Robert Williamson Steele

Robert Williamson Steele (January 14, 1820 – February 7, 1901) was governor of the extralegal Territory of Jefferson, which existed in the western United States from 1859 to 1861, when it was replaced by the Territory of Colorado.

Early life Steele was born near Chillicothe in Ross County, Ohio. He farmed until 1846, when he began the study of law at Fairfield, Iowa. In 1848 he married Susan Nevin at Hillsboro, Ohio, and graduated from the Law School of Cincinnati four years later. In 1855, Steele moved to Omaha, settling in Douglas County of the Nebraska Territory. He was elected as a Democrat to the Nebraska Territorial House of Representatives to represent Douglas County in 1857 In 1865, he reluctantly returned to Iowa. Just two years later, he returned to Georgetown. The one-time governor spent his last years in Colorado Springs, where he died on February 7, 1901, almost a month after his 81st birthday.

Legacy Steele has been called the Father of Colorado for his tireless efforts to develop the then frontier region. His 1867 home in Mt. Vernon, Colorado survives and is on the National Register of Historic Places.