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{{short description|American politician}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = William Larimer, Jr.
| name = William Larimer Jr.
| image =
| image = William Larimer Jr.png
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth-date|October 24, 1809}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1809|10|24}}
| birth_place = [[Circleville, Pennsylvania]]
| birth_place = [[Circleville, Pennsylvania]]
| death_date = {{death-date|May 16, 1875}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1875|5|16|1809|10|24}}
| death_place = [[Leavenworth, Kansas]]
| death_place = [[Leavenworth, Kansas]]
| resting_place = [[Allegheny Cemetery]], [[Pittsburgh]]{{sfn|Mellon|1903|loc=foldout between pp. 12 and 13}}
| occupation = United States commissioner, Kansas state senator
| occupation = Businessman, investor, militia general, politician
| spouse = Rachel McMasters
| parents = William Larimer, Sr., Anne
| spouse = Rachel McMasters
| parents = William Larimer Sr., Anne Larimer
⚫
| children = John <br> William <br> Edwin <br> Thomas <br> Cassius <br> Joseph <br> George <br> Annie Larimer Jones <br> Rachel Larimer Mellon<ref>{{cite book|last=Jordan|first=John Woolf|title=Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania|publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company|year=1913|page=813}}</ref>
| children = John<br />William<br />Edwin<br />Thomas<br />Aiden<br />Joseph<br />George<br />Annie Larimer Jones<br />Rachel Larimer Mellon{{sfn|Jordan|1913|p=813}}
| signature = Signature of William Larimer Jr.png
}}
}}
'''William Larimer, Jr.''' (1809–1875) was a [[Kansas Senate|Kansas state senator]], [[United States|American]] settler, and land developer who is best known as the founder of [[Denver]], [[Colorado]] in 1858. Larimer often went by "General Larimer", having acquired the title in the Pennsylvania Militia.<ref>{{cite book|last=Boucher|first=John Newton|title=A Century and a Half of Pittsburg and Her People|year=1908|publisher=Lewis Publishing Company|page=409}}</ref>
'''William Larimer Jr.''' (October 24, 1809 – May 16, 1875) was an American businessman, investor, militia general, and politician who is best known as the founder of [[Denver]], [[Colorado]], in 1858. Larimer often went by "General Larimer", having acquired the title in the [[Pennsylvania Militia]].{{sfn|Boucher|1908|p=409}}


==Biography==
Larimer was born in [[Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania|Westmoreland County]], [[Pennsylvania]], and made his first fortune in the railroad industry in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]]. He became a land speculator in the 1850s in the [[Kansas Territory]], founding a homestead in [[Leavenworth, Kansas|Leavenworth]] where he lived with his wife and nine children. In 1858 Larimer helped found the Denver City Land Company with the intention of creating a new city in the western part of the territory.<ref name="Boorstin120">{{cite book|last=Boorstin|first=Daniel|title=The Americans: The National Experience|year=1965|publisher=Vintage Books|page=120|isbn=394703588}}</ref>
Larimer was born in [[Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania]], and made his first fortune in the railroad industry in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]]. He became a land speculator in the 1850s in the [[Kansas Territory]], founding a homestead in [[Leavenworth, Kansas|Leavenworth]] where he lived with his wife and nine children. In 1858 Larimer helped found the Denver City Land Company with the intention of creating a new city in the western part of the territory.{{sfn|Boorstin|1965|p=120}}


On November 22, 1858, Larimer arrived at a hill overlooking the confluence of [[Cherry Creek (Colorado)|Cherry Creek]] and the [[South Platte River]]. The site was across Cherry Creek from the existing settlement of [[Auraria, Denver|Auraria]], founded by William Greenburry Russell who is credited with starting the Pikes Peak Gold rush. Larimer staked his claim by laying [[Populus sect. Aegiros|cottonwood]] logs along a square-mile parcel of land on the hill. Larimer chose the name "Denver City" to honor the governor of the Kansas Territory, [[James W. Denver]], with the intention that the city would become the county seat of Arapaho County.<ref name="Boorstin120"/> In a letter dated February 1859, he had declared that "I am Denver City."<ref name="Boorstin120"/>
On November 22, 1858, Larimer arrived at a hill overlooking the confluence of [[Cherry Creek (Colorado)|Cherry Creek]] and the [[South Platte River]]. The site was across Cherry Creek from the existing settlement of [[Auraria, Denver|Auraria]], founded by William Greenburry Russell who is credited with starting the [[Pike's Peak Gold Rush]]. Larimer staked his claim by laying [[Populus sect. Aegiros|cottonwood]] logs along a square-mile parcel of land on the hill. Larimer chose the name "Denver City" to honor the governor of the Kansas Territory, [[James W. Denver]], with the intention that the city would become the county seat of Arapaho County.{{sfn|Boorstin|1965|p=120}} In a letter dated February 1859, he had declared that "I am Denver City."{{sfn|Boorstin|1965|p=120}}


