Senator Jerome Bunty Chaffee

Jerome Bunty Chaffee (April 17, 1825 – March 9, 1886) was an American entrepreneur, territorial delegate, and United States Senator from Colorado. A prominent Republican during the post–Civil War era, he played a significant role in the early political and economic development of Colorado, and Chaffee County, Colorado, is named in his honor.

Chaffee was born on April 17, 1825, in Cambria, Niagara County, New York. In 1844 he moved west to Adrian, Michigan, where he worked as a schoolteacher. After several years in education, he turned to commerce, opening a dry goods business in Adrian in the late 1840s. This early experience in trade and local enterprise laid the foundation for his later activities as a banker, land speculator, and investor on the expanding American frontier.

In 1852, Chaffee moved farther west to St. Joseph, Missouri, a key jumping-off point for migration into the territories. He subsequently relocated to Elmwood in the Kansas Territory, where he established banking businesses and engaged in extensive land speculation. These ventures positioned him at the intersection of finance and frontier development during a period of rapid territorial expansion and economic opportunity in the American West.

Chaffee moved to Colorado in 1860 to invest in mining at the outset of the region’s gold and mineral boom. He became one of the founders of the city of Denver, Colorado, and emerged as a leading figure in its commercial life. In 1865 he founded the First National Bank of Denver, which became a central financial institution in the territory. His success in business and his influence in the community drew him into public affairs, where he helped organize the Colorado Territory and took an active role in shaping its early political institutions.

Entering formal politics as a member of the Republican Party, Chaffee served in the first legislature of the Colorado Territory and was chosen speaker of that body. He subsequently represented the territory at the national level, serving as the territorial delegate to the United States Congress starting in 1870. In this capacity he worked to advance Colorado’s interests in Washington and to promote its admission to the Union. His service in Congress as a delegate occurred during a significant period in American history, as the nation continued to grapple with Reconstruction and western expansion.

Following Colorado’s admission to the Union in 1876, Chaffee was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate. He served as a Senator from Colorado from 1871 to 1879, completing the duration of his term in office. During his time in the Senate, he participated in the legislative process, represented the interests of his constituents, and contributed to national debates in the post–Civil War era. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms in Congress when his prior service as territorial delegate is included. Chaffee did not seek reelection to the Senate in 1879, in part due to declining health.

After leaving the Senate, Chaffee remained influential in Colorado politics. In 1884 he was elected state chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, reflecting his continued prominence within the party and his ongoing involvement in shaping political affairs in the state. His later years were spent largely in private life, though he maintained close ties to both Colorado and the broader Republican political network.

Chaffee’s family life connected him to one of the most prominent political families of the era. His sole surviving child, daughter Fannie Josephine Chaffee (1857–1909), married Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., a son of President Ulysses S. Grant. The couple had five children, including Ulysses S. Grant IV, thereby linking Chaffee’s legacy to that of the Grant family. Jerome Bunty Chaffee died on March 9, 1886, at the Grants’ home in Salem Center, New York. He was interred in Adrian Cemetery in Adrian, Michigan, the community where his adult career had first taken shape.