Samuel Hitt Elbert

Samuel Hitt Elbert

Samuel Hitt Elbert (born April 3, 1833 in Logan County , Ohio , †  November 27, 1899 in Galveston , Texas ) was an American lawyer and politician and from 1873 to 1874 governor of the Colorado Territory .

Early years

At the age of seven, Elbert moved with his parents to the Iowa Territory , where he attended public schools and then studied agriculture. He then studied until 1854 at Ohio Wesleyan University . After moving to the Nebraska Territory , he began working as a lawyer there. There he was also involved in the establishment of the Republican Party in this area. In 1860 Elbert took part as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago , where Abraham Lincoln was nominated as a candidate for president.

Colorado governor and judge

Between 1862 and 1867, Elbert was Secretary of State in the Colorado Territory. In this area, too, he was involved in building the Republican Party. His mentor was then Territorial Governor John Evans , who also became his father-in-law. As State Secretary he often had to represent the governor in his absence. In 1873, Elbert was named the new governor of the Colorado Territory by US President Ulysses S. Grant . In the summer of that year, the President came to the Rocky Mountains in person and became the first US President to do so . He stayed at the governor's apartment and also met with representatives of the Indians. Elbert remained in office until June 19, 1874.

In 1877, Elbert was appointed as a judge on the Colorado Supreme Court . He worked there until 1889. Between 1879 and 1883 he was even Chief Justice of Colorado.

The Elbert County , the town of Elbert and Mount Elbert in the Rocky Mountains were named after Samuel Elbert.

Web links

• The governors of Colorado (English)
• Samuel Hitt Elbert in the database of Find a Grave (English)