Business and Community Leaders
- William Bent (lived near present-day La Junta) – Along with his three brothers, William Bent developed the first trade empire in the Colorado Region at Bent's Fort in 1833. As tensions grew between white settlers and Native Americans Bent became a peace negotiator for both sides as his wives were Indian and he befriended the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes.
- Norman E. Brinker (born in Denver; died in Colorado Springs) – Prominent restaurateur who was responsible for the creation of new business concepts within the restaurant field, such as the salad bar.
- Margaret Brown (lived in Colorado) – an American socialite, philanthropist, and activist who became famous in the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, after getting lifeboat 6 to return to look for survivors.
- Adolph Coors (lived in Golden) – Based out of Golden, Coors established his now famous brewery in 1873 using the region’s famous mountain spring water. Coors is presently the nation’s third largest brewer, and the family has been active in Colorado politics and philanthropy.
- Charles Gates, Jr. (born in Denver) – longtime president of the Gates Corporation, the world's largest maker of automotive belts and hoses.
- Elliot Handler (raised in Denver) – Co-founder of Mattel. Helped develop some of the biggest-selling toys in American history, including Barbie dolls, Chatty Cathy, Creepy Crawlers and Hot Wheels.
- Daniel M. Lewin (born in Denver) – Mathematician and entrepreneur, best known for co-founding the internet company, Akamai Technologies. Lewin was one of the murdered passengers on American Airlines Flight 11.
- Otto Mears (born in Russia, lived in Silverton) – entrepreneur, financier, and railroad builder; notably founder of the Rio Grande Southern and the Silverton railroads.
- David Halliday Moffat (1839–1911) banker, financier, industrialist, and inspiration for the Moffat Tunnel, the world's longest railway tunnel upon its completion.
- Texas Jack Omohundro (lived and died in Leadville) – Frontier scout, actor, and cowboy.
- General William Jackson Palmer (lived in Colorado Springs) – Founder of the Town of Colorado Springs, developed the first narrow gauge railroad system, the Denver and Rio Grande. Also owned the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company in Pueblo.
- Horace Tabor (lived in Leadville) – American prospector, businessman, and politician.
Read more about this topic: List Of People From Colorado
Famous quotes containing the words business, community and/or leaders:
“To brew up an adult, it seems that some leftover childhood must be mixed in; a little unfinished business from the past periodically intrudes on our adult life, confusing our relationships and disturbing our sense of self.”
—Roger Gould (20th century)
“I am convinced that our American society will become more and more vulgarized and that it will be fragmentized into contending economic, racial and religious pressure groups lacking in unity and common will, unless we can arrest the disintegration of the family and of community solidarity.”
—Agnes E. Meyer (1887–1970)
“These semi-traitors [Union generals who were not hostile to slavery] must be watched.—Let us be careful who become army leaders in the reorganized army at the end of this Rebellion. The man who thinks that the perpetuity of slavery is essential to the existence of the Union, is unfit to be trusted. The deadliest enemy the Union has is slavery—in fact, its only enemy.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)