# Carl Bledsoe

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{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name        = Carl B. Bledsoe
| image       =
| image_size  = 
| office      = 49th [Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives](/source/Speaker_of_the_Colorado_House_of_Representatives)
| term_start  = 1981
| term_end    = 1991
| predecessor = [Robert F. Burford](/source/Robert_F._Burford)
| successor   = [Chuck Berry](/source/Chuck_Berry_(politician))<ref>{{cite web|title=Presidents and Speakers of the Colorado General Assembly|url=http://hermes.cde.state.co.us/drupal/islandora/object/co:10287/datastream/OBJ/view|publisher=Colorado Virtual Library|year=2013|accessdate=June 14, 2021}}</ref>
| office1     = [Member of the Colorado House of Representatives](/source/Colorado_House_of_Representatives)
| district1   = 
| term_start1 = 1973
| term_end1   = 1991
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1923|10|6}}
| birth_place = Near [Aroya, Colorado](/source/Aroya%2C_Colorado), US
| death_date  = {{death date and age|2012|6|5|1923|10|6}}
| death_place = Aroya, Colorado, US
| party       = [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States))
| spouse      = {{marriage|Alice Elizabeth Cotellessa|1946}}<ref name="legleaders" />
| children    = 3
| branch      = 
| alma_mater  = [University of Colorado Boulder](/source/University_of_Colorado_Boulder)<br>[Colorado State University](/source/Colorado_State_University)
| footnotes   =  
}}

'''Carl Beverly "Bev" Bledsoe''' (October 6, 1923 – June 5, 2012) was an American politician in the state of [Colorado](/source/Colorado), representing the Eastern Plains counties of Colorado in the state House of Representatives. He served as [Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives](/source/Speaker_of_the_Colorado_House_of_Representatives) from 1981 to 1991, making the longest tenured speaker ever in the state's history.

Bledsoe was born on the Bledsoe Ranch, {{Convert|12|mi|km}} north of [Aroya, Colorado](/source/Aroya%2C_Colorado), to Carl and Josie Bledsoe.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Cheyenne County History |publisher=Eastern Colorado Historical Society |year=1979 |edition=1st |location=Cheyenne Wells, Colorado |pages=114}}</ref> He attended public schools and graduated from Kit Carson High School. He attended the [University of Colorado Boulder](/source/University_of_Colorado_Boulder), he served in the United States Army in [World War II](/source/World_War_II), attaining the rank of sergeant. Upon his return, he studied for a [Bachelor of Science](/source/Bachelor_of_Science) degree in [animal husbandry](/source/animal_husbandry) from [Colorado State University](/source/Colorado_State_University) and began ranching near [Hugo](/source/Hugo%2C_Colorado).<ref name="legleaders">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uHqVYTkA08YC&pg=PA63 |title=American legislative leaders in the West, 1911-1994 | last1=Sharp | first1=Nancy Weatherly | first2=James Roger |last2=Sharp |publisher=Greenwood Press | location=Westport, Connecticut | year=1997 | ISBN=978-0-313-30212-1|  accessdate=January 9, 2012}}</ref>

Prior to his election to the [Colorado House of Representatives](/source/Colorado_House_of_Representatives) in 1973, Bledsoe sat on and chaired many county political, school, and veterinarian committees. He served nine consecutive terms in the house and led the legislative audit and finance committees. He retired in 1991. He died at his home in Hugo in 2012 at the age of 88.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20792030/bev-bledsoe-longtime-colorado-house-speaker-dies-at |title=Bev Bledsoe, longtime Colorado House speaker, dies at age 88 |first=Lynn |last=Bartels |date=June 5, 2012 |publisher=Denver Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lovefuneralhomes.com/sitemaker/sites/LoveFu1/obit.cgi?user=647242Bledsoe |title=In Loving Memory of Bev |publisher=Memorial Networks |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070421/http://www.lovefuneralhomes.com/sitemaker/sites/LoveFu1/obit.cgi?user=647242Bledsoe |archivedate=March 4, 2016 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bledsoe, Carl}}
Category:1923 births
Category:2012 deaths
Category:People from Cheyenne County, Colorado
Category:People from Lincoln County, Colorado
Category:Ranchers from Colorado
Category:United States Army personnel of World War II
Category:United States Army non-commissioned officers
Category:Republican Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives
Category:Speakers of the Colorado House of Representatives
Category:20th-century members of the Colorado General Assembly

{{Colorado-politician-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Carl Bledsoe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Bledsoe) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Bledsoe?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.