Benjamin F. Stapleton
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Franklin Stapleton (November 12, 1869 - May 23, 1950) was the Mayor of Denver, Colorado for two periods (comprising five terms), the first from 1923–1931 and the second from 1935–1947. He also served as the Democratic
Colorado State Auditor
from 1933–35.
. He attended National Normal University
in Lebanon, Ohio
, graduating with a law degree. Early in the 1890s, Stapleton went to live in Denver, and in 1899, he was admitted to the Colorado Bar.
Stapleton enlisted for service in the Spanish-American War
. He served with the First Colorado Regiment, Company 1, Colorado Volunteers Infantry in the Philippine Islands, rising to the rank of first sergeant
.
At the conclusion of his war-time service, Stapleton returned to Denver to practice law and first became actively interested in politics, helping found the Veterans of Foreign Wars
.
appointed him postmaster
. During his appointment, he oversaw the completion of the Denver Post Office building. After a brief stint in private law practice following his resignation in 1921, Stapleton defeated Dewey C. Bailey in Denver's mayoral election in 1923 and was re-elected in 1927.
In 1932, Stapleton won election to the post of state auditor
. Unsatisfied, Stapleton decided in 1935 to campaign for mayor once again. That year he won, and so the next two races in 1939 and 1943.
. During this time, he saw through the creation of the Denver Civic Center
and the Denver Municipal Airport, and the considerable expansion of Denver Mountain Parks system
, including the Amphitheatre
at Red Rocks Park
.
ed. It was widely viewed at the time as a huge boondoggle
. Stapleton was excoriated as either corrupt or incompetent, or both, for having the taxpayers subsidize a mere plaything of the wealthy; what the Denver Post sneeringly dubbed "Stapleton's Folly", and others jokingly called "Rattlesnake Hollow". It was viewed by some as too far from civilization to be practicable. Others pointed out the close relationship Stapleton seemed to have with land-owning political backers who stood to benefit, conspicuous among them H. Brown Canon of Windsor Farm Dairy. These suspicions were a factor in his loss in the 1931 mayoral election to George D. Begole. The airport was later renamed Stapleton International Airport
on August 25, 1944 in his honor. Today, the airport no longer exists, replaced by a neighborhood, also named Stapleton, and Stapleton Street continues to bear his name.
In 1935 Stapleton appointed George Cranmer, a wealthy former stock broker
, as manager of Improvements and Parks. Cranmer had luckily pulled his assets out of the stock market just a year before the crash of 1929. The two, as it turned out, had completely different visions for what to do with a particularly striking locale at Red Rocks Park.
Some time before his appointment, while pondering a boulder
field that was surmounted by large projecting rocks on either side, the thoughts of George Cranmer drifted to a memory of something he had once seen while on tour in Sicily
: an ancient Greek open-air theater with stone seating. He began to envision something similar, yet unique, for this location.
Whereas, however, Cranmer dreamt of clearing a starry-skied stage, Stapleton saw the boulders strewn there as the members of a naturally-formed, one-of-a-kind 'rock garden
', and wanted them preserved.
Unbeknown to Stapleton, Cranmer was attempting to persuade the Civilian Conservation Corps
(CCC) to quietly go ahead with plans to demolish the rocks with dynamite
. He was successful in this, and the rocks were indeed razed. With Stapleton's rock garden no more, the process was begun of hiring architect
s to design and oversee the eventual building of what is now Red Rocks Amphitheatre
.
Other projects under Stapleton's watch include Denver's water system and the Valley Highway project.
After leaving office, it was uncovered that Stapleton had ties to the Ku Klux Klan
, from which he had enjoyed considerable influence in return for its electoral support. This association continues to overshadow his notable contributions to Denver's economic and cultural institutions.
Stapleton died on May 23, 1950 at his home in Denver.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Colorado State Auditor
State auditor
State auditors are executive officers of U.S. states who serve as auditors and comptrollers for state funds....
from 1933–35.
Early years
He was born November 12, 1869, in Paintsville, KentuckyPaintsville, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 4,132 people, 1,681 households, and 1,079 families residing in the city. The population density was 786.1 people per square mile . There were 1,901 housing units at an average density of 361.7 per square mile...
. He attended National Normal University
National Normal University
National Normal University was a teacher's college in Lebanon, Ohio. It opened in 1855 as Southwestern State Normal College and took the name National Normal University in 1870. Alfred Holbrook was the first president and the school's guiding force for most of its existence. He resigned in 1897...
in Lebanon, Ohio
Lebanon, Ohio
The population at the 2010 census was 20,033. As of the census of 2000, there were 16,962 people residing in the city. The population density was 1,440.6 people per square mile . There were 6,218 housing units at an average density of 528.1 per square mile...
, graduating with a law degree. Early in the 1890s, Stapleton went to live in Denver, and in 1899, he was admitted to the Colorado Bar.
Stapleton enlisted for service in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. He served with the First Colorado Regiment, Company 1, Colorado Volunteers Infantry in the Philippine Islands, rising to the rank of first sergeant
First Sergeant
First sergeant is the name of a military rank used in many countries, typically a senior non-commissioned officer.-Singapore:First Sergeant is a Specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First Sergeants are the most senior of the junior Specialists, ranking above Second Sergeants, and below Staff...
.
At the conclusion of his war-time service, Stapleton returned to Denver to practice law and first became actively interested in politics, helping found the Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
.
