Hildreth Frost (1880–1955) was a lawyer and soldier from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

who commanded Company A of the 2nd Infantry Regiment during the

Colorado Coalfield War The Colorado Coalfield War was a major labor uprising in the Southern and Central Colorado Front Range between September 1913 and December 1914. Striking began in late summer 1913, organized by the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) agai ...

. He also served as Judge Advocate for the military

courts-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

for prosecuting members of the

Colorado National Guard The Colorado National Guard consists of the Colorado Army National Guard and Colorado Air National Guard, forming the state of Colorado's component to the United States National Guard. Founded in 1860, the Colorado National Guard falls under t ...

following the Ludlow Massacre.

Early life

Hildreth Frost was born to Walter Clarence Frost and Ella Hildreth Frost in Newton, Massachusetts on 22 June 1880. Walter Frost was a prominent figure in mining around Cripple Creek and

Leadville The City of Leadville is a statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,602 at the 2010 census and an estimated ...

. Frost received a bachelor's degree from Colorado College in 1901, the same year as the Cripple Creek Strike, and a law degree from Harvard in 1904. Frost worked as a lawyer on matters relating to the mining industry, which was a major employer in Southern Colorado prior to the Great Depression.

Colorado Coalfield War

On 26 October 1913,

Governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either app ...

Elias M. Ammons ordered the Colorado National Guard to deploy to the southern coalfields near

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

and

Walsenburg The City of Walsenburg is the Statutory City that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Huerfano County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 3,049 at the 2020 census, down from 3,068 in 2010. History Walsenbur ...

in response to violence associated with the

United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the Unit ...

strike against the

Colorado Fuel and Iron The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was a large steel conglomerate founded by the merger of previous business interests in 1892.Scamehorn, Chapter 1, "The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, 1892-1903" page 10 By 1903 it was mainly owned and co ...

company that had begun on 23 September. Captain Frost led Company A in the strike zone, one of several units deployed. Like other units of the National Guard in the strike zone, Company A began incorporating CF&I mine guards into its ranks. Company A would remain deployed through the departure of the

congressional committee A congressional committee is a legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty (rather than the general duties of Congress). Committee membership enables members to develop specialized knowledge of the ...

visit and publication of the military report on the strike zone, returning home on 17 April 1914. However, the company's first sergeant and two

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

s remained and participated in the Ludlow Massacre, where roughly 20 strikers and their families were killed. Cpt. Frost participated in the northernmost engagement of the conflict, a ten-hour long gun battle in near the mines of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, north of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, on 28 April. Two strikebreakers were critically wounded during the battle against the incensed miners. Following the conflict, several members of the Colorado National Guard, including Lt.

Karl Linderfelt Karl E. Linderfelt (November 7, 1876 – June 3, 1957) was a soldier, mine worker, soldier of fortune, and officer in the Colorado National Guard. He was reported to have been responsible for an attack upon, and the ultimate death of, strike lea ...

and Major

Patrick J. Hamrock Patrick J. Hamrock (1860-1939) was an Irish-born American soldier who served in multiple conflicts as part of the U.S. Army and Colorado National Guard. He led a portion of the militia that participated in the Ludlow Massacre, part of the 19 ...

were court-martialed in relation to the violence at Ludlow and the killing of strike-leader

Louis Tikas Louis Tikas ( el, Λούης Τίκας), born Elias Anastasios Spantidakis ( el, Ηλίας Αναστάσιος Σπαντιδάκης, link=no; 13 March, 1886 – 20 April, 1914), was the main labor union organizer at the Ludlow camp during t ...

. Frost participated in the trials, which resulted in no punishments, as Judge Advocate.

After the Coalfield War

Frost married Bertha K. Marcum on 1 October 1914. Frost continued to work as a lawyer following the conflict and was drafted following the entry of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

into the First World War, which he had penned several newspaper opinion pieces against in the years preceding it, citing his experience during the 1913-1914 strike. He also continued working in the mining industry, taking possession of at least one liquidated mining operation in 1918. Frost died in 1955. His son Hildreth Frost, Jr. would be appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

as assayer for the

Denver Mint The Denver Mint is a branch of the United States Mint that struck its first coins on February 1, 1906. The mint is still operating and producing coins for circulation, as well as mint sets and commemorative coins. Coins produced at the Denver Min ...

in 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frost, Hildreth Colorado College alumni Harvard Law School alumni 1880 births 1955 deaths