John Long Routt (April 25, 1826 – August 13, 1907) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician of the Republican Party. Born in Eddyville, Kentucky, he served as the

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and seventh governor of Colorado from 1876 to 1879 and 1891 to 1893. He also served as mayor of Denver, Colorado from 1883 to 1885. He died in Denver, Colorado.

Early years

John Long Routt was born in Eddyville, Kentucky, and moved to

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...

shortly thereafter where he completed his public school education. Upon completion of his studies, he worked as a carpenter prior to entering elected office. While living in Illinois, he attained his first elected office as Sheriff of

McLean County, Illinois McLean County is the largest county by land area in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 169,572. Its county seat is Bloomington. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, IL Metropolita ...

. Routt's blossoming public service career was abruptly interrupted by service in the American Civil War, during which acted as a captain in the 94th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

Governor of Colorado

Colorado Territory

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

appointed John Routt as the Governor of the

Territory of Colorado The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado. The territory was organized in the w ...

on March 29, 1875. Statehood had long been Colorado's primary interest. Thomas Patterson and

Jerome Chaffee Jerome Bunty Chaffee (April 17, 1825 – March 9, 1886) was an American entrepreneur and United States Senator from Colorado. Chaffee County, Colorado is named after him. Biography He was born in Cambria, New York. He moved to Adrian, Michigan ...

, in House Bill 435, initially provided for the creation of the Colorado state government. Routt's time as Territorial Governor was largely spent deliberating the contents of the Colorado state constitution.

State of Colorado

After Colorado was established as a state, the increasingly popular Routt easily won the gubernatorial election without making a single speech in public. As the first governor, Routt tackled the major issues Colorado was facing at the time, including violence in and around the city of

Creede, Colorado The historic City of Creede is (despite its official name) a Statutory Town and the county seat of Mineral County, Colorado, United States. It is the most populous community and the only incorporated municipality within the county. The town pop ...

, as well as problems dealing with county valuations. Routt was also very popular among the female citizenry of the state because of his strong support for women's suffrage - with nudges from his wife,

Eliza Pickrell Routt Eliza Pickrell Routt (1839–1907) was a pioneer in women's suffrage and the original first lady of the state of Colorado. Early years Eliza Franklin Pickrell was born in Springfield, Illinois in 1839 to Mary Ann Elkin and Benjamin Franklin Pick ...

, a pioneer in the women's suffrage movement. At one point, he arranged a speaking tour for popular women's suffragist Susan B. Anthony and personally escorted her around the state. When women in Colorado first became able to vote in 1893, his wife,

, became the first woman to register to vote in Colorado history.

Later life

Following his first two terms as Governor of Colorado, Routt entered the private sector, but re-entered public service again to serve as the Mayor of Denver, Colorado from 1883 to 1885. After unsuccessfully running for the United States Senate, Routt ran successfully for the governorship again in 1891, and served as Colorado's seventh Governor until 1893. His third term was marked by a high level of disagreement within the Republicans in Colorado's state government. Routt was buried in Denver's Riverside Cemetery.

Routt County, Colorado Routt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 24,829. The county seat is Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Steamboat Springs. Routt County comprises the Steamboat ...

and

Routt National Forest Routt may refer to: ;Places In the United States: * Routt, Louisville, Kentucky *Routt County, Colorado ;People *Joe Routt *John Long Routt *Stanford Routt Stanford Bermond Routt (born July 26, 1983) is a former American football cornerback. Aft ...

are named in his honor.

References

Bibliography *

External links

The Governors of Colorado @ Colorado.gov

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Routt, John Long 1826 births 1907 deaths Colorado Mining Boom Governors of Colorado Territory Mayors of Denver People from Eddyville, Kentucky Colorado Republicans Illinois sheriffs People from Bloomington, Illinois Republican Party governors of Colorado Illinois Republicans American suffragists