John F. Shafroth

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For his son, the United States Navy admiral, see John F. Shafroth Jr.
John Shafroth
In office
March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919
Preceded bySimon Guggenheim
Succeeded byLawrence C. Phipps
18th Governor of Colorado
In office
January 12, 1909 – January 14, 1913
LieutenantStephen R. Fitzgarrald
Preceded byHenry A. Buchtel
Succeeded byElias M. Ammons
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1895 – February 15, 1904
Preceded byLafe Pence
Succeeded byClay B. Whitford
Personal details
Born
John Franklin Shafroth

(1854-06-09)June 9, 1854
Fayette, Missouri, U.S.
DiedFebruary 20, 1922(1922-02-20) (aged 67)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Resting placeFairmount Cemetery
Political partyRepublican (1895–1897)
Silver Republican (1897–1903)
Democratic (1903–1922)
ChildrenJohn F. Shafroth Jr.
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
ProfessionLaw

John Franklin Shafroth (June 9, 1854 – February 20, 1922) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a representative, member of the United States Senate, and Governor of Colorado during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Early life[edit]

Born in Fayette, Missouri, he attended the common schools and graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1875. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1876 and began practice in Fayette. He moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1879 and continued the practice of law. Beginning in 1889, one of the attorneys he practiced in partnership with for several years was Charles W. Waterman, later a U.S. Senator.[1]

His son, John F. Shafroth Jr., later a vice admiral in the U.S. Navy during World War II, was born on 31 March 1887.

Political career[edit]

Congress[edit]

He was city attorney from 1887 to 1891 and was elected as a Republican to the 54th Congress as a representative. He then joined other Colorado officials, such as Senator Henry M. Teller, in leaving the Republicans to join the Silver Republican Party, the third party on whose ticket he was re-elected to the 55th, 56th, and 57th Congresses.[2] To the 58th Congress, he presented credentials as a Democratic member-elect. Thus, he served in the House from March 4, 1895 to his resignation on February 15, 1904, when he declared that fraud in 29 electoral precincts made him unable to assert that he had legitimately won the election and requested for his opponent, Robert W. Bonynge, to replace him.[3] Subsequently, Shafroth was often referred to (sometimes admiringly, sometimes sarcastically) as "Honest John."[4]

Governor[edit]

Shafroth was Governor of Colorado from 1909 to 1913 and was instrumental in bringing in Colorado's ballot-initiative institutions.

Senate[edit]

In 1912, he was elected as a Democrat to the Senate, where he served one term, from March 4, 1913, to March 3, 1919; he was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1918.

While a Senator, Shafroth was chairman of the Committee on Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico (63rd to 65th Congresses), the leading Senate sponsor of the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 (which granted citizenship to Puerto Ricans), and a member of the Committee on the Philippines (65th Congress).

Later life and death[edit]

After leaving the Senate, he served as chairman of the War Minerals Relief Commission from 1919 to 1921.

He died on February 20, 1922 and was interred in Fairmount Cemetery in Denver. His personal and official papers are archived at several locations including the Colorado State Archives (gubernatorial papers), the Colorado Historical Society Library, and the Denver Public Library's Western History and Genealogy Department.

Electoral history (federal elections)[edit]

1894 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John F. Shafroth 47,710 55.32%
Populist Lafayette Pence (incumbent) 34,223 39.68%
Prohibition Robert H. Rhodes 2,465 2.86%
Democratic John T. Bottom 1,847 2.14%
Majority 13,487 15.64%
Total votes 86,245 100%
Republican gain from Populist
1896 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Silver Republican John F. Shafroth (incumbent) 67,821 84.89%
Republican T.E. McClelland 9,625 12.05%
Natural Prohibition J.J. Losh 1,083 1.36%
Prohibition W.T. Steele 1,006 1.26%
National Dayton O. Gilbert 181 0.23%
Socialist Labor William Dye 173 0.22%
Majority 58,196 72.84%
Total votes 79,889 100%
Silver Republican hold
1898 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Silver Republican John F. Shafroth (incumbent) 43,111 67.61%
Republican Charles Hartsell 18,580 29.14%
Prohibition Dayton O. Gilbert 1,410 2.21%
Socialist Labor Nathan L. Griest 667 1.05%
Majority 24,531 38.47%
Total votes 63,768 100%
Silver Republican hold
1900 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Silver Republican John F. Shafroth (incumbent) 54,591 55.32%
Republican Robert W. Bonynge 41,518 42.07%
Prohibition S.H. Shellenger 1,924 1.95%
Socialist Labor Joseph Smith 326 0.33%
Social Democratic Charles M. Davis 320 0.32%
Majority 13,073 13.25%
Total votes 98,679 100%
Silver Republican hold
1902 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John F. Shafroth (incumbent) 41,440 48.98%
Republican Robert W. Bonynge 38,648 45.68%
Socialist Marshall DeWitt 2,680 3.17%
Prohibition Franklin Moore 1,832 2.17%
Majority 2,792 3.30%
Total votes 84,600 100%
Democratic hold

1912 U.S. Senate[edit]

Colorado popular vote, class 2[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John F. Shafroth 118,260 47.34%
Republican Clyde Dawson 66,949 26.80%
Progressive Frank Catlin 58,649 23.48%
Prohibition Mary E. Miller 5,948 2.38%

The Colorado General Assembly ratified that decision January 14, 1913, by electing Thomas.

Colorado legislative vote, class 2 (combined votes of both houses)[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John F. Shafroth 86 87.8%
Republican Clyde Dawson 11 11.2%
Progressive Frank Catlin 1 1.0%
Democratic gain from Republican

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sketches of Colorado. Vol. 1. Denver, CO: Western Press Bureau Company. 1911. p. 167.
  2. ^ Hagerman, Frank (July 2004). "John Franklin Shafroth". The Colorado Lawyer. 33 (7): 15. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  3. ^ Very Honest Man Astounds Lower House of Congress, in The Tacoma Times (via Chronicling America); published February 15, 1904; retrieved 2015-01-03.
  4. ^ Leonard, Stephen J.; Noel, Thomas J.; Walker, Donald L. Jr. (2003). Honest John Shafroth: A Colorado Reformer. University Press of Colorado. ISBN 978-0-942576-07-8.
  5. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference ourcampaigns was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ United States Senators Chosen, 1913, p. 458.


Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

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Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Colorado
1908, 1910 		Succeeded by
First Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Colorado
(Class 2)
1913, 1918 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 1st congressional district
1895–1904 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of
Colorado
1909–1912 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 2) from Colorado
1913–1919
Served alongside: Charles S. Thomas 		Succeeded by
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