John Long Routt (April 25, 1826 – August 13, 1907) was an American politician of the Republican Party. Born in

Eddyville, Kentucky Eddyville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,554 at the 2010 census, up from 2,350 in 2000. The Kentucky State Penitentiary is located at Eddyville. The town is cons ...

, he served as the first and seventh

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 1876 to 1879 and 1891 to 1893. He also served as mayor 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 ...

from 1883 to 1885. He died in

Early years

John Long Routt was born in

, and moved to Bloomington, Illinois 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 Metropolit ...

. Routt's blossoming public service career was abruptly interrupted by service in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, during which acted as a captain in the 94th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

Governor of Colorado

Colorado Territory

U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed John Routt as the

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 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 ...

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

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, 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 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 ...

- with nudges from his wife, Eliza Pickrell Routt, a pioneer in the women's suffrage movement. At one point, he arranged a speaking tour for popular women's suffragist

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...

and personally escorted her around the state. When women in Colorado first became able to vote in 1893, his wife, Eliza Pickrell Routt, became the first woman to register to vote in Colorado history.

Later life

Following his first two terms as

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 ...

, Routt entered the private sector, but re-entered public service again to serve as the Mayor of

from 1883 to 1885. After unsuccessfully running for the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

, 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 and Routt National Forest 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