James Benton Grant

James Benton Grant

James Benton Grant (born January 2, 1848 in Russell County , Alabama , † November 1, 1911 in Excelsior Springs , Missouri ) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ) and from 1883 to 1885 the third governor of the state of Colorado .

Early years

Grant's schooling was interrupted by the outbreak of civil war. Despite his youth, he joined the Confederation Army in the final year of the war . After the war, he continued his education at Iowa Agricultural College and Cornell College in Ithaca . In Freiberg in the Kingdom of Saxony he attended a mining school. After returning to the United States, he moved to Leadville , Colorado, where he worked in mining. In 1882 he entered into a partnership with his uncle. Together they ran the Grant Smelting Company . He also became vice president of the Denver National Bank .

Governor of colorado

Grant was elected the new governor of Colorado in 1882, where he prevailed with 51:47 percent of the vote against the Republican E. L. Campbell. This made him the first ever Democrat in this office. Grant's two-year term began on January 9, 1883 and ended on January 13, 1885. During this time, mining in Colorado was heavily promoted by the governor's government. Trade also experienced an upswing in these years. After the two years he did not seek re-election.

Another résumé

In the years after his governorship, he returned to his business interests. Between 1892 and 1897 he was head of the Education Committee of the city of Denver ( Denver Board of Education ). At the same time he was from 1884 to 1904 curator of the University of Denver . He co-founded the Colorado Scientific Society and continued to serve as vice president of the Denver National Bank. James Grant died of heart failure on November 1, 1911 and was buried in Denver. He had two children with his wife, Mary Goodell.

Web links

• James Grant in the National Governors Association (English)
• James Benton Grant in the database of Find a Grave (English)