Former Chief Dep. Attorney General Kris Hansen dies at 52 | 406 Politics

“Kris was a dear friend, a conservative leader, and an amazing woman who dedicated her life to others,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen said in an emailed statement Friday. “It was an honor to have Kris on our team and we deeply miss her presence.”

Hansen was named Knudsen’s Chief Deputy of the Montana Department of Justice in December 2020 before Knudsen took office the following month.

In late May, Hansen confirmed she was departing the office, but declined to elaborate on why. The Attorney General’s Office said at the time she was leaving to “attend to personal and family matters.”

Derek Oestreicher has since been appointed to the chief deputy post.

The State GOP on Thursday issued the following statement on Hansen’s passing:

“We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Kris Hansen,” Montana GOP spokesperson Alden Tonkay said in an emailed statement Thursday. “Kris was a dedicated public servant who spent her career preserving freedom whether it was in the military, the state legislature, or at the Montana Department of Justice. She leaves behind a void that will never be able to be filled. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time.”

Hansen had recently served as the deputy state auditor and chief legal counsel under then-State Auditor Matt Rosendale. 

“Montana is a better place because of her work and commitment to protect and preserve our way of life. Kris was a dear friend of mine, and Jean and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Hansen family during this difficult time,” Rosendale said in a statement Friday.

Hansen, originally from Peoria, Illinois, was also a Republican lawmaker representing Havre at the state Legislature. According to state legislative services she served for two sessions, In 2011 and 2013, in the state House, and served in the state Senate from 2014 to 2016. She was chief deputy Hill County Attorney when she was first elected to the state House, according to the Havre Daily News.

“Kris Hansen was a beacon of light to anyone who knew her,” Senate President Mark Blasdel said in an emailed statement Friday. “Kris always went above and beyond to help a friend in need, was generous to and looked out for young people involved in politics, and brought humor and a warm heart with her everywhere she went. Montana lost a great one, she will be sorely missed.”

Education was a common thread across Hansen’s legislative career. In 2013 she served as the chair of the House Education Committee. In 2015 she passed Senate Bill 128, which created the School Funding Interim Commission, which meets each fifth interim to reassess education needs and costs related to the basic system of quality public school system and recommend changes to the state’s funding formula. In a 2016 op-ed penned in the Havre Daily News, Hansen lauded the commission’s first round of work as a success.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, while in the legislature, worked with Hansen on that committee. In a phone interview on Thursday, she remembered Hansen’s spirited work on education issues.

“She didn’t ever hide her feelings but she was very even,” Arntzen said. “Her passion was one that, like I said, it was a great opportunity to have someone there that was a conservative but yet understood the opportunities that education could lead to.”

Arntzen also recalled Hansen’s commitment to tying tribal culture into the advancement of education in Montana. 

“Kris Hansen held that in her heart and held that through her legislative work,” Arntzen said.

“There are so many people that are reflecting right now on her ability to connect with individuals, not just as a bold person and as an authentic person,” she added.

Russ Tempel was appointed to Hansen’s state Senate seat when she was named to the high-ranking post within the State Auditor’s Office. The two had previously gotten to know each other while Hansen was campaigning for the Legislature and Tempel for the Liberty County Commission.

In a phone interview on Thursday, Tempel called Hansen a “straight-up gal.”

“When I was first appointed in her place she helped me along quite a bit on where to go and what to handle so I really appreciated her wisdom on all that over the years,” he said. 

“There was no beating around the bush,” Tempel added of Hansen’s style in public service. “She told you what she wanted and how she was going to go about it. … It’s a sad deal.”

Tempel, a fellow veteran to Hansen, said she was especially proud of her military service.

Hansen served as a Montana National Guard veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008-2009 and served a tour with the Central Intelligence Agency in Mogaidshu, Somalia in the 1990s, according to the press release that announced her appointment to Chief Deputy Attorney General. 

Gov. Greg Gianforte on Friday said he had “lost a friend” with Hansen’s passing and acknowledged her “indominable spirit.”

“A strong leader, Kris led a remarkable life, serving our nation overseas with the Montana National Guard and Central Intelligence Agency, before returning to Montana to continue her service to her community and to our Treasure State,” Gianforte said. “Susan and I pray that her family, friends, and colleagues find peace and comfort.”

Hansen had served as a central figure for the Attorney General’s Office during the state Republicans’ open conflict with the judicial branch last year. Hansen, representing Republican legislators who had subpoenaed judicial records, authored a public letter accusing the Supreme Court of interfering with a legislative investigation by quashing a subpoena for judicial records. The court ultimately ruled state lawmakers had overstepped their authority with the subpoenas.

Hansen was also directly involved in the Attorney General’s controversy with St. Peter’s Hospital last fall. A special legislative investigation found the family of a former Senate GOP staffer called Hansen claiming the Helena hospital had cut off access to the patient. During the incident, the investigation found Hansen discussed “legal ramifications” with the patient’s health care providers over the matter.

Hansen graduated from Augustana College with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and public administration in 1992, and received a Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School in 2002. She clerked for federal bankruptcy judge Bruce Black and Montana Supreme Court Justice John Warner. 

A spokesperson for Knudsen on Friday declined to offer further information on the cause or location of death, as well as any information on pending funeral arrangements.

This story has been changed to state Derek Oestreicher is serving as chief deputy attorney general.