Larimer planned the site and aggressively sold tracts to miners and other migrants traveling through the [[Rocky Mountains]]. In the first years, tracts were often traded for grubstakes and in gambling. In 1860, all of the stockholders of Denver City merged with their rivals in Auraria, forming one city under the name Denver.<ref name="Boorstin121">{{cite book|last=Boorstin|first=Daniel|page=121}}</ref> Larimer was instrumental in the formation of the [[Colorado Territory]] in 1861, and in making Denver its capital. He anticipated being named the first governor of the territory, but was disappointed when [[Abraham Lincoln]] gave the appointment to [[William Gilpin (governor)|William Gilpin]] of [[Missouri]], in part as a favor to the governor of the state.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} After this unexpected turn of events, Larimer became a United States commissioner and a judge of probate for the First Judicial District of Colorado.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jordan|pages=813–814}}</ref> During the Civil War, he became a colonel for the Third Regiment of Colorado Volunteers, and after returned to Kansas.<ref name="Jordan814">{{cite book|last=Jordan|page=814}}</ref>
Larimer planned the site and aggressively sold tracts to miners and other migrants traveling through the [[Rocky Mountains]]. In the first years, tracts were often traded for grubstakes and in gambling. In 1860, all of the stockholders of Denver City merged with their rivals in Auraria, forming one city under the name Denver.{{sfn|Boorstin|1965|p=121}} Larimer was instrumental in the formation of the [[Colorado Territory]] in 1861, and in making Denver its capital. He anticipated being named the first governor of the territory, but was disappointed when [[Abraham Lincoln]] gave the appointment to [[William Gilpin (governor)|William Gilpin]] of [[Missouri]], in part as a favor to the governor of the state.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} After this unexpected turn of events, Larimer became a United States commissioner and a judge of probate for the First Judicial District of Colorado.{{sfn|Jordan|1913|pp=813–814}} During the Civil War, he became a colonel for the Third Regiment of Colorado Volunteers, and after returned to Kansas.{{sfn|Jordan|1913|p=814}}


After serving as a Kansas state senator from [[1867]] until [[1870]], Larimer retired to his family farm in [[Leavenworth, Kansas]], where he died in 1875.<ref name="Jordan814"/> He is commemorated in the city he helped found by Larimer Street in downtown, as well as [[Larimer Square, Denver|Larimer Square]]. He is also commemorated by [[Larimer County, Colorado]] in the northern part of the state, and by the [[Larimer (Pittsburgh)|Larimer]] neighborhood in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Boucher|page=410}}</ref>
After serving as a Kansas state senator from 1867 until 1870, Larimer retired to his family farm in Leavenworth, Kansas, where he died in 1875.{{sfn|Jordan|1913|p=814}} He is commemorated in the city he helped found by Larimer Street in downtown, as well as [[Larimer Square, Denver|Larimer Square]]. He is also commemorated by [[Larimer County, Colorado]], in the northern part of the state, and by the [[Larimer (Pittsburgh)|Larimer]] neighborhood in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]].{{sfn|Boucher|1908|p=410}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==Bibliography==
⚫
== External links ==
*{{cite book|last=Boorstin|first=Daniel|title=The Americans: The National Experience|year=1965|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=0394703588}}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Boucher|editor-first=John Newton|title=A Century and a Half of Pittsburg and Her People|year=1908|publisher=Lewis Publishing Company|volume=2|hdl=2027/uva.x000953891?urlappend=%3Bseq=423|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uva.x000953891?urlappend=%3Bseq=423}}
⚫
*{{cite book|last=Jordan|first=John Woolf|title=Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania|url=https://archive.org/details/genealogicalpers01jord|publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company|year=1913}}
*{{cite book|last=Mellon|first=Rachel H. L.|title=The Larimer, McMasters and Allied Families|date=1903|url=https://archive.org/stream/larimermcmasters01mell#page/n22/mode/1up}}

