George T. Beck | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theWyoming Senate | |
| In office 1913–1917 | |
| Mayor ofCody, Wyoming | |
| In office 1902–1903 | |
| Preceded by | Frank L. Houx |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Washington Thornton Beck (1856-06-26)June 26, 1856 Lexington,Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | December 1, 1943(1943-12-01) (aged 87) Cody,Wyoming, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Daisy Mae Sorrenson |
| Parents |
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| Signature |  |
George Washington Thornton Beck (June 26, 1856 – December 1, 1943) was a politician and business entrepreneur in theU.S. state ofWyoming.[1]
George Washington Thornton Beck was born on June 26, 1856, in Lexington, Kentucky, to SenatorJames B. Beck and Jane Augusta Washington Thornton. In 1877 he moved toLeadville, Colorado, during theColorado Silver Boom and then worked for theNorthern Pacific Railway in theDakota Territory in 1878 before moving to Sheridan,Wyoming Territory in 1879. In 1884 he constructed his first flour mill in Beckton and then built another flour mill and electric plant in 1886. From 1892 to 1894 he operated the Sheridan Fuel Company.[2]
Beck, Horace C. Alger, and later investors, includingWilliam F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, George Bliestein, Bronson Rumsey, and Nate Salsbury founded the Shoshone Land and Irrigation Company to build a canal and irrigate land in the Big Horn Basin. The partners claimed land under theCarey Act project, hoping to bring in settlers and profit by selling water rights. The investors utilized the celebrity ofWilliam F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, naming the town they foundedCody, Wyoming, as well as the canal, after him.[3]
As the most directly involved in the day-to-day operations, Beck lived inCody, Wyoming, and guided the town in its infancy. Along with other business leaders, Beck was vital in founding The Cody Club, which would become The Cody Country Chamber of Commerce. There is a street named in his honor in Cody.
From 1889 to 1890 he served as the last president of the Wyoming Territorial Council and was the Democratic nominee for Wyoming'sfirst House election, but was defeated byClarence D. Clark. He was elected to the territorial Senate and theWyoming State Senate as a Democrat. In 1901 he ran for mayor of Cody in its first mayoral election, but was defeated byFrank L. Houx.[4] In 1902 he ran for mayor again and was elected and later that year ran for the Democratic nomination for the1902 gubernatorial election and on August 7, 1902, he received the Democratic nomination for governor, but was defeated in a landslide by GovernorDeForest Richards.[5][6] He later served as a delegate to the1904 and1908 Democratic National Conventions
On December 2, 1943, he died in his home in Cody, Wyoming from a heart attack.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | DeForest Richards (incumbent) | 14,483 | 57.81% | +5.38 | |
| Democratic | George T. Beck | 10,017 | 39.98% | −5.40% | |
| Socialist | Henry Breitenstein | 552 | 2.20% | +2.20 | |
| Total votes | 25,052 | 100.00% | |||
| International | |
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| National | |
Media related toGeorge T. Beck at Wikimedia Commons| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Horace C. Alger | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Wyoming 1902 | Succeeded by |
