Stetson, Pipe and Boots - Colorado's Cattleman Governor: A Biography About Dan Thornton

Description

The book is a biography about Dan Thornton, a highly successful and well known purebred beef cattle producer (1937-1953) and an effective, flamboyant but controversial Colorado Governor (1951-1955). From humble beginnings as the son of sharecroppers in West Texas, to president of the Texas 4-H Clubs at age 16, to the sale of two Hereford bulls for a world record price ($50,000 each) at the 1945 National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO, to a record Hereford sale in 1947, to winning the Governorship of Colorado as a last minute replacement candidate at 39 years of age, to being largely responsible for the location of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, Dan Thornton's story is an interesting and exciting adventure. He was a friend with unknowns and celebrities alike, including Dwight Eisenhower, Bob Hope, Randolph Scott, Lauritz Melchior and Ben Hogan. He campaigned early for Eisenhower for U.S. President. He was Colorado's super salesman from cherries, beef, uranium, and coal to interstate highways and tourism. His grave marker in Gunnison, CO is inscribed with the tribute, "A Man Who Matched Our Mountains."