⚫
==External links==
* {{Find a Grave|8680739}}
* {{Find a Grave|8680739}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->

| NAME = Larimer, William
.
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =

| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician
| DATE OF BIRTH = October 24, 1809
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Circleville, Pennsylvania]]
| DATE OF DEATH = May 16, 1875
| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Leavenworth, Kansas]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larimer, William}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larimer, William}}
[[Category:1809 births]]
[[Category:1809 births]]
[[Category:1875 deaths]]
[[Category:1875 deaths]]
[[Category:City founders]]
[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:History of Denver, Colorado]]
[[Category:19th-century American legislators]]
[[Category:People from Colorado]]
[[Category:American city founders]]
[[Category:People from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American militia generals]]
[[Category:Kansas State Senators]]
[[Category:Burials at Allegheny Cemetery]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Denver]]

[[Category:Businesspeople from Pittsburgh]]
[[fr:William Larimer, Jr.]]
[[Category:History of Denver]]
[[Category:Kansas state senators]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Colorado]]
[[Category:Politicians from Denver]]
[[Category:19th-century Kansas politicians]]

Revision as of 07:12, 21 February 2024

William Larimer Jr.
Born(1809-10-24)October 24, 1809
Circleville, Pennsylvania
DiedMay 16, 1875(1875-05-16) (aged 65)
Leavenworth, Kansas
Resting placeAllegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh[1]
Occupation(s)Businessman, investor, militia general, politician
SpouseRachel McMasters
ChildrenJohn
William
Edwin
Thomas
Aiden
Joseph
George
Annie Larimer Jones
Rachel Larimer Mellon[2]
Parent(s)William Larimer Sr., Anne Larimer
Signature

William Larimer Jr. (October 24, 1809 – May 16, 1875) was an American businessman, investor, militia general, and politician who is best known as the founder of Denver, Colorado, in 1858. Larimer often went by "General Larimer", having acquired the title in the Pennsylvania Militia.[3]

Biography

Larimer was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and made his first fortune in the railroad industry in Pittsburgh. He became a land speculator in the 1850s in the Kansas Territory, founding a homestead in Leavenworth where he lived with his wife and nine children. In 1858 Larimer helped found the Denver City Land Company with the intention of creating a new city in the western part of the territory.[4]

On November 22, 1858, Larimer arrived at a hill overlooking the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. The site was across Cherry Creek from the existing settlement of Auraria, founded by William Greenburry Russell who is credited with starting the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Larimer staked his claim by laying cottonwood logs along a square-mile parcel of land on the hill. Larimer chose the name "Denver City" to honor the governor of the Kansas Territory, James W. Denver, with the intention that the city would become the county seat of Arapaho County.[4] In a letter dated February 1859, he had declared that "I am Denver City."[4]

Larimer planned the site and aggressively sold tracts to miners and other migrants traveling through the Rocky Mountains. In the first years, tracts were often traded for grubstakes and in gambling. In 1860, all of the stockholders of Denver City merged with their rivals in Auraria, forming one city under the name Denver.[5] Larimer was instrumental in the formation of the Colorado Territory in 1861, and in making Denver its capital. He anticipated being named the first governor of the territory, but was disappointed when Abraham Lincoln gave the appointment to William Gilpin of Missouri, in part as a favor to the governor of the state.[citation needed] After this unexpected turn of events, Larimer became a United States commissioner and a judge of probate for the First Judicial District of Colorado.[6] During the Civil War, he became a colonel for the Third Regiment of Colorado Volunteers, and after returned to Kansas.[7]

After serving as a Kansas state senator from 1867 until 1870, Larimer retired to his family farm in Leavenworth, Kansas, where he died in 1875.[7] He is commemorated in the city he helped found by Larimer Street in downtown, as well as Larimer Square. He is also commemorated by Larimer County, Colorado, in the northern part of the state, and by the Larimer neighborhood in Pittsburgh.[8]

References

  1. ^ Mellon 1903, foldout between pp. 12 and 13.
  2. ^ Jordan 1913, p. 813.
  3. ^ Boucher 1908, p. 409.
  4. ^ a b c Boorstin 1965, p. 120.
  5. ^ Boorstin 1965, p. 121.
  6. ^ Jordan 1913, pp. 813–814.
  7. ^ a b Jordan 1913, p. 814.
  8. ^ Boucher 1908, p. 410.

Bibliography

  • Boorstin, Daniel (1965). The Americans: The National Experience. Vintage Books. ISBN 0394703588.
  • Boucher, John Newton, ed. (1908). A Century and a Half of Pittsburg and Her People. Vol. 2. Lewis Publishing Company. hdl:2027/uva.x000953891.
  • Jordan, John Woolf (1913). Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania. Lewis Historical Publishing Company.
  • Mellon, Rachel H. L. (1903). The Larimer, McMasters and Allied Families.

External links

.

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