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A Utah lawmaker most associated with the fight for state control of federal land says he travels to and from the Capitol listening to "Hamilton," the musical biography of a Founding Father most associated with fighting to centralize government.
Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, made that appreciation known by sponsoring HR12, by which Utah would honor the Grammy-winning Broadway production's composer and lead actor, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
"Hamilton" has captivated Ivory since he was introduced to the soundtrack by his daughter Elyssa on Thanksgiving, he told The Tribune.
He visited Washington last month with House Speaker Greg Hughes — who, unlike Ivory, has attended the show — and listened from start to finish on the return flight. As Alexander Hamilton's son, Philip, was killed in a duel, Ivory was "just sobbing, trying to act manly with these guys on either side of me."
Ivory said he doesn't have a favorite number. Most recently, he was inspired by "Dear Theodosia," in which Aaron Burr and Hamilton promise to build a nation their young children can thrive in.
Miranda's Hamilton earns grudging respect from states-rights advocates Thomas Jefferson and James Madison only after his death, the Virginians at times portrayed as smug idealists who turn a blind eye to a source of their wealth: slavery.
Hamilton's plan to establish a national bank and assume state debts casts — in Miranda's telling — undue suspicion on his motives. He is ambitious, wildly so, but not unscrupulous in his public duty, as Jefferson and Madison charge.
Might Ivory have been on the Virginians' side of those debates, presented as rap battles in "Hamilton"?
He recently left his post as president of the American Lands Council to join Federalism in Action, lobbying for the transfer of lands from federal to state control.
In 2012, Ivory sponsored the Utah Transfer of Public Lands Act. He is the sponsor of another pending resolution that calls for a constitutional convention to confront what he feels are abuses of power and manipulations from the federal government.
Ivory said he would "lean more Madisonian than Hamilton in preference," but he believes Hamilton advocated for a government that was more balanced than today's.
He quoted from Federalist No. 28, written by Hamilton and copied in a booklet Ivory made when he joined the Legislature, "that the state governments will, in all possible contingencies, afford complete security against invasions of the public liberty by the national authority."
Primarily, Ivory said, he means to honor Miranda. Not only did "Hamilton" help Ivory discover an ability to enjoy hip-hop, but through casting actors from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds and focusing on "probably the most unlikely" Founding Father, Miranda has connected people to the story of the United States' creation, Ivory said.
After he spoke at a town hall for the Jordan School District on Tuesday night, a group of Boy Scouts wondered why ear buds dangled from Ivory's neck. They became excited when he told them "Hamilton" is the score to his daily travels. They're listening to it in history class, they told him — though their teacher bleeps out the occasional profanities.
Said Ivory: "To connect the hope and possibility and the promise of America, it's a great story."
A representative for Miranda said he was preparing for Thursday night's show and not available for comment.
Twitter: @matthew_piper