Teller Ammons (December 3, 1895 – January 16, 1972) was an American attorney and politician who served as the
28th Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
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 ...
from 1937 to 1939. He was the first Colorado governor to be born in the state.
Early life
On December 3, 1895, Ammons was born in Colorado. Ammons' father was
Elias M. Ammons, a former
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 ...
. Ammons' mother was Elizabeth (nee Fleming) Ammons.
[Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 10 ] Ammons was named for his father's friend, U.S. Senator
Henry Moore Teller.
Career
He served with the
154th Infantry Regiment in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
in
France during
World War I.
After the war, he returned to Colorado to work on a ranch and in a newspaper office. He earned a law degree from the
University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...
's Westminster Law School in 1929.
Ammons was elected to the
Colorado Senate
The Colorado Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about 123, ...
in 1930 and served until 1935, when Denver Mayor
Benjamin F. Stapleton
Benjamin Franklin Stapleton (November 12, 1869 – May 23, 1950) was the mayor of Denver, Colorado, for two periods (comprising five terms), the first from 1923 to 1931 and the second from 1935 to 1947. He also served as a member of the Ku Klux K ...
appointed him as Denver city attorney.
In 1936, Ammons was elected
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 ...
. On January 12, 1937, Ammons began his term as the
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 ...
, until January 10, 1939.
[archived]
As Governor, he was responsible for the execution of
Joe Arridy, who was innocent of the crime he was accused of; he had refused to pardon Arridy or commute his sentence. After one two-year term, he was defeated for reelection in 1938 by
Ralph L. Carr.
During
World War II, he served as a
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
on the selection and assignment board for military officers until 1944. In 1944, he was part of the military government of Guam. He separated from the service in 1945.
Afterward, he practiced law in Denver until his retirement.
Personal life
Ammons' wife was Esther Daves Ammons. They had one child, whose name is Davis Ammons.
Ammons died on January 16, 1972,
and was buried in
Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.
References
External links
State of Colorado biographyNational Governors Association biography*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ammons, Teller
1895 births
1972 deaths
Democratic Party Colorado state senators
Democratic Party governors of Colorado
United States Army personnel of World War I
Politicians from Denver
20th-century American politicians
United States Army officers
Military personnel from Colorado
Burials at Fairmount Cemetery (Denver, Colorado)