Rocky Mountain progressive: Thomas Jefferson Ehrhart and the making of modern Colorado

Thomas Jefferson Ehrhart (1859--1949) was a pioneer, prospector, rancher, and politician from Chaffee County, Colorado. He served on the Chaffee County Board of County Commissioners from 1887--88, and from 1892--94. He served in the State House of Representatives from 1897--99, and in the State Senate during the years 1899--1903, 1907--1911, and 1931--1939. He was the first State Highway Commissioner in Colorado (1913--21). He was a candidate for governor of Colorado in 1908, for United States Senate in 1911, and for United States Congress in 1912. He also served as the Postmaster of Centreville, Colorado from 1882--1906.; He was a Democrat who favored progressive reform, and was a loyal follower of William Jennings Bryan, the national spokesman for progressive Democrats. This study analyzes several important public policy issues in Colorado from the Progressive Era through the New Deal, including the creation of the State Highway Department and the formation of multi-county Water Conservancy Districts. Ehrhart's brand of "Rocky Mountain progressivism" is founded on a close relationship between public and private interests. Through a study of his life, the modern political character of the American West may be better understood.