Colorado
Gov. Davis Hanson Waite
- January 10, 1893 - January 8, 1895
- Populist
- April 9, 1825
- November 29, 1901
- New York
- Married twice--Frances E. Russell, Celia O. Crane; five children
About
DAVIS HANSON WAITE, Colorado’s eighth governor was born in Jamestown, New York, on April 9, 1825. He graduated from Jamestown Academy and studied law under his father. He moved to Wisconsin and was elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature in 1856. In 1879, Waite moved to Leadville, Colorado with his two children. He finally settled in Aspen, Colorado, in 1881, where he practiced law, was the editor of the Union Era, and was a delegate to the 1892 St. Louis Populist Convention. On November 8, 1892, Waite was elected Governor of Colorado, and on January 11, 1893, he was sworn into office. During his tenure, the construction on the state capitol building was completed, legislation was enacted that gave women the right to vote, and the Sherman Act was repealed. Waite’s administration also dealt with the Pullman’s strike and the Cripple Creek strike that involved striking miners. Waite ran unsuccessfully for a second term in 1894 and left the governor’s office in January 1895. He stayed active supporting the Omaha Populist Party platform. He also continued in his journalistic interests and published a Populist newspaper. Governor Davis Waite died on November 27, 1901.
Source
Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.
