Roswell Keyes Colcord (April 25, 1839 – October 30, 1939) was an American politician who served as the seventh Governor of Nevada from 1891 to 1895. He was a member of the Republican Party.

Roswell K. Colcord
7th Governor of Nevada
In office
January 5, 1891 – January 7, 1895
LieutenantJoseph Poujade
Preceded byFrank Bell
Succeeded byJohn E. Jones
Personal details
Born
Roswell Keyes Colcord

(1839-04-25)April 25, 1839
Searsport, Maine, U.S.
DiedOctober 30, 1939(1939-10-30) (aged 100)
Carson City, Nevada, U.S.
Resting placeLone Mountain Cemetery, Carson City
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Mary E. Hopkins
(m. 1868)
Children3

Biography

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Colcord was born on April 25, 1839, in Searsport, Maine. He attended public schools where he studied Mechanical Engineering and he found work in a shipyard as a carpenter. He married Mary E. Hopkins on April 28, 1868, in Virginia City, Nevada, and they had three children, Stella, Harry, and Ethel.[1]

Career

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Colcord moved west to California in 1856, to Aurora, Nevada, in 1860, and to Virginia City, Nevada, in 1863. He became a successful mining engineer. He also set up a law practice and became one of the top attorneys in the state. He was also involved in the building of bridges and mills.[2] He was selected as a commissioner to represent Nevada at the Paris Expedition in 1889.

Elected as governor in 1890, Colcord strengthened the state's economy and also signed the state's first admissions day bill. He was the first Nevada governor to support Women's Suffrage.[3] During his tenure, a state board of health was established, a mechanical engineering department was initiated in the University of Nevada, and a first state board of equalization was authorized.[4]

After his term as governor, Colcord was named Superintendent of the United States Mint's Carson City Mint, a position he held from 1898 to 1911. At that time, the Mint did not produce money, but was a shipping point for bullion.

Death

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Colcord was in relatively good health at the time of his death on October 30, 1939, at the age of 100 in Carson City, Nevada. He is interred at the Lone Mountain Cemetery in Carson City, Nevada.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Nevada's First Ladies". Nevada's First Ladies. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  2. ^ Roswell K. Colcord. The Encyclopedia of Nevada. January 2001. ISBN 9780403096114. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  3. ^ "Roswell K. Colcord". History of Nevada.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Roswell K. Colcord". National Governors Association. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  5. ^ "Roswell K. Colcord". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Nevada
1890
Succeeded by
Abner C. Cleveland
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Nevada
1891 – 1895
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Oldest living United States governor
April 12, 1933 – October 30, 1939
Succeeded by
Preceded by Oldest United States governor ever
February 2, 1937 – June 5, 1977
Succeeded by