When graduation was just two days away, Hillsdale College senior class president Hans Zeiger ’07 did what any good leader on campus would do: He commissioned a group of students to journey to the top of Central Hall to mount their senior class flag.
The flag, hanging from the top of Central Hall for the whole campus to see, stood on display until security took it down the following day. Although Zeiger did not physically participate in the expedition, everybody knew he had something to do with it.
During Zeiger’s time at Hillsdale College, he led eight separate trips to the highest point on campus. Only once was he caught, which led to dean of men Aaron Petersen fining him $100 and assigning him 10 hours of community service.
“I led at least 40 people to the top of Central Hall for late night tours,” Zeiger said. “Those days, you could lift the manhole in front of Central Hall to get in.”
But navigating such shenanigans was only one way where Zeiger proved his leadership at Hillsdale. Now, Zeiger continues to exhibit his ability to lead in the Washington state legislature.
This November, Zeiger is seeking reelection for his third term to the Washington State House of Representatives.
Over the course of his first two terms, he has served on a number of committees, where he has focused on education, economic development and transportation. Ultimately, Zeiger’s desire is to “build up our communities not our bureaucracies.”
Currently, his reelection for a third term is all but secured as he won the August primary with over 62 percent of the vote. Assuming those numbers hold for November, Zeiger will begin his third term in January.
Born and raised in Puyallup, Washington, Zeiger has embraced leadership roles and responsibility. He was active in scouting growing up and served as a student leader at his high school, so his ascent to leadership as a student at Hillsdale was natural to him.
As an Eagle Scout, Zeiger published his first book “Get Off My Honor!: The Assault on the Boy Scouts of America” before his junior year at Hillsdale College.
Lt. Col. Oliver North, commentator and host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News, praised the college sophomore for his book. North wrote in the forward that is was “a valuable work for every parent and community in a nation that should be concerned about the kind of young men we will have in the future.”
Zeiger did not stop there. His second book, “Reagan’s Children: Taking Back the City on the Hill,” was published the following summer. Both books are available in the college bookstore and in the Mossey library.
Classmate of Zeiger, Caleb Heimlich ‘07, who now serves as executive director of the Washington State Republican Party, recounted Zeiger’s work ethic during a spring break trip a group of them took to Florida.
“While we were hanging out at the beach, Hans was writing a book. He was one of the hardest working students at Hillsdale,” Heimlich said. “Most people think the writing required by your professors is hard, for Hans he needed more so he wrote a book while excelling in his classes.”
In conjunction with Zeiger’s writing, he also developed as a student.
“I came in thinking I knew everything and was ready to change the world,” Zeiger said. “But my job wasn’t to make a name for myself. It was to be liberally educated.”
Junior year was crucial to Zeiger’s academic growth.
“I had a lot more reading to do,” Zeiger said. “Dr. Arnn was critical in getting me to study.”
President Larry Arnn would attest to Zeiger’s commitment to his studies. “Amidst many distractions brought before him by his active nature, he disciplined himself to his studies,” Arnn said. “Hans was energetic and ambitious.”
As an American Studies major, Zeiger spent much of his time at Hillsdale studying politics, history and economics. One of his history professors, Burt Folsom remembers Zeiger for being a student the class valued highly. “I liked having him in class—he was a very good essay writer,” Folsom said.
Along with writing books and articles, working in the president’s office, serving as a residence assistant, a small group leader, and senior class president, Zeiger was recognized as “Outstanding Senior Man” by the college faculty and his peers. Having achieved about as many honors and recognitions possible for a Hillsdale student, he culminated it all by speaking at graduation, where he shared a stage with Gov. Mitt Romney, the 2007 commencement speaker.
The following fall, he pursued his masters degree in public policy from Pepperdine University. From there he started his doctorate at Claremont Graduate University. He pointed to “the influence that professors had at Hillsdale on the next generation” as the reason for wanting to pursue a Ph.D.
Part way through his time at Claremont, Zeiger continued his education from his hometown through an independent study so he could run for the Washington House of Representatives.
At only 25 years old, he won a hotly-contested race to be one of the youngest legislators in Washington state history in 2010. Following a thorough recount, he won by a narrow margin of 29 votes out of more than 52,000 cast to unseat the Democrat incumbent.
In the midst of the recount, Zeiger, Heimlich, and William Clark, Zeiger’s campaign manager and a Hillsdale graduate from the class of 2010, drove from Washington state to Hillsdale for homecoming weekend.
“Hans would be ahead by 40 one day and down by 20 the next,” Heimlich said. “We spent the weekend at homecoming, flew back, and then for two weeks they recounting ballots until Zeiger ultimately won by 29 votes. During the weekend in Hillsdale Hans was perfectly stoic.”
Also at this time, Zeiger suspended his Ph.D. work to focus on being a legislator. “Now I realize you can influence others in a number of different ways,” Zeiger said. “As an elected official I have still been able to go into classrooms and speak with high school and college students.”
Zeiger’s involvement in local and state politics is an example he hopes to set for other Hillsdale students looking to pursue politics. “Students should think about going back into their home communities and getting involved in public service and community service,” Zeiger said.
And he is not even 30 years old.
As Zeiger has written two books, secured public office twice, earned two degrees, and climbed to the top of Central Hall eight times, it is hard to disagree with Arnn when he says that Zeiger is “a fine young man, distinguishing himself, and surprising no one who understands him.”
