Jerome Bunty Chaffee (April 17, 1825 – March 9, 1886) was an American entrepreneur and

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

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 ...

Chaffee County, Colorado Chaffee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,476. The county seat is Salida. History Chaffee County has a confusing origin. Between February 8 and February 10, 1879, Carbonate ...

is named after him.

Biography

He was born in

Cambria, New York Cambria is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census. Cambria is an early name for Wales. The Town of Cambria is in the center of Niagara County. New York State Route 93 and New York State ...

. He moved to Adrian, Michigan in 1844 and worked as a teacher until starting a dry goods business in the late 1840s. In 1852 he moved to

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

, and later to Elmwood, Kansas Territory where he started banking businesses and engaged in land speculation. In 1860 he moved to Colorado to invest in mining. He was one of the founders of the City of

Denver, Colorado 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 ...

, and founded the First National Bank of Denver in 1865. Chaffee entered politics and helped organize the

Colorado Territory 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 ...

, serving in its first

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

as speaker. He was the territorial delegate to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

starting in 1870. In 1876, after Colorado was admitted to the Union, Chaffee was elected to the United States Senate. He served for the duration of his term, until 1879, but did not seek reelection due to poor health. In 1884, Chaffee was elected state chairman of the

Colorado Republican Party The Colorado Republican Party is the state affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Colorado. The party's headquarters is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The state party chair is Kristi Burton Brown. The Colorado Republican ...

. His sole surviving child, daughter Fannie Josephine (1857–1909), married

Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. Ulysses S. "Buck" Grant Jr. (July 22, 1852 – September 25, 1929) was an American attorney and entrepreneur. He was the second son of President of the United States, President Ulysses S. Grant. Early life and education Grant was born in Bethel ...

, a son of

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 ...

. The couple had five children, including Ulysses S. Grant IV. Chaffee died March 9, 1886, at the Grants' home in Salem Center, New York. He is buried in Adrian Cemetery, in Adrian, Michigan.''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''
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Notes

References

*
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: Chaffee, Jerome Bunty
', accessed 9 December 2005 * ''The National Cyclopædia of American Biography''. (1929) Vol. VI New York: James T. White & Co. pp. 199–200. * ''Who was Who in America, Historical Volume''. (1963) Chicago: Marquis Who's Who {{DEFAULTSORT:Chaffee, Jerome B. 1825 births 1886 deaths Members of the Colorado Territorial Legislature Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Territory People from Niagara County, New York People from Adrian, Michigan Colorado Republican Party chairs Republican Party United States senators from Colorado Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado 19th-century American politicians