James Bradley Orman

James Bradley Orman

James Bradley Orman (born November 4, 1849 in Muscatine , Iowa , † July 21, 1919 ) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ) and from 1901 to 1903 the twelfth governor of the state of Colorado .

Early years and political advancement

Orman attended local schools in his home in Iowa. In 1869 he moved to Denver , Colorado, where he and his brother started a successful construction company. The company worked in many fields, but it did most of its jobs in railroad construction in Colorado and Kansas . It was one of the largest and most successful railroad construction companies in the western United States.

Orman moved to Pueblo in 1874 . There his political career began when he was elected to the city council. In 1880 he was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives and from 1883 to 1885 State Senator . In 1883, his election as US Senator failed because of only three votes in the state's House of Representatives. Between 1897 and 1898 he was mayor of Pueblo. On November 6, 1900 he was elected governor of his state, where he prevailed with 54:44 percent of the vote against the Republican Frank C. Goudy.

Governor of colorado

Orman took up his new office on January 8, 1901. The biggest problem in his two-year tenure was a labor dispute between the miners and the mining employers. It was about a new employment contract that placed the workers significantly worse than before and would even have obliged them to make payments on their part if they could not meet the requirements of the contract. Lieutenant Governor David Courtney Coates was able to convince the governor that a solution was possible without the intervention of the National Guard. Orman then entrusted Coates with the negotiations between the conflicting parties. Eventually a compromise was negotiated that brought calm to the mining industry for some time. At that time, a food commission was formed in Colorado and a new school was built in Gunnison . The property tax was also reformed.

After his tenure ended on January 13, 1903, Orman returned to his private business. He also worked temporarily for the US land authority. He died in July 1919 and was buried in Pueblo. James Bradley was married to Nellie Martin, with whom he had two children.

Web links

• James Orman in the National Governors Association (English)
• James Bradley Orman in the database of Find a Grave (English)