Colorado’s Governors: Raymond H. Talbot

Our series on Colorado’s governors continues with Raymond H. Talbot, Colorado’s 27^th governor. Governor Talbot had the unique honor of serving as governor for ten days from January 2-12, 1937. As part of the State Publications Library’s effort to digitize governors’ addresses, Governor Talbot’s 1937 address to the Colorado General Assembly is available in our digital collection.

Early life

Raymond Herbert Talbot was born in Chicago in 1896. Shortly after his birth, Talbot’s family moved to Pueblo. He spent his childhood in Pueblo, attending public schools and working as telegraph messenger boy. In 1915, Talbot married Juniatta L. Wilson, with whom he had two children.

Talbot trained as an electrical engineer and started working for the Southern Colorado Power Company in 1920. He moved up through the company, while also teaching for Colorado A&M College (now Colorado State University), serving as the Pueblo city commissioner for parks and highways, and holding other elected positions.

Political career

Talbot was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1926 and to the Colorado Senate in 1928. He was an advocate of the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo and fought for increased support for the fair during his years in the legislature.

In 1932, Talbot ran for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket with Edwin C. Johnson. Governor Johnson resigned from his post early to assume a United States Senate seat; as lieutenant governor, Talbot took over the governor’s position for ten days in January 1937. During his short term, he finished out Johnson’s program and coordinated with the incoming Governor Teller Ammons.

In his address to the General Assembly, Talbot acknowledged the uniqueness of his short term and expressed gratitude for the opportunity, saying, “I cannot conceive of any lover of Democracy who could fail to appreciate the honor of serving as Governor of our great state even though it be for the brief period of ten days.” Although it was a short speech, Talbot made sure to note the ongoing social and economic impacts of the Great Depression in Colorado and encouraged Coloradans to be wary of the “greed and speed” that he felt contributed to the economic downturn.

Life after politics

Talbot maintained his commitment to public service after his brief stint as governor. He was especially involved with the Colorado State Fair, helping the organization to become profitable and growing the fair into a national attraction. By the end of his life, Talbot had spent 24 years as a State Fair Commissioner, 8 years as the Pueblo postmaster, and 14 years as Pueblo City Commissioner. Governor Talbot died in 1955 and is buried Mountain View Cemetery.