Wayne Norviel Aspinall

 Born - Died

Wayne Norviel Aspinall was an American lawyer and politician.

Aspinall was born on April 3rd, 1896 in Middleburg, Ohio. In 1904 the family moved to Palisade, Colorado. He attended the University of Denver until World War I. He enlisted in the Army and served in the Air Service of the Signal Corps. After the war he returned to the University of Denver and graduated in 1919.

His family traditionally voted Republican. In 1912 when a rift formed in their party between Theodore Roosevelt and Taft, Aspinall became disillusioned and became a Democrat. Many of his more conservative opinions remained though which did cause some strife with other members of the Democratic Party. Specifically he felt states, not the Federal Government, should be the decision makers regarding there own natural resources.

After college, he traveled around the state teaching. Eventually he enrolled in law school. He graduated from law school in 1925.

In 1930, he ran for and won a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives. He served as Speaker of the House from 1937 to 1938. After serving as speaker he moved to the Colorado State Senate where he served from 1939 to 1948. During his term in the Senate, he served during World War II in 1943 and 1944.

In 1948, he decided to run for the United States House of Representatives. He saw the national office as a stepping stone to becoming the Governor of Colorado. Once in the House of Representatives, he stayed in office until 1972. During his time in the House he sponsored many bills, most had to do with land management and the flow of water in and around the state of Colorado. In the 1950's this brought him into conflict with a national environmentalist movement. In the 1950's more was being learned about the environment and the potential impact it had in regards to new dams.

After leaving office in 1972, he remained active in politics, although he never hold another public office. He pushed for a more self-reliant United States when it came it's energy needs. Towards the end of his life he pushed for expanded oil shale development.

Aspinall passed away on October 9th, 1983.

He was a member of Palisade Lodge No. 125, Palisade, Colorado.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.