Davis Hanson Waite
| David Hanson Waite | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 8th Governor of Colorado | |
| In office January 10, 1893 – January 8, 1895 |
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| Lieutenant | David Hopkinson Nichols |
| Preceded by | John L. Routt |
| Succeeded by | Albert W. McIntire |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 9, 1825 Jamestown, New York |
| Died | November 27, 1901 (aged 76) Aspen, Colorado |
| Political party | Populist |
Davis Hanson Waite (1825-1901), U.S. Populist Party and Democratic Party politician, served as the eighth Governor of Colorado from 1893 to 1895.[1]
Contents |
Biography [edit]
Early years [edit]
Davis Hanson Waite was born April 9, 1825 in Jamestown, New York to Joseph Waite (1787–1855) and Olive Davis Waite (1786–1851).
Political career [edit]
Waite served in the state legislatures of Wisconsin in 1857,[2] and Kansas in 1879,[3] before eventually moving to Colorado, where he started the local newspaper in Aspen, Colorado and was secretary in the local assembly of the Knights of Labor.
A passionate supporter of the Populist Party's Omaha Platform, 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."[4]
As governor, Waite supported the Western Federation of Miners in its successful 1894 Cripple Creek Strike and that same year the American Railroad Union during the national Pullman Strike. He was also instrumental in the passage of women's suffrage in Colorado during his governorship. He was defeated for reelection in 1894, but continued to be active in the Populist movement until his death while preparing Thanksgiving dinner in 1901.
He married Frances Eliza Russell (1836–1880), the daughter of Robert and Celia Ann (Cook) Russell. They had at least one daughter, Jessie Francelia White (1856–1880). He remarried to Celia O. Crane (1845–1937) on January 8, 1885. They had one son, Frank Hanson Waite (1886–1951).
Death and legacy [edit]
Waite died on November 27, 1901. He was 76 years old at the time of his death.
His house on West Francis Street in Aspen has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Footnotes [edit]
- ^ Lawrence Kestenbaum (ed.), "Davis Hanson Waite," The Political Graveyard, www.politicalgraveyard.com/
- ^ Members of the Wisconsin Legislature, 1848-1999. Madison, WI: State of Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, September 1999.
- ^ Kansas Legislators Past and Present
- ^ Lawrence Goodwin, The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978; pg. 185.
Further reading [edit]
- David B. Griffiths, "Far-Western Populist Thought: A Comparative Study of John R. Rogers and Davis H. Waite," Pacific Northwest Quarterly, vol. 60, no. 4 (Oct. 1969), pp. 183-192. In JSTOR.
External links [edit]
- Governor Davis H. Waite Collection," Colorado State Archives, 9 cubic feet, bulk 1893–1895.
- Find A Grave (burial site)
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| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Alva Adams |
Governor of Colorado 1893–1895 |
Succeeded by Albert Washington McIntire |
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