John Long Routt

John Long Routt

John Long Routt (born April 25, 1826 in Eddyville , Lyon County , Kentucky , †  August 13, 1907 in Denver , Colorado ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) and from 1875 to 1879 the first and from 1891 to 1893 the seventh governor of the state of Colorado.

Early years and political advancement

Shortly after Routt's birth, his father died. He then moved to Bloomington , Illinois with his mother . There he attended public schools. He then completed an apprenticeship in the carpentry trade. Between 1860 and 1862 he was a sheriff in McLean County . He then joined the Union Army during the Civil War . There he became the captain of a volunteer unit from Illinois. Because of his bravery, he was promoted to Colonel by General Ulysses S. Grant .

After the war, Routt became a chamberlain in McLean County. He held this office between 1865 and 1869. In 1869 he was named US Marshal for the southern part of Illinois by President Grant . In 1871 he became Secretary of State in the US Postal Department ( Second Assistant Postmaster General ). He held this office until 1875. On March 29 of that year he was appointed governor of the Colorado Territory by Grant .

Career in Colorado

At the time of his appointment as Territorial Governor, it was already clear that Colorado would join the United States as a new state in the near future. The accession was completed on August 1, 1876. During his tenure as territorial governor, the new state constitution was drafted and preparations were made to join the United States. It was also when the first regular gubernatorial elections were held in the state. Due to its general popularity, Routt had no problem winning these elections. This allowed him to serve as governor until January 14, 1879. A major problem during his tenure was the violence prevailing , especially in the town of Creede , against which the governor had to take action. He was also responsible for the distribution of the previously open land. Arguments over this issue had also been a cause of the riot in Creede.

At the end of his term of office, he will not be directly re-elected. In the following years he devoted himself to his private interests, which meanwhile also included livestock and mining. Between 1883 and 1885 he was the successor to Robert Morris and mayor of Denver . An attempt to be elected to the US Senate was unsuccessful. In 1890 he ran again successfully for the office of governor. During his second term, which began January 14, 1891 and ended January 10, 1893, construction began on the Denver Capitol. In addition, there was an internal political conflict in the state parliament over the appointment of committees and the election of the parliamentary president. This conflict was decided by the Colorado Supreme Court . Routt also campaigned for the introduction of women's suffrage . He arranged and accompanied appearances by well-known suffragettes such as Susan B. Anthony . When the right to vote was introduced in Colorado in 1893, his wife became the first woman in Colorado to be enlisted on the electoral roll. During his second term as governor, differences of opinion often arose between the governor and his party.

After the end of his governorship, Routt returned to his private interests. He died in August 1907 and was buried in Denver. John Routt was married twice and had a total of six children. The Routt County was named after him.

Web links

• John Routt in the National Governors Association (English)
• The governors of Colorado
• John Long Routt in the database of Find a Grave (English)