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Robert Walter Speer (December 1, 1855 – May 14, 1918) was elected
mayor of Denver This is a list of mayors of Denver, the capital and largest city of the state of Colorado. Mayors of Denver can serve three four-year terms.https://www.westword.com/news/denver-term-limit-mayor-colorado-voters-15109617 List References {{P ...
,
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
three times. He served two four-year terms in office from 1904 to 1912. He died from
Influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...
, early on in the worldwide epidemic of that year on May 14, 1918, while halfway through a third term in office that had started in 1916.


Biography

Speer was born in
Mount Union, Pennsylvania Mount Union is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately southeast of Altoona and southeast of Huntingdon, on the Juniata River. In the vicinity are found bituminous coal, ganister rock, fire clay, and some ti ...
, on December 1, 1855. He married Kate Thrush, his childhood sweetheart, in 1882. As an adherent of the
City Beautiful movement The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...
, Speer initiated several projects that added new landmarks, updated existing facilities, and signed Speer Amendment for non-political administration, and dropped his Democrat affiliation in 1916 When elected to third term; improved the city's landscape including: * City Auditorium, site of the 1908 Democratic National Convention * The Civic Center *
Denver Mountain Parks The Denver Mountain Parks system contains more than of parklands in the mountains and foothills of Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas, and Grand counties in Colorado, west and south of Denver. Owned and maintained by the City and County of Denve ...
* 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 Speer was the first mayor of
Denver Denver () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States#State capital, capital, and List of municipalities in Colorado#, most populous city of th ...
to die while serving in office. Speer Boulevard in Denver is named in his honor.Goodstein, ''Denver Streets,'' p. 33. He is buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.


References


Bibliography

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External links

* 1855 births 1918 deaths Deaths from Spanish flu Mayors of Denver 19th-century American politicians {{Denver-stub