George T. Beck
Encyclopedia
George Washington Thornton Beck (26 June 1856 – 1 December 1943) was a politician and business entrepreneur in the U.S. state
of Wyoming
. Beck was born on 26 June 1856 in Lexington, Kentucky
, the son of Jane Augusta Washington Thornton and James Burnie Beck
, a congressman and US senator from Kentucky.
Beck, Horace C. Alger, and later investors, including William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody
, George Bliestein, Bronson Rumsey, and Nate Salsbury founded the Shoshone Land and Irrigation Company to build a canal and irrigate land in the Big Horn Basin. The partners claimed land under the Carey Act
project, hoping to bring in settlers and profit by selling water rights. The investors utilized the celebrity of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody
, naming the town they founded Cody, Wyoming
as well as the canal, after him. .
As the most directly involved in the day to day operations, Beck lived in Cody
and guided the town in its infancy. Along with other business leaders, Beck was vital in founding The Cody Club, which would become The Cody Country Chamber of Commerce. There is a street named in his honor in Cody.
As a politician, Beck was elected to the territorial Senate and the Wyoming State Senate as a Democrat, and was that party's nominee for governor in 1914. As an entrepreneur he built an early flour mill in the state, an electric light plant, and developed mineral and oil properties, in addition to the irrigation, land and tourism project with Cody.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Beck was born on 26 June 1856 in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, the son of Jane Augusta Washington Thornton and James Burnie Beck
James B. Beck
James Burnie Beck was a United States Representative and Senator from Kentucky.Born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, Beck immigrated to the United States in 1838 and settled in Wyoming County, New York. He moved to Lexington, Kentucky in 1843 and graduated from Transylvania University in 1846...
, a congressman and US senator from Kentucky.
Beck, Horace C. Alger, and later investors, including William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
, George Bliestein, Bronson Rumsey, and Nate Salsbury founded the Shoshone Land and Irrigation Company to build a canal and irrigate land in the Big Horn Basin. The partners claimed land under the Carey Act
Carey act
The Carey Act of 1894 allowed private companies in the U.S. to erect irrigation systems in the western semi-arid states, and profit from the sales of water. The Carey Act was enacted into law by Congress by the Act of August 18, 1894 , as amended...
project, hoping to bring in settlers and profit by selling water rights. The investors utilized the celebrity of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
, naming the town they founded Cody, Wyoming
Cody, Wyoming
Cody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...
as well as the canal, after him. .
As the most directly involved in the day to day operations, Beck lived in Cody
Cody, Wyoming
Cody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...
and guided the town in its infancy. Along with other business leaders, Beck was vital in founding The Cody Club, which would become The Cody Country Chamber of Commerce. There is a street named in his honor in Cody.
As a politician, Beck was elected to the territorial Senate and the Wyoming State Senate as a Democrat, and was that party's nominee for governor in 1914. As an entrepreneur he built an early flour mill in the state, an electric light plant, and developed mineral and oil properties, in addition to the irrigation, land and tourism project with Cody.