{"id":3113,"date":"2026-07-28T13:05:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T13:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3113"},"modified":"2026-07-28T13:05:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T13:05:18","slug":"the-150-most-notable-people-in-colorado-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3113","title":{"rendered":"The 150 most notable people in Colorado history"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

In preparation for Colorado\u2019s 150th anniversary, The Denver Post sought to identify the 150 most influential or notable Coloradans. We asked readers for the suggestions \u2014 Molly Brown topped the reader list \u2014 and solicited ideas from others in the community.<\/p>\n

Read more Chevron pursues new 40-well oil and gas fracking site in Adams County<\/a><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 150 most influential people in Colorado: Who almost made the list<\/div>\n

The competition was fierce. We looked for those who had roots in Colorado that went beyond living here just a few months, had a profound impact on this state\u2019s culture and history, helping the Centennial State become what it is today.<\/p>\n

Some on the list are people whose achievements were of national, international or interstellar significance, so their inclusion is warranted even if their direct influence in Colorado was less marked.<\/p>\n

We did not include notorious people. Just being famous, even very famous, wasn\u2019t enough to earn a spot on the list. People are flawed, and some on this list were both deeply flawed and greatly influential. We weighed this in deciding whether or not to include them.<\/p>\n

We sought to cover a broad array of fields. And sometimes we put two people in one entry because the accomplishment of one could not be separated from the other.<\/p>\n

The Post hopes you enjoy our list!<\/p>\n

Madeleine Albright<\/h4>\n

As the first female secretary of state, Albright advocated for women\u2019s rights internationally. The Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver is named for her father, Josef Korbel, who was also a diplomat.<\/p>\n

Elias M. Ammons<\/h4>\n

Rancher and founder of the Colorado Cattle and Horse Grower\u2019s Association, and one of the founders of National Western Stock Show in 1906. As governor, beginning in 1912, he initiated a state parks system.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Susan Anderson<\/h4>\n

One of the first women to practice medicine in Colorado, she became known as \u201cDoc Susie\u201d to the residents of Fraser, whom she tended to as the only physician in town for 49 years. (Some claim \u201cDr. Quinn, Medicine Woman\u201d was based on her life.)<\/p>\n

Philip Anschutz<\/strong><\/h4>\n

An entrepreneur and one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, he has given more than $100 million to the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is the founder of AEG and owns sports teams and sports venues.<\/p>\n

Bill Armstrong<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The former U.S. senator was a pillar of Colorado\u2019s Republican Party and a force behind the conservative economic policies of Ronald Reagan. He\u2019s viewed as pivotal in helping the party recover after Watergate.<\/p>\n

Marilyn Van Derbur Atler<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The author, motivational speaker, University of Colorado graduate and former Miss America founded two nonprofits dedicated to strengthening laws to protect adult survivors and child victims of abuse. She is the subject of the documentary \u201cMiss America by Day,\u201d chronicling the years of sexual abuse by her socially prominent father.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Philip Bailey<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Grammy-winning Denver East High School graduate made his name as a lead singer for Earth, Wind, and Fire. The band sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.<\/p>\n

Thomas Bailey<\/h4>\n

Thomas Bailey founded Denver-based Janus Capital (now Janus Henderson), one of the largest asset managers in Colorado. The Janus Foundation helps more than 140 national nonprofits by offering education to at-risk youths.<\/p>\n

Ceal Barry<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Barry worked 37 years at the University of Colorado. In 22 seasons as the head women\u2019s basketball coach, her record was 427-242. As an associate and later deputy athletic director, she championed women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n

Odell C. Barry<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Barry started in Colorado as a record-breaking kick return specialist for the Denver Broncos. He quickly transitioned into a statesman, business owner, mentor and philanthropist. Barry served on the Northglenn City Council and was elected the first Black mayor of Northglenn in 1980. U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse called Barry \u201ca giant in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

William Bent<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The fur trader developed a strong relationship with the Cheyenne and built Bent\u2019s Fort, now a National Historic Site. He bequeathed land along the Arkansas River, specifying that it should be granted to mixed-race settlers, according to the National Park \u00a0Service.<\/p>\n

Alan Berg<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Member of the \u201cshock jock\u201d revolution that took over broadcast media in the 1980s, the outspoken liberal, a Jew, was murdered by the white supremacist group The Order outside his Denver home in 1984 at age 50.<\/p>\n

Chief Black Kettle<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Member of the Cheyenne tribe that settled on the Eastern Plains in the 1830s, near La Junta. He was an advocate for peace during the 1860s Colorado War and before and after the Sand Creek Massacre along Big Sandy Creek in 1864.<\/p>\n

