Denver County

Lewis E. Lemen, M. D., president of the Colorado State Medical Society, and surgeon for the Union Pacific Railroad, was born in Belleville, St. Clair County, Ill., April 1, 1849. The first of his ancestors who settled in America was his great-grandfather, James Lemen, a native of Scotland, but in early manhood an emigrant to Harper’s Ferry, Va., and during the Revolution a brave defender of the colonial honor. After the war closed he was sent west by the government in order to locate lands for soldiers in the western territory. He settled in St. Clair County, of which he … Read more

From whatever point the life and character of Senator Jerome B. Chaffee may be viewed, whether as the head of large and valuable mining interests, the organizer and first president of the First National Bank of Denver, or as a man of public affairs, devoted to the welfare of his state and intensely interested in its progress, it will be readily conceded that he was a great man. His representation of Colorado in the United States senate was of such a nature as to reflect credit upon his own high order of talents and secure for him the regard of … Read more

During the ’70s there was no citizen of Denver who was more intimately associated with its business interests or held a position higher in the confidence of the people than did Mr. A. B. Daniels, and his death, which occurred April 8, 1881, was mourned as a public loss. His great business ability was recognized by all, and was the chief factor in his financial success; another, and scarcely less vital force in his success, was his boundless energy, the enterprise that no obstacle daunted, the industry that the hardest labor could not diminish. A member of an old family … Read more

Among the men who gained fortune in Colorado was one who was known all over the country as the “cattle king” of this state. When people by thousands were coming west during the Pike’s Peak excitement, John W. Iliff decided to join the tide of emigration that moved westward. He had the sound common sense to bring with him a wagon train of provisions, and these he sold in Denver at a large profit. With this money he bought a small herd of cattle, the nucleus of the immense cattle business he afterward conducted. Studying his chosen occupation with care … Read more

In its entire history as a state it is doubtful if Colorado has given to assist in framing the laws of the nation, any citizen who has attained a fame equal to that of Hon. Henry Moore Teller. His name is indelibly written upon the annals of his state and his country. Through his long and brilliant career as United States senator he has not only retained the friendship of his political supporters, but has won the admiration even of those whose opinions upon political subjects are diametrically opposed to his own. He stands now, near the climax of his … Read more

RT.-Rev. John Franklin Spalding, D. B. The life of this distinguished bishop began in Belgrade, Kennebec County, Me., August 25, 1828. He is a member of an old and patriotic family that has been identified with the history of America since an early period of its settlement. In 1619 two brothers, Edmond and Edward, came to this country from Lincolnshire, England, the former settling in Maryland and the latter in Virginia. However, in 1627 he went to Massachusetts and settled at Braintree, but later he and his son, Col. John Spalding, with others, incorporated the town of Chelmsford. Col. John, … Read more

Hon. John F. Shafroth, M. C. The character of a city is the character of its citizens. The character of the city of Denver may be judged in a measure from the names of its leading public men, who have become closely identified with its interests by long residence and have contributed to the extension of its interests. Few of its citizens are better known throughout the entire nation than Mr. Shafroth, and certainly none has a more enviable reputation for breadth of intellect and uprightness of life. To write of his career is to write, in part, a history … Read more

Hon. Samuel H. Elbert, governor of the territory of Colorado 1873-74, chief justice of the supreme court 1876-82 and 1886-88, is one of the most distinguished citizens our state has ever had. Under appointment by President Lincoln as secretary of the territory, he came to Colorado in 1862 and his life since that time has been apart of the history of the state. As the chief executive of the territory, it was his aim to promote the welfare of the people; as chief justice of the supreme court, he was wise, impartial and fearless; as a citizen, he has ever … Read more