Benjamin Harrison Eaton
| Benjamin Harrison Eaton | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 4th Governor of Colorado | |
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In office January 13, 1885 – January 11, 1887 |
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| Lieutenant | Peter W. Breene |
| Preceded by | James B. Grant |
| Succeeded by | Alva Adams |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 15, 1833 Coshocton, Ohio |
| Died | October 29, 1904 (aged 70) Greeley, Colorado |
| Political party | Republican |
Benjamin Harrison Eaton (December 15, 1833 – October 29, 1904) was an American politician, entrepreneur and agriculturalist in the late 19th and early 20th century. Eaton was a founding officer of the Greeley Colony and was instrumental in the establishment of modern irrigation farming to Northern Colorado. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the fourth Governor of Colorado, from January 1885 to January 1887, with the nickname of the "farmer governor". He was one of the largest land owners in Weld and Larimer counties, at one time owning over ninety 160 acre (0.6 km²) parcels, all watered from canals and reservoirs of his own construction. His projects were influential in helping turn the South Platte River valley into an important agricultural region in the state's economy. The town of Eaton, Colorado in western Weld County is named for him.
Benjamin Harrison Eaton's sister, Mary Jane Eaton, married William S. Dickerson, also from Coshocton County, Ohio. They settled in Weld County, Colorado. Their daughter Adda Dickerson married Thomas Grant Cullison in Windsor Colorado on September 20, 1900. Thomas & Adda's grandson Tom Cullison, deceased, recently lived in the Greeley/Eaton Colorado area.
Eaton is among Colorado's sixteen notable pioneers who are depicted in stained glass on the rotunda of the Colorado State Capitol Building.
Eaton was born in Coshocton, Ohio, the second of eight children. He went to school in West Bedford, Ohio and taught school there as well. In 1854, at the age of 21, he moved to Louisa County, Iowa, where he taught school for two years. He returned to Ohio in 1856 where he married Delilah Wolf. His wife died in 1857 after giving birth to a son, Aaron James Eaton.
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