Delphus E. Carpenter
Encyclopedia
Delphus E. Carpenter was the Commissioner
of Interstate Streams for the State of Colorado at a time when Western States' water rights were becoming a legal battleground, and became the primary driver behind the Colorado River Compact
of 1922.
Carpenter was raised on an irrigated farm in northern Colorado, where water was a precious resource. In 1899 after graduation from the University of Denver Law School, he went into practice in his hometown, serving community water-related legal needs. From 1909-1913, Carpenter served as a State senator representing his home district. When the Greeley-Poudre Irrigation District constructed a tunnel to divert water from Wyoming
's Laramie River
, Carpenter became lead counsel in the Wyoming vs. Colorado lawsuit that resulted, twice arguing the case before the U.S. Supreme Court. As the issue of water as a State resource grew, Carpenter conceived the idea of the legal compact
as an out-of-court solution to the West's water conflicts, invoking the Compact Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The interstate water compacts Carpenter helped develop, particularly the 1922 Colorado River Compact
, without which Hoover Dam
would not have been built, form an enduring legacy.
A book about Carpenter's life and career was published in 2003. His papers have been preserved at Colorado State University
's Morgan Library in Fort Collins, Colorado
.
, Weld County, Colorado
. He was a first generation descendent of original settlers of the 1870 Union Colony of Colorado
. Carpenter married Michaela Hogarty in 1901. He suffered from Parkinson's disease
, which eventually left him bedridden from 1933 until his death on February 27, 1951 at Greeley
.
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of Interstate Streams for the State of Colorado at a time when Western States' water rights were becoming a legal battleground, and became the primary driver behind the Colorado River Compact
Colorado River Compact
The Colorado River Compact is a 1922 agreement among seven U.S. states in the basin of the Colorado River in the American Southwest governing the allocation of the water rights to the river's water among the parties of the interstate compact...
of 1922.
Carpenter was raised on an irrigated farm in northern Colorado, where water was a precious resource. In 1899 after graduation from the University of Denver Law School, he went into practice in his hometown, serving community water-related legal needs. From 1909-1913, Carpenter served as a State senator representing his home district. When the Greeley-Poudre Irrigation District constructed a tunnel to divert water from Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
's Laramie River
Laramie River
The Laramie River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming.It rises in northern Colorado, in the Roosevelt National Forest in the Front Range, in western Larimer County...
, Carpenter became lead counsel in the Wyoming vs. Colorado lawsuit that resulted, twice arguing the case before the U.S. Supreme Court. As the issue of water as a State resource grew, Carpenter conceived the idea of the legal compact
Interstate compact
An interstate compact is an agreement between two or more states of the United States of America. Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution provides that "no state shall enter into an agreement or compact with another state" without the consent of Congress...
as an out-of-court solution to the West's water conflicts, invoking the Compact Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The interstate water compacts Carpenter helped develop, particularly the 1922 Colorado River Compact
Colorado River Compact
The Colorado River Compact is a 1922 agreement among seven U.S. states in the basin of the Colorado River in the American Southwest governing the allocation of the water rights to the river's water among the parties of the interstate compact...
, without which Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...
would not have been built, form an enduring legacy.
A book about Carpenter's life and career was published in 2003. His papers have been preserved at Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
's Morgan Library in Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
.
Personal
Carpenter was born May 13, 1877 at GreeleyGreeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
, Weld County, Colorado
Weld County, Colorado
As of the census of 2000, there were 180,936 people, 63,247 households, and 45,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 66,194 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
. He was a first generation descendent of original settlers of the 1870 Union Colony of Colorado
Union Colony of Colorado
The Union Colony of Colorado was a 19th century U.S. private enterprise formed to promote agricultural settlement in the South Platte River valley in the Colorado Territory...
. Carpenter married Michaela Hogarty in 1901. He suffered from Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, which eventually left him bedridden from 1933 until his death on February 27, 1951 at Greeley
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
.