John Franklin Shafroth (June 9, 1854February 20, 1922) was an American politician who served as a

representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

, member of 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 ...

, and

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 ...

Early life

Born in

Fayette, Missouri Fayette is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 2,803 at the 2020 census. History Fayette was laid out in 1823. The ...

, he attended the common schools and graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

at Ann Arbor in 1875. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1876 and began practice in Fayette. He moved to

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 ...

, in 1879 and continued the practice of law. Beginning in 1889, one of the attorneys he practiced in partnership with for several years was Charles W. Waterman, later a US Senator. His son,

John F. Shafroth Jr. John Franklin Shafroth Jr. (March 31, 1887 – September 1, 1967) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral. He distinguished himself as Commander of destroyer USS ''Terry'' during World War I and re ...

, later a vice admiral in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, was born on 31 March 1887.

Political career

He was city attorney from 1887 to 1891 and was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the 54th Congress as a representative. He then joined other Colorado officials, such as Senator Henry M. Teller, in leaving the Republicans to join the

Silver Republican Party The Silver Republican Party, later known as the Lincoln Republican Party, was a United States political party from 1896 to 1901. It was so named because it split from the Republican Party by supporting free silver (effectively, expansionary mone ...

, the third party on whose ticket he was re-elected to the 55th, 56th, and 57th Congresses. To the

58th Congress The 58th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC, from March 4, 1903, to ...

, he presented credentials as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

ic member-elect. Thus, he served in the House from March 4, 1895 to his resignation on February 15, 1904, when he declared that fraud in 29 electoral precincts made him unable to assert that he had legitimately won the election and requested for his opponent,

Robert W. Bonynge Robert William Bonynge (September 8, 1863 – September 22, 1939) was a lawyer in Denver and New York City. He was a U.S. Representative from Colorado, member of the National Monetary Commission, and the Tripartite Claims Commission. He was c ...

, to replace him. Subsequently, Shafroth was often referred to (sometimes admiringly, sometimes sarcastically) as "Honest John." Shafroth was

from 1909 to 1913 and was instrumental in bringing in Colorado's

ballot initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a p ...

institutions. In 1912, he was elected as a Democrat to the Senate, where he served one term, from March 4, 1913, to March 3, 1919; he was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1918. While a Senator, Shafroth was chairman of the Committee on Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico ( 63rd to 65th Congresses); the leading Senate sponsor of the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917, which granted citizenship to Puerto Ricans; and a member of the Committee on the Philippines (65th Congress).

Later life and death

After leaving the Senate, he served as chairman of the War Minerals Relief Commission from 1919 to 1921. He died in 1922 and was interred in Fairmount Cemetery in Denver. His personal and official papers are archived at several locations including the Colorado State Archives (gubernatorial papers), the

Colorado Historical Society History Colorado is a historical society that was established in 1879 as the State Historical Society of Colorado, also known as the Colorado Historical Society. History Colorado is a 501(c)(3) organization and an agency of the State of Colorado un ...

Library, and the

Denver Public Library The Denver Public Library is the public library system of the City and County of Denver, Colorado. The system includes the Denver Central Library, located in the Golden Triangle district of Downtown Denver, as well as 25 branch locations and ...

's Western History and Genealogy Department.

References

External links

Governor John F. Shafroth Collection at the Colorado State Archives
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shafroth, John F. 1854 births 1922 deaths People from Fayette, Missouri Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Silver Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Democratic Party United States senators from Colorado Democratic Party governors of Colorado Governors of Colorado Members of the United States House of Representatives removed by contest Politicians from Columbia, Missouri University of Michigan alumni