John Long Routt
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John Long Routt (April 25, 1826 - August 13, 1907) was a U.S. political figure and a Republican. Born in Eddyville, Kentucky, he served as the first governor of Colorado between 1876 and 1879, and again from 1891 to 1893. He also served as Mayor of Denver, Colorado from 1883 to 1885. He died in Denver, Colorado.
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[edit] Life Before Colorado
John Long Routt, shortly after his birth, moved to Bloomington, Illinois, where he completed his public school education. Routt became a carpenter, which was his profession through most of his life in Illinois. While living there, he was elected as Sheriff of McLean County, Illinois, his first elected position. Routt's blossoming public service career was abruptly interrupted by the American Civil War, during which he first demonstrated his skill for leadership. Because of his efforts in the Civil War, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Routt as the Territorial Governor of Colorado on March 29, 1875.
[edit] Territorial Governor
When Routt first entered into Colorado politics, issues regarding statehood were the primary item of business. Thomas Patterson and Jerome Chaffee, in House Bill 435, initially provided for the creation of the Colorado state government. Routt's time as territorial governor was largely spent deliberating the contents of the Colorado state constitution.
[edit] Colorado's First Governor
After Colorado was established as a state, the increasingly popular Routt easily won the gubernatorial election without making a single speech in public. As the first governor, Routt tackled the major issues Colorado was facing at the time, including violence in and around the city of Creede, Colorado, as well as problems dealing with county valuations.
Routt was also very popular among the female citizenry of the state because of his strong support for women's suffrage. At one point, he arranged a speaking tour for popular women's suffragist Susan B. Anthony and personally escorted her around the state. When women in Colorado first became able to vote in 1893, his wife, Eliza, became the first woman to register to vote in Colorado history.
[edit] Later life
Following his first two terms as Governor of Colorado, Routt entered the private sector, but re-entered public service again to serve as the Mayor of Denver, Colorado from 1883 to 1885. After unsuccessfully running for the United States Senate, Routt ran successfully for the governorship again in 1891, and served as Colorado's seventh Governor until 1897. His third term was marked by a high level of disagreement within the Republicans in Colorado's state government.
| Preceded by: Edward Moody McCook (last territory governor) |
Governors of Colorado 1876 –1879 |
Succeeded by: Frederick Walker Pitkin |
| Preceded by: Job Adams Cooper |
Governors of Colorado 1891 –1893 |
Succeeded by: Davis Hanson Waite |
| Governors of Colorado |
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|---|---|
| Routt • Pitkin • Grant • Eaton • A. Adams • Cooper • Routt • Waite • McIntire • A. Adams • Thomas • Orman • Peabody • A. Adams • McDonald • Buchtel • Shafroth • E. Ammons • Carlson • Gunter • Shoup • Sweet • Morley • W. Adams • E. Johnson • Talbot • T. Ammons • Carr • Vivian • Knous • W. Johnson • Thornton • E. Johnson • McNichols • Love • Vanderhoof • Lamm • Romer • Owens |
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