Claude Boettcher<\/strong><\/h4>\n

His father built the family fortune through various business interests, including hardware, sugar and cement. Claude Boettcher created the Boettcher Foundation in 1937.<\/p>\n

Frederick Bonfils and Harry Tammen<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The two purchased a failing newspaper in 1895 and renamed it the Denver Evening Post, predecessor of The Denver Post.<\/p>\n

Helen Bonfils<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Bonfils became president of The Denver Post when her father, founder Frederick G. Bonfils, died. Her legacy includes the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the Bonfils Memorial Theater (now Lowenstein Theater) and the Bonfils Blood Center.<\/p>\n

Frank Bonnano<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The restaurateur has been at the helm of 10 restaurants, three bars and a 16-concept food hall in Colorado, including Mizuna, Luca, Osteria Marco, the Green Russell and Denver\u2019s Milk Market. He is also the creator of the eight-episode PBS series \u201cFull & Buzzed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Bosley<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Bosley, a University of Colorado graduate, served for 12 years on the CU Board of Regents and was the president and CEO of Independent Bank of Boulder for 24 years. Bosley is a co-founder of the Bolder Boulder 10k race, which helped put the city on the map as a running mecca.<\/p>\n

Pat Bowlen<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The former Broncos owner created a culture of winning and made himself the most successful sports team owner in Colorado history.<\/p>\n

Stan Brakhage<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Experimental filmmaker whose 300-plus works helped define the \u201clanguage of American avant-garde cinema,\u201d according to the Whitney Museum of American Art. Taught Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts at the University of Colorado for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

Antonia Brico<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The conductor and pianist settled in Denver in 1942, where she founded a Bach Society and the Women\u2019s String Ensemble. In 1948, Brico became conductor of the Denver Community Symphony (later the Denver Philharmonic). She taught piano to Judy Collins, who directed a movie about the musician in 1974.<\/p>\n

Clara Brown<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Born into slavery, she headed to Denver in search of a daughter who had been sold. They would not be reunited for many years. She formed a laundry business in Central City, made enough to invest in mining claims, and later \u00a0to Colorado using her own money to support the new communities.<\/p>\n

Henry Brown<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Brown arrived in Denver in 1860 and is linked to the city\u2019s earliest development. He built the Brown Palace on his land and donated 10 acres for the state Capitol. Brown also is credited with establishing the Denver City Library.<\/p>\n

Molly Brown<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Before she was heralded as a hero of the Titanic for her efforts to help get survivors into lifeboats and raise money for them, Margaret Brown ran for the U.S. Senate and was a champion of women\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n

Norm Brownstein<\/strong><\/h4>\n

He\u2019s been given the moniker \u00a0\u201cAmerica\u2019s 101st Senator\u201d because of the influence he wields as founder and chairman of the law and lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber and Schreck. Among his contributions was a major role in securing the funding to build Denver International Airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Doug Bruce<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Taxpayer\u2019s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, is a fundamental element of how Colorado spends and taxes its residents. It was authored by Bruce, who served in the state House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

Joy Burns<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Developer and president of the Burnsley Hotel in Denver; chair of the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors\u2019 Bureau; founder and director of the Women\u2019s Bank, now called Colorado Business Bank; founder of the Women\u2019s Foundation of Colorado; the first woman to chair the University of Denver\u2019s board of trustees; and president of the Sportswomen of Colorado Foundation.<\/p>\n

William Byers<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Byers founded the Rocky Mountain News, Denver\u2019s first newspaper. He helped create the city\u2019s first Chamber of Commerce and joined John Evans and Henry Brown in starting the Denver Tramway Company.<\/p>\n

Patty Calhoun<\/h4>\n

Calhoun co-founded Westword magazine in 1977 (from which she is stepping down as editor this summer), a frequent panelist on \u201cColorado Inside Out,\u201d and past president of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies.<\/p>\n

Ben Nighthorse Campbell<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Known for his advocacy of Native American issues, Campbell pushed to upgrade the Great Sand Dunes National Monument to a national park. He was a fiscal conservative who left the Democratic Party in 1985.<\/p>\n

John Francis Campion<\/h4>\n

Campion arrived in Colorado in 1879 and made a He is remembered as a key figure in founding the Museum of Natural History, now Denver Museum of Nature & Science, but also donated money to build the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception.<\/p>\n

Hendrika Bestebreurtje Cantwell<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The pioneering pediatrician started the first court-ordered parenting classes in Colorado to help abusive and neglectful parents. As the physician for Denver Social Services, she established a Family Services Center and helped increase public awareness of child abuse.<\/p>\n

