James B. Belford
James Burns Belford | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's at-large district | |
In office October 3, 1876 – December 13, 1877 (contested election) | |
Preceded by | none |
Succeeded by | Thomas M. Patterson |
In office March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1885 | |
Preceded by | Thomas M. Patterson |
Succeeded by | George G. Symes |
Personal details | |
Born |
September 28, 1837 Lewistown, Pennsylvania |
Died |
January 10, 1910 (aged 72) Denver, Colorado |
Citizenship | United States |
Political party | Democratic Party |
Spouse(s) | Frances C. McEwen Belford |
Alma mater | Dickinson College |
Profession | Attorney |
James Burns Belford (September 28, 1837 – January 10, 1910) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from Colorado.
Biography
Born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, Belford was the son of Samuel and Eliza Belford and cousin of Joseph McCrum Belford. He attended the common schools and Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1859. He married Frances C. McEwen in 1860.[1]
Career
Belford moved to California, Missouri, and commenced practice. He then moved to La Porte, Indiana, in 1860, and served as member of the State house of representatives in 1867. He was appointed an associate justice of the supreme court of Colorado in 1870 and moved to Central City. He moved to Denver in 1883.
Upon the admission of Colorado into the Union as a State, Belford was elected as a Republican to the Forty-fourth Congress as United States Representative for the first district of Colorado and served from October 3, 1876, until March 3, 1877. He was presented credentials as a Member-elect to the Forty-fifth Congress and served as United States Representative for the first district from March 4, 1877, until December 13, 1877, when he was succeeded by Thomas M. Patterson, who contested his election.
Elected to the Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, and Forty-eighth Congresses Belford was United States Representative for the first district from March 4, 1879 to March 3, 1885. He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury during the Forty-seventh Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1884. He engaged in the practice of law in Denver, Colorado, until his death. He was known as the “Red Rooster of the Rockies” because of his flaming red hair and “magnificently roseate beard.”[2] In the mid-1890s he gained notoriety for successfully defending Denver bad man Soapy Smith in several cases.
Death
Belford died in Denver, Colorado, on January 10, 1910 (age 72 years, 104 days). He is interred at Riverside Cemetery, Denver, Colorado.
References
- ↑ "James B. Belford". Archives & Special Collections at Dickinson College. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ↑ Perkin, Robert L. (1959). The First Hundred Years: An Informal History of Denver and the Rocky Mountain News. Garden City, NY: Doubleday. pp. 363, 381.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to James B. Belford. |
- James B. Belford at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Govtrack US Congress
- The Political Graveyard
- Find A Grave
United States House of Representatives | ||
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Preceded by none |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 1st congressional district 1876–1877 |
Succeeded by Thomas M. Patterson |
Preceded by Thomas M. Patterson |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 1st congressional district 1879–1885 |
Succeeded by George G. Symes |
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
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