Julius Caldeen Gunter (October 31, 1858 – October 26, 1940) was the 21st

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 ...

from January 9, 1917, until his term ended on January 14, 1919. He was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Col.

Thomas M. Gunter Thomas Montague Gunter (September 18, 1826 – January 12, 1904) was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas. Born near McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee, Gunter pursued classical studies and was graduated from Irving College in 1850. He st ...

and Marcella Jackson Gunter who died just weeks after his birth. He earned a LL.D Degree when he graduated from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

in 1879. His first major political job was being elected to the

Colorado Supreme Court The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. Powers and duties Appellate jurisdiction Discretionary appeals The Court p ...

which he served on between 1905 and 1907. In 1916, he entered the

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the 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 western edge of t ...

gubernatorial election, and was elected on November 7. The same year he entered office, the United States entered World War I. Gunter helped organize the Colorado Home Guard, the Colorado Wartime Council, and the Council of Defense which were to aid the troops. He was also the first Governor to implement the use of the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

. His term ended the same year the war ended. Gunter lost renomination for a second term in Colorado's 1918 Democratic primary. He later declined offers to return to the Colorado Supreme Court. He died in his home in

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 ...

, Colorado on October 26, 1940, just shy of his 82nd birthday, and was buried in Fairmount Cemetery, Denver.

References

External links

Governor Julius Caldeen Gunter Collection at the Colorado State Archives
* Democratic Party governors of Colorado 1858 births 1940 deaths American Episcopalians Politicians from Fayetteville, Arkansas Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court {{Colorado-politician-stub