American attorney and politician (1895?1972)
Teller Ammons
(December 3, 1895 ? January 16, 1972) was an American attorney and politician who served as the
28th
Governor
of
Colorado
from 1937 to 1939. He was the first Colorado governor to be born in the state.
Early life
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On December 3, 1895, Ammons was born in Colorado. Ammons' father was
Elias M. Ammons
, a former
Governor of Colorado
. Ammons' mother was Elizabeth (nee Fleming) Ammons.
[1]
[2]
Ammons was named for his father's friend, U.S. Senator
Henry Moore Teller
.
Career
[
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He served with the
154th Infantry Regiment
in the
United States Army
in
France
during
World War I
.
[1]
After the war, he returned to Colorado to work on a ranch and in a newspaper office.
[3]
He earned a law degree from the
University of Denver
's Westminster Law School in 1929.
[1]
Ammons was elected to the
Colorado Senate
in 1930 and served until 1935 when Denver Mayor
Benjamin F. Stapleton
appointed him as Denver city attorney.
In 1936, Ammons was elected
Governor of Colorado
. On January 12, 1937, Ammons began his term as the
Governor of Colorado
, until January 10, 1939.
[2]
[1]
As Governor, he was responsible for the execution of
Joe Arridy
, who was innocent of the crime he was accused of; he had refused to pardon Arridy or commute his sentence. After one two-year term, he was defeated for reelection in 1938 by
Ralph L. Carr
.
During
World War II
, he served as a
lieutenant colonel
on the selection and assignment board for military officers until 1944. In 1944, he was part of the military government of Guam. He separated from the service in 1945.
[1]
[4]
Afterwards, he practiced law in Denver until his retirement.
Personal life
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Ammons' wife was Esther Daves Ammons. They had one child, whose name is Davis Ammons.
[2]
Ammons died on January 16, 1972,
[1]
and was buried in
Fairmount Cemetery
in Denver, Colorado.
[2]
References
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External links
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