Frederick Walker Pitkin

Frederick Walker Pitkin (August 31, 1837 – December 18, 1886) was an American politician who served as the second Governor of the state of Colorado from 1879 to 1883. He was a member of the Republican Party.

Frederick Walker Pitkin
Pitkin, circa 1886-1901
2nd Governor of Colorado
In office January 14, 1879 – January 9, 1883
Lieutenant	Horace A.W. Tabor
Preceded by	John L. Routt
Succeeded by	James B. Grant
Personal details
Born	(1837-08-31)August 31, 1837 Manchester, Connecticut, US
Died	December 18, 1886(1886-12-18) (aged 49) Pueblo, Colorado, US
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Fidelia James
Signature

Life and career

Frederick Pitkin was born in Manchester, Connecticut.^[1] He graduated cum laude from Wesleyan University in 1858, and earned a law degree from Albany Law School in 1859.^[1] Following graduation, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to establish the law firm of Palmer, Hooker, and Pitkin. In 1872, he resigned from the firm due to illness, and set sail for Europe in search of a cure.

Returning to the United States in 1874, he settled in southwestern Colorado, where his health stabilized, and resumed his career as an attorney. In addition, he invested in the mining industry, founding the Michael "Micky" Breen fluorine mine^[2] on Engineer Pass with Milton Cline.^[3]

Utilizing his contacts in the mining industry, he announced his candidacy for Governor of Colorado in 1878, and won. During his two terms as governor, he dealt with a number of crises including the railway feud involving the Atchison, Topeka-Santa Fe, and the Denver-Rio Grande rail companies. He ordered the suppression of the Ute Indian uprising at the Milk Creek Battle^[4][5] or Meeker Massacre in 1879. In 1880, he declared martial law during the mining strike at Leadville. He was an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate in 1882.

Following his retirement from public office, he settled in Pueblo, Colorado and resumed his law practice and mining business. He died in Pueblo and was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.^[1][6] Later, his remains were moved to Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.^[7]

He and his wife Fidelia James, a native of Lockport, New York, had three children: Robert James Pitkin, Florence Pitkin, and George Orrin Pitkin.

Entities named after Pitkin

• Pitkin County, Colorado
• Pitkin, Colorado
• Pitkin Avenue, Saguache, Colorado
• Pitkin Street, Fort Collins, Colorado
• Pitkin Avenue, Glenwood Springs, Colorado
• Pitkin Avenue, Grand Junction, Colorado
• Pitkin Avenue, Pueblo, Colorado

References

1. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. VI. James T. White & Company. 1896. p. 450. Retrieved December 1, 2020 – via Google Books.
2. "Michael Breen Mine". Western Mining History. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
3. Cox, Marilyn (January 15, 2019). "Who was Captain Cline?". Montrose Daily Press. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
4. "Milk Creek battle". Meeker Colorado Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on November 17, 2007. Retrieved March 16, 2008.
5. "Milk Creek battlefield". National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
6. "Ex-Gov. Pitkin Dead". The New York Times. Denver, Colorado. December 20, 1886. p. 5. Retrieved December 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Frederick Pitkin". Colorado State Archives. Archived from the original on December 16, 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2007.

External links

Media related to Frederick Walker Pitkin at Wikimedia Commons

Party political offices
Preceded by John Long Routt	Republican nominee for Governor of Colorado 1878, 1880	Succeeded by E. L. Campbell
Political offices
Preceded by John Long Routt	Governor of Colorado 1879–1883	Succeeded by James Benton Grant