Scott Carpenter<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Boulder native was the fourth American astronaut to go into space and the second to orbit the Earth \u2014 ending in a frightening landing far from the target site. He helped develop underwater training to prepare for spacewalks.<\/p>\n

Gov. Ralph Carr<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Governor during World War II, he was an outspoken opponent of imprisoning Japanese Americans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kit Carson<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Carson moved to Denver after the Civil War and negotiated a peace treaty with the Utes. The famed frontiersman, who also led campaigns against Native Americans, ended his career as superintendent of Indian affairs for the Colorado territory.<\/p>\n

George Caulkins<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Caulkins played a critical role in raising the money that created Vail. The Ellie Caulkins Opera House is named for his wife, a supporter of opera in Colorado.<\/p>\n

Thomas Cech<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Nobel Prize-winner in chemistry in 1989 (along with Sidney Altman) discovered that RNA had the ability to \u201cform stable, structured molecules \u2013 not just transient messengers,\u201d according to Yale School of Medicine. He is a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Colorado.<\/p>\n

Walter S. Cheesman<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The businessman brought railroad service to Denver, developed the real estate industry and, with his daughter, Gladys, planned his \u201cgrand mansion\u201d along Eighth Avenue. It was built in 1908 and later became the Governor\u2019s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion in 1924.<\/p>\n

Chin Lin Sou<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Chin arrived in Black Hawk in 1871 when work on the transcontinental railroad ended. He became wealthy when he and moved to Denver, where he ran an import business and was a leader in the Chinese community. His descendants still live here.<\/p>\n

Adolph Coors<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The founder of Coors Brewing Co., he His son, William Coors, is credited with developing recyclable aluminum cans.<\/p>\n

Eric Cornell<\/h4>\n

Cornell, a physicist at the Boulder-based National Institute of Standards and Technology, was among the winners of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics. His team was the first to achieve the first pure Bose-Einstein condensate, a new form of matter predicted by Albert Einstein that makes the study of quantum physics less difficult.<\/p>\n

Lillian Covillo\/Freidann Parker<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Denver natives began a ballet school in 1951 that grew into Colorado Ballet.<\/p>\n

Dana Crawford<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Crawford is widely seen as a visionary for her ability to grasp the value of Denver\u2019s historic architecture and preserve it. Her signature project was Larimer Square, which she saved despite city leaders who saw her as blocking progress and hurdles thrown up by bankers.<\/p>\n

Bill Daniels<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A pioneer in cable television, he founded Daniels & Associates, setting the stage for\u00a0 Denver to become the industry\u2019s capital. His estate created the Daniels Fund.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jack Dempsey<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The \u201cManassa Mauler\u201d became a legend fighting in front of record-breaking crowds. He became the world heavyweight champion in 1919.<\/p>\n

John Denver<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., he settled in Aspen and earned international acclaim for his music and his activism. \u201cRocky Mountain High\u201d is one of the state\u2019s two official songs.<\/p>\n

James Dobson<\/strong><\/h4>\n

He founded the Colorado Springs-based conservative ministry Focus on the Family and was a major force in pushing conservative Christian ideals in mainstream American politics in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Jean Dubofsky<\/strong><\/h4>\n

While a lawyer in the Legal Aid Society of metro Denver beginning in 1972, she contributed to 34 new laws, including one that got banks to issue credit cards to women in their own names. She was the first woman appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court and was the lead attorney in the 1996 challenge overturning Colorado\u2019s Amendment 2.<\/p>\n

Steve Ells<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Ells is the founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill, which the Culinary Institute of America noted pioneered a fast-food restaurant \u201cserving fresh, whole, unprocessed ingredients cooked in an open kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Elway<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The nine-time Pro Bowler and former NFL MVP led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl championship, winning back-to-back titles, completing a Hall of Fame career defined by breathtaking fourth-quarter comeback victories.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Piper Ensley<\/strong><\/h4>\n

She was one of only a few Black women working for women\u2019s suffrage and was key in persuading Black men to vote for women\u2019s suffrage.<\/p>\n

John Evans<\/strong><\/h4>\n

His legacy cannot be separated from the Sand Creek Massacre, which led to him losing his federally appointed position in the years before Colorado became a state. He also founded Denver Seminary, now the University of Denver. He was instrumental in securing the land and money for the Union Pacific line from Cheyenne to Denver.<\/p>\n

\n

Mount Evans, named for disgraced Colorado territorial governor, officially has a new name<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n