Yarl Hugo Hanson (1902-1979)

From the Wakefield city report, 1929-31.

     A now-obscure resident of Gogebic County, Michigan, Yarl Hugo Hanson was in the 1920s and 30s a standout figure in the city of Wakefield, where he was a businessman and civic leader. Elected as mayor of that city in 1928, Hanson served one term and later removed to Oregon, with little else being known of his later life. Born in Michigan on May 2, 1902, Yarl Hugo "Fat" Hanson was the son of Charley and Amanda (Pierson) Hanson and was a student at the Wakefield High School in the late 1910s.

  Following graduation, Hanson worked in Wakefield and in 1921 was elected as treasurer of the Wolverine Club of that city, a fraternal group denoted as one of the oldest social organizations in the city. Sources record Hanson as being the owner of a restaurant/bus station called "Fat's Place", and denote him as the "original hot dog purveyor" in the city, with his establishment also serving hamburgers, handmade soft drinks, and various pieces of confectionary. Through the 1920s Hanson's status as a leading booster for Wakefield continued to rise, and in 1924 served as a member of the board of elections for Wakefield. In that same year, he partnered with E. Jacob Rintamaki to purchase the Wakefield Bottling Works, with which he was affiliated until 1936.

  Yarl Hanson continued his civic rise in 1925 with his service as president of the Wakefield Amusement Company, and in 1927 attended a meeting of "upper peninsula soft drink manufacturers" held in Menominee, Michigan. In April 1928 he was elected president of the Gogebic County Advancement Association, an organization devoted to expanding the county to developing the region as a resort center and tourist area.

  In August 1928 Hanson announced his candidacy for mayor of Wakefield, and on August 28 defeated his opponent, Harold J. Richards, by 316 votes. He took office on September 10 and was announced as "Wakefield's boy mayor", being just 26 years old at the time of his election. In his first meeting with the city commission, just days after taking office Hanson made note of Wakefield's excellent finances and remarked that he'd:

"Always work for the best interests of the city, keeping in mind constantly that he was a servant of the people and as such is ready and willing to listen to suggestions made for the community's best interests."

From the Ironwood Daily Globe, September 13, 1928.

   During his term (1928-31), Hanson continued service as president of the Gogebic County Advancement Association and in May 1929 journeyed to Chicago to aid in the arrangement of a "Gogebic County booth" to be shown at that year's National Outdoor Life Exposition. Later that year Hanson, along with the mayors of Ironwood and Bessemer, worked to establish the Gogebic Water Carnival, which boosted Michigan's "Upper Peninsula for recreational purposes". Also in 1929, Hanson and other Gogebic County leaders participated in a discussion on the construction of the Gogebic County airport, later erected in Ironwood.

  In his last full year as mayor Hanson was elected secretary of the Gogebic County Fair Association, and continued to be affiliated with it into the mid-1930s. In September 1931 Hanson stepped down as mayor, not having been a candidate for reelection, and was succeeded by Joseph P. Cloon. Two months later, he was elected president of the Gogebic County Fair Association. 

  Little else is known of Yarl Hanson's life following his term as mayor. In 1936 he oversaw and arranged for the publication of a Gogebic County tourist booklet, and in that year removed to Portland, Oregon. In June 1936 he married in Portland to Ruth Charlotte Johnson (1908-1992), to who he was wed until his death. In February 1937 he was appointed as registrar for the Hill Military Academy, "being in charge of the registration of pupils and extension work." In November 1941 he and his wife had a son, John Charles, about whom little is known.

  Yarl Hugo Hanson died in Portland on March 11, 1979, at age 76. He was survived by his wife and son, and a burial location for both he and his wife remains unknown at this time.