- Robert W. Speer
Robert Walter Speer (1855–
14 May 1918 ) was elected the mayor of Denver,Colorado three times. He served two four-year terms in office from 1904 to 1912. He died frompneumonia in 1918 while halfway through a third term in office that had started in 1916.In 1855, Speer was born in
Mount Union, Pennsylvania . He married Kate Thrush, his childhood sweetheart, in 1882. [Johnson, "Denver's Mayor Speer," pp. 5-6.]As an adherent of the
City Beautiful movement , Speer initiated several projects that added new landmarks, updated existing facilities, or improved the city's landscape including:
*City Auditorium, site of the1908 Democratic National Convention
*The Civic Center
*Denver Mountain Parks
*The Denver Zoo expansion from 1906 to 1918.
*Denver Museum of Nature and Science
*The paving and graveling of many of the city's remaining dirt streets
*An urban forestry program that eventually distributed 110,000 free shade trees to city residents [Forestry statistics are from Noel, "Mile High City," p. 100.] [Other items in the list of projects are from "Some Things Denver Owes to Speer," "Rocky Mountain News," 15 May 1918, p. 3.]Speer was the first mayor of Denver to die while serving in office. Speer Boulevard in Denver is named in his honor. [Goodstein, "Denver Streets," p. 33.]
Notes
References
*cite book
last = Goodstein
first = Phil
title = Denver Streets: Names, Numbers, Locations, Logic
edition= 2nd Revised Edition
location = Denver, CO
publisher = New Social Publications
date = 1995
isbn = 0-9622169-3-3
*cite book
last = Johnson
first = Charles A.
title = Denver's Mayor Speer
location = Denver, CO
publisher = Green Mountain Press
date = 1969
*cite book
last = Noel
first = Thomas Jacob
title = Mile High City: An Illustrated History of Denver
location = Denver, CO
publisher = A. B. Hirschfeld Press
date = 1997
isbn = 1-886483-10-8
*cite news
title =Robert W. Speer, Mayor of Denver, Is Dead: Cathedral Bells Toll as Flags are Placed at Half Mast in Memory
pages = 1, 3
work =Rocky Mountain News
date = Wednesday,15 May 1918
*cite news
title =Speer was Man of Great Vision; Had Many Ideas for Better City
last =Eaton
first =Raymond A.
page = 3
work =Rocky Mountain News
date = Wednesday,15 May 1918
*cite news
title =Speer Always Worked For a City Beautiful; Plans Had Just Begun
page = 3
work =Rocky Mountain News
date = Wednesday,15 May 1918
*cite news
title =Some Things Denver Owes to Speer
page = 3
work =Rocky Mountain News
date = Wednesday,15 May 1918 External links
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