The Politics of Denver
A look at the people, places and events that shaped the Mile High City's 150-year history
In its colorful 150-year history, the Mile High City has seen its fair share of history-making political events, from the inspiring to the scandalous to the just plain strange. With the Democratic National Convention returning to Denver this August -- pictured above is a ticket to the last convention in 1908 -- it’s prime time for a look at some of the big moments and big names in Denver’s political history.
Political Pioneers. In the city’s Wild West days, political disagreements were settled the old fashioned way. No, not with six shooters (though that may have happened on occasion), but with liquor. In the spring of 1859, there were several competing cities on both sides of the South Platte River. Tensions between the cities grew and nearly led to bloodshed. But before that could happen, a torch-lit meeting was held, and on the one bridge over Cherry Creek, for the price of a barrel of whiskey, all other names were dropped and the settlement in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains came to be known as Denver.
Suffragette City. Colorado women were given full suffrage in 1893, making Denver the largest city in the world at the time where women could vote. This was a long time coming – by then, the women’s suffrage movement had been trying to achieve equal voting rights in the state for almost 25 years.
The City Beautiful. “Red tape and restricting laws will not make a crooked politician straight but will make a straight politician useless.” Those were the words that Robert W. Speer lived by during his reign over the Denver political world. Upon being elected mayor in 1904, Speer persuaded voters to approve the so-called "Speer Charter," which gave Denver one of the country’s most powerful mayoral offices. Speer called his vision for the Mile High City came to be know as “The City Beautiful Plan,” as tree planting, careful urban planning and an ambitious park system kick started Denver’s transformation from a dusty pioneer town into the world-class metropolis of today.
A Gilded Political Palace. Modeled after the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., the dome of Colorado’s State Capitol is covered with 200 ounces of 24kt. gold leaf, which was put in place in 1908. However, the truly priceless material is inside where the entire world’s supply of Colorado onyx was used as wainscoting. No more of the ultra-rare, rose-colored stone has been found since. (Free tours of the Capitol offer this and other tidbits of information as well as visits to the Senate and House of Representatives chambers.)
Royal Style. Perhaps the only place to rival the Capitol Building in terms of Denver political history is the Brown Palace, the luxury hotel that opened in 1893 and hasn’t closed for a moment since. Every president since Teddy Roosevelt, barring Calvin Coolidge, has stayed at least one night here. Teddy had himself quite a time on his first stay in 1905, when he spoke to a group of businessmen at an elaborate banquet at the hotel; allegedly 1,500 cigars were smoked during the event. President Dwight D. Eisenhower loved the Brown and the Brown loved him right back – you can still stay in the luxurious Eisenhower Suite named after Ike at the hotel (pictured above right). And if you do, take a look at the fireplace mantel – there’s a dent from one of Eisenhower’s wayward golf balls. Seems the president was warming up for a day on the green in his suite. More recently, the Brown’s Gold Room on the second floor of the hotel was the site of President Clinton’s oval office for the historic Denver Summit of the Eight, where the world’s superpowers gathered.
Meals fit for kings – or presidents. Denver's oldest restaurant, the Buckhorn Exchange (pictured right), was founded in 1893, and has hosted five U.S. presidents, including Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Roosevelt took such a shine to Buckhorn owner Henry “Shorty” Zietz that he made him his big game hunting partner whenever he came to Colorado. During the Denver Summit of the Eight in June 1997, the Buckhorn Exchange hosted the meeting of Secretary of State Madeline Albright and her Russian counterparts. Also hosted during the Summit were the prime minister of Italy and dignitaries from Japan, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.
1908 Denver Democratic National Convention. From July 7-10, 1908, the Democratic National Convention took place in Denver, Colorado at the Denver Arena Auditorium. That year, the delegates nominated William Jennings Bryan for their Presidential candidate and John Kern for Vice President. For the event, the Mayor built an elaborate fountain in City Park to greet visitors. This fountain is being rebuilt for the 2008 event. The Auditorium in which the meeting was held still stands and has been transformed into the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
A Scandalous Season. The 1988 presidential race was a rocky one for Colorado politicians. Colorado Congresswoman Pat Schroeder declared that she was dropping out of the presidential race at Civic Center Park at an emotional press conference in which she cried. As a result, she was criticized and lampooned on Saturday Night Live and by many in the press. During his bid for the presidency, Colorado senator dared the press to follow him, saying that he had nothing to hide. In May 1987, he dropped out of the presidential race after a scandal linked him with 29-year-old model Donna Rice.
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