Early Jewish Mayors in Colorado
Between 1876 and 1914, Colorado elected eight Jewish mayors in seven cities, serving nine terms in office.
Benjamin Wisebart (1841-1895), a retail merchant and miner, served in Central City, 1876.
Samuel Jaffa, a merchant, was mayor and chairman of the board of trustees in Trinidad, 1876-1880.
Moses Marks (1837-1920), a clothing merchant, served in Buena Vista from 1881-1883.
Wolfe Londoner (1839-1912), a grocer, was elected in Denver in 1889, but had to resign in 1891 after the Colorado Supreme Court found fraud in the election (even though the fraud was not attributable to Londoner).
Joseph Sampliner (1864-1922), a clothing merchant, served in Grand Junction in 1901-1905.
Samuel Cohen (1845-1928), a clothing merchant, grocer, and minor, served in Fairplay circa 1905.
Louis Kafka (1843-1909), a dry goods merchant and miner, was Lake City mayor in the early 1900’s.
Max Kahn (1877-1939), a hide dealer, was Trinidad mayor in 1913-1914.
The Colorado State Capital Building, 1907 postcard
Source
- Mark Rutzik, Breaking New Ground: The Untold Story of Early America’s Jewish Electoral Pioneers – 1788 to 1920, 2025.
Mark Rutzick is the curator of this Jewish Mayors exhibit.