

"For people to spontaneously come up, that's an honor," Cannon said.

The bill passed unanimously in both houses of Congress, he said.

But it was a long time coming. The process for getting legislation through Congress can be long and slow, Cannon said. Sometimes there are countless pre-emptings from other legislation, but the bill finally passed in December.

The event Tuesday was attended by Utah's congressional delegation, as well as other friends Hansen had in Congress.

"(Hansen) is a modest person," Cannon said, adding that Hansen was taken by surprise when Cannon started pushing the legislation.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com