George Washington Thornton Beck (June 26, 1856 – December 1, 1943) was a politician and business entrepreneur in the U.S. state of Wyoming.

Life

George Washington Thornton Beck was born on June 26, 1856 in Lexington, Kentucky to Senator James B. Beck and Jane Augusta Washington Thornton. In 1877 he moved to

Leadville, Colorado The City of Leadville is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Statutory city, statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only List of municipalities in Colorado, incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorad ...

during the Colorado Silver Boom and then worked for the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...

in the Dakota Territory in 1878 before moving to Sheridan, Wyoming Territory in 1879. In 1884 he constructed his first flour mill in Beckton and then built another flour mill and electric plant in 1886. From 1892 to 1894 he operated the Sheridan Fuel Company. Beck, Horace C. Alger, and later investors, including William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, George Bliestein, Bronson Rumsey, and Nate Salsbury founded the Shoshone Land and Irrigation Company to build a canal and irrigate land in the Big Horn Basin. The partners claimed land under the Carey Act project, hoping to bring in settlers and profit by selling water rights. The investors utilized the celebrity of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, naming the town they founded Cody, Wyoming as well as the canal, after him. As the most directly involved in the day-to-day operations, Beck lived in Cody, Wyoming and guided the town in its infancy. Along with other business leaders, Beck was vital in founding The Cody Club, which would become The Cody Country Chamber of Commerce. There is a street named in his honor in Cody. From 1889 to 1890 he served as the last president of the Wyoming Territorial Council and was the Democratic nominee for Wyoming's first House election, but was defeated by

Clarence D. Clark Clarence Don Clark (April 16, 1851November 18, 1930) was an American teacher, lawyer, and politician from New York. He participated in the constitutional convention for Wyoming's statehood and was that state's first congressman. He served as ...

. He was elected to the territorial Senate and the

Wyoming State Senate The Wyoming Senate is the upper house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 30 Senators in the Senate, representing an equal number of constituencies across Wyoming, each with a population of at least 17,000. The Senate meets at the Wyomi ...

as a Democrat. In 1901 he ran for mayor of Cody in its first mayoral election, but was defeated by

Frank L. Houx Frank Lee Houx (December 12, 1854 – April 3, 1941) was an American politician from the Democratic Party who served as the 10th Governor of Wyoming from 1917 to 1919 and the 5th Secretary of State of Wyoming from 1911 to 1919. Life Frank Lee ...

. In 1902 he ran for mayor again and was elected and later that year ran for the Democratic nomination for the 1902 gubernatorial election and on August 7, 1902 he received the Democratic nomination for governor, but was defeated in a landslide by Governor

DeForest Richards DeForest Richards (August 6, 1846April 28, 1903) was an American banker, farmer, and politician. He was the fifth Governor of the state of Wyoming, and the first to die while still in office. Biography Born in Charlestown, New Hampshire, Rich ...

. He later served as a delegate to the

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

and

1908 Democratic National Convention The 1908 Democratic National Convention took place from July 7 to July 10, 1908, at Denver Auditorium Arena in Denver, Colorado. The event is widely considered a significant part of Denver's political and social history. The Convention The 1 ...

s On December 2, 1943 he died in his home in Cody, Wyoming from a heart attack.

Electoral history

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, George T. 1856 births 1943 deaths 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians Mayors of places in Wyoming People from Cody, Wyoming People from Lexington, Kentucky Democratic Party Wyoming state senators