Jesse Fuller McDonald

Jesse McDonald

Jesse Fuller McDonald (born June 30, 1858 in Ashtabula , Ohio , † February 25, 1942 in Denver , Colorado ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) and from 1905 to 1907 the 15th  governor of the state of Colorado.

Early years and political advancement

Jesse McDonald attended local schools in his home in Ohio. He then studied construction and land surveying. In 1879 he moved to Leadville , Colorado. There he got into the mining business. Five years later, he and a partner started a company that owned several lucrative mines in Colorado.

McDonald was Mayor of Leadville from 1899 to 1905, and from 1902 he was also a member of the Colorado Senate . In the controversial gubernatorial elections of 1904 he was elected lieutenant governor . In these elections the Democrat Alva Adams was elected governor for the third time against the incumbent James Hamilton Peabody . The Republican majority in the Colorado General Assembly let the election be challenged successfully. Adams had to resign on March 16, 1905, who took up office. According to a compromise, Peabody became governor again for one day. He then had to hand over this post to his deputy McDonald.

Governor of colorado

Jesse McDonald took up his new post on March 17, 1905. During his tenure, a law was passed prohibiting miners from barring other workers from entering the mines on strike in the event of a strike. In this way he unilaterally protected the interests of the employers to which he belonged. But it also protected the open country. At that time, six major sugar beet refineries were being built in Colorado, which benefited the country's economy. In 1906, McDonald did not run for re-election. Therefore, on January 8, 1907, he resigned from his office.

Even after the end of his tenure, McDonald remained politically active. In 1908 he ran again, albeit unsuccessfully, for the office of governor. Between 1910 and 1914 he was the chairman of the Republicans in Colorado. He held this post again from 1931 to 1934. Otherwise, as an employer in the mining industry, he was a member of several regional and national associations of mine owners. Jesse McDonald died in February 1942. He was married twice.

Web links

• Jesse McDonald in the National Governors Association (English)
• Jesse Fuller McDonald in the database of Find a Grave (English)