From 1957 to 1963, he served in the
Utah Army National Guard and was activated to full-time status during the
Berlin Crisis. He was an instructor at the Leysin American School,
Leysin, Switzerland for one year. He also taught economics at Skyline High School, Salt Lake City, Utah for seven years. During the summer months of 1966 to 1969 he was a mountaineering park ranger in
Grand Teton National Park. He was appointed Chief of Staff to
U.S. Congressman Wayne Owens (D-UT) in March 1973. In April 1975 he was appointed to direct the Department of Social Services in Salt Lake County. In November 1975 he was elected as Mayor of Salt Lake City. He served as Mayor until July 1, 1985, when he became the Director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. Retiring from the Hinckley Institute in September 2003, Wilson retained status as Professor Emeritus of political science and continued to teach classes at the university. Wilson was a founder of the Exoro Co. He ran against
Orrin Hatch for the
U.S. Senate in 1982. In 1988, he was the Democratic candidate for
Governor of Utah. In 1991, Wilson was selected by the
Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government as an institute fellow during the Autumn Semester. Personal travel to India allowed Wilson to study and understand the Indian system of government. Wilson made ten trips to India leading university student expeditions. During those visits, he met with the
Dalai Lama, and led efforts to build housing for
Tibetan Refugees in
Bir, a community hall in
Leh,
Ladakh and a school in
Kotwara. Wilson loved the sport of
mountaineering and climbed routes in Utah, in the Tetons, and in other ranges including the Alps, Alaska, and the Andes. Wilson was a member of the Alpenbock Climbing Club, a group instrumental to developing climbing routes throughout the
Wasatch range. Wilson established three climbing schools still in operation and was a climbing ranger in Grand Teton National Park. He guided in the Tetons for Exum Mountain Guides and owned the Jackson Hole Mountain Guides in 1970. He received the
U.S. Department of the Interior Valor award for a mountain rescue on the North Face of the Grand Teton in 1967. Wilson was married to former
Salt Lake Tribune columnist Holly Mullen. From his previous marriage to Kathryn Carling, Wilson had five children. He was stepfather to Mullen's two children. He was also a grandfather to 13 grandchildren. Wilson was actively involved on several boards, including the Friends of Alta, the Utah Governor's Energy Task Force, and served as chairman of the Utah Governor's Council on Balanced Resources. He found pleasure in activities such as bicycling, skiing, rock climbing, and backpacking with his family. Ted Wilson died from complications from heart failure and
Parkinson's disease on April 11, 2024, at the age of 84. == Awards and honors ==