Historical Commission Corner
A Crowded Day in the Governor’s Office: Three in One Day
In this era of questioning election results and denying validity of elections by some in our society, let’s look back in time at some real corruption in politics happening right here in Colorado: the year we had three governors in one day.
Corruption was rampant in the United States at the turn of the last century and our own state was no exception. Once the dust settled in the 1904 governor’s race, a mess was exposed. James Peabody, the Republican incumbent, was challenged by Alva Adams, a Democrat who had already served two two-year terms as the state’s chief executive. Peabody was liked by business interests, but was highly criticized for his brutal handling of the miner’s strike of 1904, especially in Cripple Creek. He reportedly said, “They [the miners] want habeas corpus, we’ll give them rigor mortis.” Miners were threatened with firing if they didn’t vote Republican.
 Colorado's three governors in 1905. From left to right, Alva Adams, James Peabody, and Jesse Macdonald.
Adams won the election with just over 50% of the votes cast. After he was sworn in, a Republican dominated commission found huge voting irregularities, especially in Denver, then dominated by Democrat boss Robert Speer. It was discovered that voters called “repeaters” went from precinct to precinct voting often and collecting $2 per vote. One man claimed to have voted 169 times
There were 717 Democratic votes in one precinct that held but 100 qualified voters. Denver Police officers not only turned their backs on the misdeeds, but actually helped many of the voters do their deed.
The result was that Adams resigned after just a few months in office and Peabody was sworn in only to resign himself thanks to a back room deal to that effect, thus passing the office on to the Lieutenant Governor Jesse MacDonald. Upon his taking the oath of office, Colorado earned the dubious distinction of having three governors within twenty-four hours.
The reaction to the profound corruption in American politics led to the Progressive Era in U.S. history as reform swept throughout the country. Reformers such as Judge Ben Lindsey and Josephine Roche in Colorado took control in government and business to make conditions better. Studies show that the margin of error and susceptibility to corruption in elections is quite low to non-existent today.
Historical Commission Updates
The Historical Commission continues to work at replacing destroyed artifacts and preparing the Grasso Park Bungalow to serve as a museum. We have plans to paint the interior, replace the window blinds and make other improvements. We have been cataloging quite a few of the recent donations received from our friends and neighbors.
Be sure to visit our photo and artifact display case in the Superior Community Center (1500 Coalton Road).
Did you know that:
- The Huerfano County Clerk jumped from a moving train to avoid being exposed as falsely reporting the correct votes in the Election of 1904?
- Colorado governors were elected to two-year terms until 1958?
- On November 28, 1955, Gary Glick from Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University) was drafted by the Pittsburg Steelers?
The Historical Commission currently has two vacancies, so applications are welcome. For more information, contact Jennifer Garner, town staff, at 303-499-3675, Larry Dorsey, commission chair, at 303-499-1969 or click on the button below to apply.
Text by Larry Dorsey, proofed by Dorothy Mahan.
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