Benjamin Harrison Eaton

Benjamin Eaton
Eaton circa 1885
4th Governor of Colorado
In office January 13, 1885 – January 11, 1887
Lieutenant	Peter W. Breene
Preceded by	James Grant
Succeeded by	Alva Adams
Personal details
Born	(1833-12-15)December 15, 1833 Coshocton, Ohio, U.S.
Died	October 29, 1904(1904-10-29) (aged 70) Greeley, Colorado, U.S.
Political party	Republican

Benjamin Harrison Eaton (December 15, 1833 – October 29, 1904) was an American politician, entrepreneur and agriculturalist in the late 19th and early 20th century. Eaton was a founding officer of the Greeley Colony and was instrumental in the establishment of modern irrigation farming to Northern Colorado. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the fourth Governor of Colorado, from January 1885 to January 1887, with the nickname of the "farmer governor". He was one of the largest land owners in Weld and Larimer counties, at one time owning over ninety 160 acre (0.6 km²) parcels, all watered from canals and reservoirs of his own construction. His projects were influential in helping turn the South Platte River valley into an important agricultural region in the state's economy. The town of Eaton, Colorado in western Weld County is named for him.^[1]

Eaton is among Colorado's sixteen notable pioneers who are depicted in stained glass on the rotunda of the Colorado State Capitol Building.