Kate Thrush Speer
Wife of Honorable Robert W. Speer, the twenty-sixth Mayor of Denver. First Lady of Denver from 1904-1912. Mrs. Speer was also the First Lady a second time from 1916-1918 during Robert Speer's second Mayoral term as the thirtieth Mayor of Denver.
Her Story
Personal
Kate was born in Annapolis, Maryland. January 1, 1860 and died in Denver, Colorado, February 19, 1956 (Age 96). She now resides peacefully at Fairmont Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.
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Family
Mayor and Mrs. Speer were childhood sweethearts. They met when she and Mayor Speer’s sister's boat capsized and Mayor Speer came to their rescue. The Speers were married on May 16, 1882 in Pennsylvania when she was twenty-two years old. The family resided at 300 Humboldt, the residence of which was designed by the same architects who designed the Greek Theater in Civic Center Park.
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Of Note
The Speers traveled to Europe in 1911 to investigate and learn about other municipalities from around the world. Mrs. Speer had a prominent role in advising Mayor Speer in advance of many major decisions. Even after the Mayor’s passing, Mrs. Speer remained a major civic benefactor. She even donated all the bells in the bell tower at the City and County Building.
