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John Long Routt | |
|---|---|
 Routt, circa 1885 | |
| 1st and 7th Governor of Colorado | |
| In office January 13, 1891 – January 10, 1893 | |
| Lieutenant | William Story |
| Preceded by | Job Adams Cooper |
| Succeeded by | Davis H. Waite |
| In office November 3, 1876 – January 14, 1879 | |
| Lieutenant | Lafayette Head |
| Preceded by | Himself (as Governor of the Territory of Colorado) |
| Succeeded by | Frederick W. Pitkin |
| 8th Governor of the Territory of Colorado | |
| In office March 29, 1875 – November 3, 1876 | |
| Preceded by | Edward M. McCook |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as Governor of the State) |
| 17th Mayor of Denver | |
| In office 1883–1885 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Morris |
| Succeeded by | Joseph E. Bates |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1826-04-25)April 25, 1826 Eddyville,Kentucky |
| Died | August 13, 1907(1907-08-13) (aged 81) Denver,Colorado |
| Political party | Republican |
| Signature |  |
John Long Routt (April 25, 1826 – August 13, 1907) was anAmerican politician of the Republican Party. Born inEddyville, Kentucky, he served as thefirst and seventhgovernor of Colorado from 1876 to 1879 and 1891 to 1893. He also served as mayor ofDenver, Colorado from 1883 to 1885. He died inDenver, Colorado.
John Long Routt was born inEddyville, Kentucky, and moved toBloomington, Illinois shortly thereafter where he completed his public school education. Upon completion of his studies, he worked as a carpenter prior to entering elected office.
While living in Illinois, he attained his first elected office as Sheriff ofMcLean County, Illinois. Routt's blossoming public service career was abruptly interrupted by service in theAmerican Civil War, during which acted as a captain in the94th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.
U.S. PresidentUlysses S. Grant appointed John Routt as theGovernor of theTerritory of Colorado on March 29, 1875. Statehood had long been Colorado's primary interest.Thomas Patterson andJerome 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.
AfterColorado 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 ofCreede, 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 forwomen's suffrage - with nudges from his wife,Eliza Pickrell Routt, a pioneer in the women's suffrage movement. At one point, he arranged a speaking tour for popular women's suffragistSusan B. Anthony and personally escorted her around the state. When women in Colorado first became able to vote in 1893, his wife,Eliza Pickrell Routt, became the first woman to register to vote in Colorado history.
Following his first two terms asGovernor of Colorado, Routt entered the private sector, but re-entered public service again to serve as the mayor ofDenver, Colorado from 1883 to 1885.[1] After unsuccessfully running for theUnited States Senate, Routt ran successfully for the governorship again in 1891, and served as Colorado's seventh Governor until 1893. His third term was marked by a high level of disagreement within the Republicans in Colorado's state government.
Routt was buried in Denver'sRiverside Cemetery.[2]Routt County, Colorado andRoutt National Forest are named in his honor.
Bibliography
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| First | Republican nominee forGovernor of Colorado 1876 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Colorado 1890 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Edward M. McCook (last territory governor) | Governor of Colorado 1876–1879 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Robert Morris | Mayor of Denver 1883–1885 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Colorado 1891–1893 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
