William Lee Knous

William Lee Knous (February 2, 1889 – December 12, 1959) was an American attorney serving as Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, the 31st Governor of Colorado and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. The National Governors Association states that he is the only person "to have occupied the highest seat in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government" in Colorado. Early life and education Born on February 2, 1889, in Ouray, Colorado, he was the son of John F. Knous of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. His mother, Julia Bain, was of Irish and Scottish ancestry. Both parents descended from men who fought in the Revolutionary War. In the early 1870s, John Knous moved from Iowa to Colorado, where he worked as a wagon boss and freighter that hauled supplies for the mining industry in Leadville. In Ouray, he drove a stagecoach between Ouray and Silverton. He also mined and prospected before becoming the town marshal and undersheriff. As a boy, William Knous began a lifelong interest in fishing and hunting. He graduated from Ouray High School, where he was the class valedictorian. He began working in the mines because it paid well. He played semi-pro baseball and entered local boxing matches, from which he earned money for college. Knous received a Bachelor of Law degree with honors in 1911 from the University of Colorado Law School. He was admitted to the bar in Colorado in 1911.