Personal life
On June 21, 1917, Stapleton married Mabel Freeland, with whom he had two children, Lois Jane and Benjamin, Junior.Political career
Stapleton's political career began in 1904 as police magistrate, where he remained until 1915, when President Woodrow WilsonWoodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
appointed him postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
. During his appointment, he oversaw the completion of the Denver Post Office building. After a brief stint in private law practice following his resignation in 1921, Stapleton defeated Dewey C. Bailey in Denver's mayoral election in 1923 and was re-elected in 1927.
In 1932, Stapleton won election to the post of state auditor
State auditor
State auditors are executive officers of U.S. states who serve as auditors and comptrollers for state funds....
. Unsatisfied, Stapleton decided in 1935 to campaign for mayor once again. That year he won, and so the next two races in 1939 and 1943.
Projects
Stapleton was responsible for many civic improvements during his five terms as mayor of Denver. Most projects attributed to Stapleton were during his second term as mayor when he had access to funds and manpower from the New DealNew Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
. During this time, he saw through the creation of the Denver Civic Center
Civic Center, Denver
Civic Center is a neighborhood and park in Denver, Colorado. The area is known as the center of the civic life in the city, with numerous institutions of arts, government, and culture as well as numerous festivals, parades, and protests throughout the year...
and the Denver Municipal Airport, and the considerable expansion of Denver Mountain Parks system
Denver Mountain Parks
The Denver Mountain Parks system contains more than 14,000 acres of parklands in the mountains and foothills of Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas,and Grand counties in Colorado, west and south of Denver....
, including the Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure near Morrison, Colorado, where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled outwards from stage left and a...
at Red Rocks Park
Red Rocks Park
Red Rocks Park is a mountain park in Jefferson County, Colorado, owned and maintained by the city of Denver as part of the Denver Mountain Parks system. The park is known for its very large red sandstone outcrops. Many of these rock formations within the park have names, from the mushroom-shaped...
.
Denver Municipal Airport
The construction of Denver Municipal Airport was begun in early 1929 and completed that same year. Its grand opening celebration took place over four days from October 17–20 – a week before the stock market crashStock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a significant cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic as much as by underlying economic factors...
ed. It was widely viewed at the time as a huge boondoggle
Boondoggle
Boondoggle or boon doggle may refer to:* Boondoggle , term for a scheme that wastes time and money* Scoubidou, a knotting and plaiting craft known in the U.S. as "boondoggle"...
. Stapleton was excoriated as either corrupt or incompetent, or both, for having the taxpayers subsidize a mere plaything of the wealthy; what the Denver Post sneeringly dubbed "Stapleton's Folly", and others jokingly called "Rattlesnake Hollow". It was viewed by some as too far from civilization to be practicable. Others pointed out the close relationship Stapleton seemed to have with land-owning political backers who stood to benefit, conspicuous among them H. Brown Canon of Windsor Farm Dairy. These suspicions were a factor in his loss in the 1931 mayoral election to George D. Begole. The airport was later renamed Stapleton International Airport
Stapleton International Airport
Stapleton International Airport was Denver, Colorado's primary airport from 1929 to 1995. At different times it served as a hub for TWA, People Express, Frontier Airlines and Western Airlines as well as a hub for Continental Airlines and United Airlines at the time of its closure.In 1995 Stapleton...
on August 25, 1944 in his honor. Today, the airport no longer exists, replaced by a neighborhood, also named Stapleton, and Stapleton Street continues to bear his name.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Stock broker
A stock broker or stockbroker is a regulated professional broker who buys and sells shares and other securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors...
, as manager of Improvements and Parks. Cranmer had luckily pulled his assets out of the stock market just a year before the crash of 1929. The two, as it turned out, had completely different visions for what to do with a particularly striking locale at Red Rocks Park.
Some time before his appointment, while pondering a boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
field that was surmounted by large projecting rocks on either side, the thoughts of George Cranmer drifted to a memory of something he had once seen while on tour in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
: an ancient Greek open-air theater with stone seating. He began to envision something similar, yet unique, for this location.
Whereas, however, Cranmer dreamt of clearing a starry-skied stage, Stapleton saw the boulders strewn there as the members of a naturally-formed, one-of-a-kind 'rock garden
Rock Garden
The Rock Garden or Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a Sculpture garden in Chandigarh, India, also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden after its founder Nek Chand, a government official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. Today it is spread over an area of forty-acres , it is...
', and wanted them preserved.
Unbeknown to Stapleton, Cranmer was attempting to persuade the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
(CCC) to quietly go ahead with plans to demolish the rocks with dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
. He was successful in this, and the rocks were indeed razed. With Stapleton's rock garden no more, the process was begun of hiring architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s to design and oversee the eventual building of what is now Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure near Morrison, Colorado, where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled outwards from stage left and a...
.
Other projects under Stapleton's watch include Denver's water system and the Valley Highway project.
After politics
Stapleton's career in politics finally ended when he lost his 1947 mayoral re-election bid to James Quigg Newton.After leaving office, it was uncovered that Stapleton had ties to the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, from which he had enjoyed considerable influence in return for its electoral support. This association continues to overshadow his notable contributions to Denver's economic and cultural institutions.
Stapleton died on May 23, 1950 at his home in Denver.
External links
- Some photographs related to Stapleton can be found at the Western History Photograph Collection of the Denver Public Library