John Long Routt

John Long Routt (April 25, 1826 – August 13, 1907) was an American politician of the Republican Party. Born in Eddyville, Kentucky, he served as the first and seventh governor of Colorado from 1876 to 1879 and 1891 to 1893. He also served as mayor of Denver, Colorado from 1883 to 1885. He died in Denver, Colorado.

John Long Routt
1st and 7th Governor of Colorado
In office
January 13, 1891 – January 10, 1893
LieutenantWilliam Story
Preceded byJob Adams Cooper
Succeeded byDavis H. Waite
In office
November 3, 1876 – January 14, 1879
LieutenantLafayette Head
Preceded byHimself (as Governor of the Territory of Colorado)
Succeeded byFrederick W. Pitkin
8th Governor of the Territory of Colorado
In office
March 29, 1875 – November 3, 1876
Preceded byEdward M. McCook
Succeeded byHimself (as Governor of the State)
17th Mayor of Denver
In office
1883–1885
Preceded byRobert Morris
Succeeded byJoseph E. Bates
Personal details
Born(1826-04-25)April 25, 1826
Eddyville, Kentucky
DiedAugust 13, 1907(1907-08-13) (aged 81)
Denver, Colorado
Political partyRepublican
Signature

Early years

John Long Routt was born in Eddyville, Kentucky, and moved to Bloomington, 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 of McLean County, Illinois. Routt's blossoming public service career was abruptly interrupted by service in the American Civil War, during which acted as a captain in the 94th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

Governor of Colorado

Colorado Territory

U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed John Routt as the Governor of the Territory of Colorado on March 29, 1875. Statehood had long been Colorado's primary interest. 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.

State of Colorado

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 - 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 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 Pickrell Routt, became the first woman to register to vote in Colorado history.

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.[1] 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 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's Riverside Cemetery.[2] Routt County, Colorado and Routt National Forest are named in his honor.

See also

References
  1. "History of the Office of the Mayor". City and County of Denver. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  2. Noel, Tom (October 15, 2006). "Pioneer Cemetery Fading". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved November 28, 2007.

Bibliography

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