There have been 42 mayors in the city’s history. Some changed history.
Robert W. Speer
1904-1912 and 1916-1918
The epitome of a big-city political “boss,” Speer was loved and hated. His “City Beautiful” campaign, inspired by his trips to Europe, brought the refurbishment of Cherry Creek, virtually an open sewer until Speer cleaned up and channeled it. Among his other accomplishments were building the City Auditorium and improvements to the city’s parks (doubling the acreage in eight years), streets and services.
His dream of a new Civic Center wasn’t realized until 1932, 14 years after his death. He was chased from office by reformers in 1912 because of his support of water, electric and transit trusts and because he refused to do anything about the city’s red-light district and rampant saloons. He was re-elected in 1916.
Benjamin Stapleton1923-1931 and 1935-1947
First elected in 1923 with the support of the Ku Klux Klan, Stapleton said when he took office, “I have only one ambition — to make good as mayor.”
The 17th Street bankers and financiers backed his tight-fisted economies. He served so long (20 years) that he became known as “Interminable Ben.” Amidst the city’s rapid post-World War II growth spurt, when citizens were complaining about traffic and lack of city services, he said, “If those complaining about these conditions would go back to where they came from, Denver wouldn’t have these problems.”
Quigg Newton
1947-1955
Only 35 years old when he replaced the 77-year-old Stapleton, Newton was elected with the strong backing of The Denver Post. His reform government cleaned up city hall, dumping the patronage system for city jobs, modernized the budget office and brought in a new building code. The city’s downtown diagonal crosswalks and one-way streets were instituted during his administration.
Federico Peña 1983-1991
The city’s first Hispanic mayor, Peña took advantage of the pause in the city’s growth after the collapse of the oil boom in the 1980s to launch his “Imagine a Great City” effort, a throwback to Speer’s “City Beautiful” mantra. His administration emphasized citizen participation and backed a series of bond issues for civic projects, including Denver International Airport.
Wellington Webb 1991-2003
Webb became the city’s first African-American mayor, thanks in part to donning a pair of running shoes and walking the city’s precincts during the campaign. During his administration, Coors Field was built, Denver International Airport was completed and the city hosted two world events, World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II (1993) and the Summit of the Eight (1997). His administration opened city departments to minorities, although he was sometimes accused of “cronyism” in hiring practices and in awarding city contracts.
Further reading may be found in “The History of Denver,” by William C. Smiley; “Denver: Mining Camp to Metropolis” by Thomas Noel and Stephen Leonard; “The First Hundred Years” by Robert L. Perkin; and in a series of books by Denver historian Phil Goodstein.
