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William R. Eaton

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William R. Eaton
William R. Eaton, Colorado Congressman.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1933
Personal details
Born(1877-12-17)December 17, 1877
Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada
DiedDecember 16, 1942(1942-12-16) (aged 64)
Denver, Colorado
Resting placeFairmount Cemetery
NationalityCanadian-American
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Denver (law, 1909)
OccupationAttorney, district attorney, senator, congressman
CommitteesPublic Lands Committee[1]
Military service
Branch/serviceNational Guard of Colorado
Years of service1898 to 1904
RankFirst lieutenant
UnitTroop B, First Squadron Cavalry

William Robb Eaton (December 17, 1877 – December 16, 1942) was an American businessman, lawyer, Spanish-American War veteran, and politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Colorado from 1929 to 1933.

He was the nephew of Charles Aubrey Eaton.[2]

Early life and education

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Born in Pugwash, Province of Nova Scotia, Canada, his parents were Cyrus B. and Margaret S. (Whidden) Eaton.[3] He was of New England ancestry.[4] Eaton immigrated to the United States with his parents who settled in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1878, and in Denver, Colorado, in 1881. He attended public and private schools.[2]

Early and law school

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Beginning at the age of 12, he was employed as a bank clerk from 1889 to 1901.[2][5] He engaged as a jobber and wholesaler and in the warehouse business 1901 to 1909. He served in Troop B, First Squadron Cavalry, National Guard of Colorado from 1898 to 1904.[2] He served during the Spanish–American War.[1]

He was graduated from the law department of the University of Denver in 1909. He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in Denver, Colorado.

Political career

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He served as deputy district attorney of the second judicial district 1909 to 1913.[2]

State legislature

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He served as member of the State senate 1915 to 1918 and 1923 to 1926.[2] He was a sponsor of the Colorado State Workmen's Compensation Law in 1915.[1] He specialized in oil and shale land property rights, insurance, mining, and corporate law.[3] He served on the Public Lands Committee. He was interested in the establishment of military installations and the expansion of the Fitzsimons General Hospital near Denver.[1]

Congress

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Eaton was elected as a Republican to the 71st and 72nd Congresses (March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1933). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the 73rd Congress and for election in 1934 to the 74th Congress.[2] His loss in 1932 is attributed to his position that the prohibition should not have been repealed.[1]

Later career

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He resumed the practice of law in Denver, Colorado.[2] He was a member of the Masonic Temple, the city, state, national and international bar associations, the National Association for Constitutional Government. He was also a member of the Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims and the Colorado State Historical Society.[1]

Personal life

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On September 16, 1909, he married Liela Carter.[3] She was president of the board of the State Industrial School for Girls at Mt. Morrison. Her residence was the Colburn Hotel in Denver.[6]

Death and burial

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He died in Denver on December 16, 1942, as the result of complications following surgery[2][5] and was interred in Denver's Fairmount Cemetery.[2]

Electoral history

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1928 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William R. Eaton 63,258 58.08%
Democratic S. Harrison White (incumbent) 44,713 41.05%
Workers William R. Dietrich 949 0.87%
Majority 18,545 17.03%
Total votes 108,920 100%
Republican gain from Democratic
1930 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William R. Eaton (incumbent) 39,907 50.33%
Democratic Lawrence Lewis 38,152 48.12%
Farmer–Labor W.R. Duke 813 1.03%
Communist Louis A. Zeitlin 411 0.52%
Majority 1,755 2.21%
Total votes 79,283 100%
Republican hold
1932 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lawrence Lewis 70,826 54.41%
Republican William R. Eaton (incumbent) 56,601 43.49%
Socialist Bruce Lamont 1,926 1.48%
Communist Charles Guynn 422 0.32%
Farmer–Labor W. R. Duke 385 0.30%
Majority 14,225 10.92%
Total votes 130,160 100%
Democratic gain from Republican
1934 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lawrence Lewis (incumbent) 59,744 56.04%
Republican William R. Eaton 34,073 31.96%
Old Age Pension Charles W. Varnum 9,511 8.92%
Socialist Carle Whitehead 2,540 2.38%
Communist George Bardwell 743 0.70%
Majority 25,671 24.08%
Total votes 106,611 100%
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Congress, United States (1943). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 122.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j
  3. ^ a b c Schwarz, Julius Caesar (1937). Who's who in Law. pp. 275–276.
  4. ^ Congress, United States (1925). Official Congressional Directory. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 12.
  5. ^ a b "William R. Eaton, Ex-Congressman, Dies in Denver". The Daily Sentinel. December 17, 1942. p. 3. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  6. ^ "Yearbook of the State of Colorado, 1945–1947" (PDF). State of Colorado. p. 88. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  7. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional and Presidential Election of November 6, 1928" (PDF). Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Compiled from official sources by William Tyler Page. March 25, 1929. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 1930" (PDF). Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Compiled from official sources by William Tyler Page. January 8, 1931. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional and Presidential Election of November 8, 1932" (PDF). Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Compiled from official sources by George D. Ellis under direction of South Trimble. February 3, 1933. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1934" (PDF). Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Compiled from official sources by Leroy D. Brandon under direction of South Trimble. April 11, 1935. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 1st congressional district

March 4, 1929 - March 3, 1933
Succeeded by