Davis Hanson Waite (April 9, 1825 – November 27, 1901) was an American politician. He was a member of the Populist Party, and he served as the eighth

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 1893 to 1895.

Biography

Early years

Davis Hanson Waite was born April 9, 1825 in Jamestown, New York to Joseph Waite and Olive Davis Waite. He studied law and graduated from Jamestown Academy. In 1851, he married Frances Eliza Russell and together they had two children, Austin and Josephine.Ancestors of Gov. Davis Hanson Waite
/ref> Waite served in the state legislatures of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

in 1857, and

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

in 1879. Waite and his family moved to Leadville, Colorado, in 1879 to practice law.Governor Davis H. Waite Collection,"
Colorado State Archives, 9 cubic feet, bulk 1893–1895. After his wife Frances died in November 1880, he moved to

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...

. In Aspen he started the local newspaper and served as secretary of the local assembly of the

Knights of Labor Knights of Labor (K of L), officially Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was an American labor federation active in the late 19th century, especially the 1880s. It operated in the United States as well in Canada, and had chapters also ...

. He remarried to Celia O. Maltby ( née Crane) on January 8, 1885. They had one son, Frank Hanson Waite.

Political career

Waite was elected to the

Wisconsin Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republica ...

as a Republican and had run a Republican newspaper in New York. In Colorado he edited the ''Union Era'', a reform paper, and helped to organized the People's Party (Populists) national convention. In 1892 he was nominated as the Populist candidate for Governor of Colorado and he was inaugurated on January 10, 1893. A passionate supporter of the Populist's

Omaha Platform The Omaha Platform was the party program adopted at the formative convention of the Populist (or People's) Party held in Omaha, Nebraska on July 4, 1892. Origin The platform preamble was written by Ignatius L. Donnelly. The Omaha platform was ...

, he was nicknamed "Bloody Bridles" for an 1893 speech, in which he proclaimed, "It is better, infinitely better that blood should flow to the horses' bridles rather than our national liberties should be destroyed."Lawrence Goodwin, ''The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America.'' New York: Oxford University Press, 1978; pg. 185. His election coincided with the Panic of 1893 which hit the silver mining industry in Colorado particularly hard. In 1894, the

Western Federation of Miners The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) was a trade union, labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mining#Human Rights, mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and ...

went on a five-month strike and Waite intervened on behalf of the union, ordering the deployment of the state militia to support and protect the miners.Holbrook, Stewart. ''The Rocky Mountain Revolution.'' New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1956. That same year Waite supported the American Railroad Union during the national

Pullman Strike The Pullman Strike was two interrelated strikes in 1894 that shaped national labor policy in the United States during a period of deep economic depression. First came a strike by the American Railway Union (ARU) against the Pullman factory in Chi ...

. As governor he was also instrumental in the passage of

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

in Colorado, the second state to do so.

1894 Denver "City Hall War"

In 1893, a new

municipal charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document ('' charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charter ...

was given to

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 ...

by the state legislature that decentralized much of the mayor's powers into six different administrative departments, two of which were elected, two appointed by the mayor, and the remaining two appointed by the governor. The municipal board members appointed by the governor had complete financial control over the police, fire, and

excise file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...

departments. Governor Waite tried to overturn the corruption in Denver in 1894 by removing police and fire commissioners that he thought were shielding gamblers and prostitutes. The officials refused to leave their positions and were quickly joined by others who felt their jobs were threatened. They barricaded themselves in City Hall, and the state militia were sent to remove them. Federal troops were called in from nearby

Fort Logan Fort Logan was a military installation located eight miles southwest of Denver, Colorado. It was established in October 1887, when the first soldiers camped on the land, and lasted until 1946, when it was closed following the end of World War I ...

to intervene and quell the civil strife. Eventually Governor Waite agreed to withdraw the militia and allow the

state Supreme Court In the United States, a state supreme court (known by other names in some states) is the highest court in the state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of state law, the judgment of a state supreme court is considered final and binding in b ...

to decide the case. The court ruled that the governor had authority to replace the commissioners, but he was reprimanded for bringing in the militia, in what became known as the "City Hall War". He was defeated for reelection in 1894, but continued to be active in the Populist movement until his death in 1901.

Death and legacy

Waite died on November 27, 1901 while preparing

Thanksgiving dinner The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States and in Canada is Thanksgiving dinner (informally called turkey dinner), a large meal generally centered on a large roasted turkey. Thanksgiving could be considered the largest ...

at his home in Aspen. His house on West Francis Street in Aspen has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Footnotes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waite, Davis Hanson 1825 births 1901 deaths Governors of Colorado Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Members of the Kansas House of Representatives Politicians from Jamestown, New York People from Aspen, Colorado Colorado Democrats Colorado Populists People's Party state governors of the United States American newspaper executives Wisconsin Republicans Colorado Republicans New York (state) Republicans Kansas Republicans Journalists from New York (state) Knights of Labor people 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople