MAYOR JAMES QUIGG NEWTON, JR. PAPERS

James Quigg Newton Jr. was born in Denver on August 3, 1911. He attended Denver Public Schools and continued his education at Phillips Academy (Andover, Massachusetts) and Yale University. He obtained an AB degree from Yale in 1933 and graduated from Yale Law School in 1936. After graduating Newton accepted an appointment as legal assistant to William O. Douglas, then the Commissioner of the Securities Exchange Commission. In 1937, Newton returned to Denver and was employed as an attorney with Lewis and Grant. In 1939 he formed his own law firm, Newton, Davis and Drinkwater, and worked as a partner. A year later the firm changed to Newton, Davis and Henry.

Newton was a lecturer of law at the University of Denver from 1937 until he entered the Navy during World War II. During his four-year service with the Navy he served as a legal officer with the Navel Transport Command and as special assistant to John L. Sullivan, assistant secretary of Navy for Air. Shortly after his return from the Navy, Newton was named president of the Board of Trustees of the University of Denver. Under his leadership, the University completely reorganized, built up staff, and launched a building program that included raising two million dollars to get construction underway. In 1942 he married Virginia Shafroth and they had four daughters, Nancy, Nelle, Abby, and Gina.

Newton was elected Mayor of Denver in 1947. He was Denver's first native-born Mayor. In 1947, the Junior Chamber of Commerce selected him as one of the Nation's Ten Outstanding Young Men. A popular Mayor, he was reelected in 1952. In 1954, Newton made a bid for the Democratic primary contest for the United States Senate but lost to John Carroll. In 1955, he did not seek reelection and ended his career in politics. He worked for the Ford Foundation in New York for a year. From 1956-1963, he served as the President of the University of Colorado. He presided over the University during a period of great growth in physical facilities and academic quality. During his tenure, the University was instrumental in attracting the National Center for Atmospheric Research to Boulder, Colorado. He also dealt with a number of controversies at the University involving sports ethics, academic freedom and freedom of speech.

In 1963, Newton became the President of the Commonwealth Foundation in New York, an educational foundation, serving until he retired in 1976. The family moved to California where Newton worked at the Behavior Science Center for a year and two years as Senior Consultant with the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation. Newton returned to Denver in 1980. He served as special counsel to Davis, Graham and Stubbs, the successor of his old law firm, from 1981-2003. Newton was active with many non-profit and educational institutions.

Newton died April 4, 2003.