Walker Stapleton

Walker Stapleton (born April 15, 1974) is an American politician who served two terms as Colorado's State Treasurer from 2011 to 2019.[1] Stapleton was the Republican nominee for Governor of Colorado in the 2018 election, which he lost to Democrat Jared Polis.[2]

Walker Stapleton
56th Treasurer of Colorado
In office January 11, 2011 – January 8, 2019
Governor	John Hickenlooper
Preceded by	Cary Kennedy
Succeeded by	Dave Young
Personal details
Born	April 15, 1974 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Jenna Stapleton
Children	3
Relatives	Craig Roberts Stapleton (Father) Benjamin F. Stapleton (paternal great-grandfather) George Herbert Walker (maternal great-grandfather)
Education	Williams College (BA) London School of Economics (MA) Harvard University (MBA)

Early life and family

Stapleton's family has been active in Colorado since the early 1900s.[3][4] Walker was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, attending the private Brunswick School.[5][6] He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, and holds a graduate degree in business economics from the London School of Economics and an MBA from Harvard Business School.[7]

Stapleton's mother, Dorothy Walker Stapleton, is a first cousin once removed of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, making him a second cousin of former U.S. President George W. Bush and former Florida governor Jeb Bush.[4] He has maintained close ties to the Bush family and credits George H. W. Bush for inspiring him to enter politics.[8] His father is diplomat Craig Roberts Stapleton.[9] His great-grandfather, Benjamin F. Stapleton, served as mayor of Denver from 1923 to 1931.[3]

Career

Stapleton began his private sector career in 1997 at Hambrecht & Quist as an investment banker.[10] Two years later, he became Director of Business Development for Live365.[11] He subsequently served as CEO and CFO of various private and publicly traded companies, until assuming office as Colorado Treasurer in 2011.[12]

In early 2018 Stapleton, then running for governor of Colorado, was accused of paying off the History Colorado Center to remove mention of the family's ties with the white supremacy movement and the beginnings of the Ku Klux Klan in America from their exhibitions.[13][14]

Stapleton was a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow.[15]

Electoral history

Colorado Treasurer Republican Primary Election, 2010
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Walker Stapleton	181,420	50.90
Republican	J. J. Ament	174,992	49.10

Colorado Treasurer Election, 2010
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Walker Stapleton	866,934	50.70
Democratic	Cary Kennedy (inc.)	842,877	49.30

Colorado Treasurer Election, 2014
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Walker Stapleton (inc.)	979,281	49.87
Democratic	Betsy Markey	882,437	44.94
Libertarian	David Jurist	101,826	5.19

Colorado Gubernatorial Election, 2018
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Jared Polis	1,348,888	53.4
Republican	Walker Stapleton	1,080,801	42.8
Libertarian	Scott Helker	69,519	2.7
Unity	Bill Hammons	25,854	1.0

References

1. Ballotpedia. Walker Stapleton. Retrieved: 2017-03-10.
2. Frank, John (26 June 2018). "Jared Polis, Walker Stapleton face off in a Colorado governor's race that became testy from the start". Denver Post. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
3. Bartels, Lynn (25 April 2011). "Stapleton! Everywhere you look". The Denver Post. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
4. Bunch, Joey (20 April 2014). "Jeb Bush, Walker Stapleton benefit mutually from family ties in Colorado". The Denver Post. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
5. Bianchi, Chris (14 June 2018). "Walker Stapleton Is From a Loaded Connecticut Suburb — Just Like Me". Westword. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
6. The Sentinel (14 December 2017). "Walker Stapleton celebrates the fourth too early; and a school by any other name would be better". Aurora Sentinel. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
7. "EDITORIAL: Attack on Stapleton unfair". The Gazette. 24 May 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2017. He is a successful businessman with a Harvard MBA, a graduate degree from the London School of Economics and a proven record of good results.
8. Walker Stapleton wishes his cousin George H.W. Bush “could live forever”
9. Marcus, Peter (29 September 2014). "Treasurer candidates divided on fund for retirement". The Durango Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2017. Stapleton’s family is also no stranger to numbers and public policy.
10. "Walker R. Stapleton". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
11. "Walker Stapleton State Treasurer, State Of Colorado". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
12. "Walker R. Stapleton: Colorado treasurer". Daily Camera. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
13. Schmidt, Madeleine (April 5, 2018). "Stapleton Accused of Paying Off History Museum to Remove Family's KKK Past From Exhibit". Colorado Times Recorder. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
14. Gonzales, Manny (November 23, 1999). "Racist Group Dominated Politics in Early 1920s". Denver Rocky Mountain News. Denver, CO. Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
15. Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowship Class of 2014

External links

• Walker Stapleton's website