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Ernest Le Neve Foster
1849-1925
President 3 or 4 times, 1899, 1900, 1901,
and 1902?
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Geologist and mining
engineer
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Educated Royal School of
Mines, London, England; King's and Emperor's Mining Academy, Freiburg,
Saxony, Germany
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Superintendent and owner of
Mining companies, Georgetown, Colorado, Summit County, Colorado, and at
other mines, including the Saratoga Mine
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Alderman of Georgetown,
Colorado from 1886-1892; Clear Creek County Commissioner, 1887-1893;
Surveyor, and Colorado State Geologist, 1883-1885
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Member American Institute
of Mining Engineers; Fellow, Geological Society of London
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Author of articles about
mineral deposits in Colorado and Mexico
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Prominent member of the
Masonic Lodge
from Presidents of the
Colorado Scientific Society
From History of Colorado, Vol. II, 1918, Biographical sketches,
p. 704-705
Ernest Le Neve Foster, a mining engineer of Denver and a pioneer among
the mining men of Colorado, was born in London, England, January 22,
1849, his parents being Peter Le Neve and Georgiana Elizabeth
(Chevalier) Foster, both of whom were natives of England, where they
spent their entire lives. In early manhood the father became a barrister
but was best known as secretary of the Society of Arts, spending the
last twenty-five years of his life in that connection. He died in London
in 1879 and his widow, surviving him for six years, passed away in that
city in 1885. In their family were ten children, of whom Ernest Le Neve
Foster was the sixth in order of birth. He began his education in
private schools of his native city and afterward entered the Royal
School of Mines in London, from which he was graduated in 1868. He was
then admitted to the School of Mines in Freiberg, Germany, where he
pursued a special course of study for a year, receiving his diploma in
1869 from the Bergakademie of Freiberg. He then went into the Alp
mountains of Italy, where he engaged in mining engineering for two years
and in 1871 he sought a broader field of labor in America, making his
way direct across the Atlantic and on over the country to Colorado,
where he arrived on January 20, 1872. Here he took up the profession of
mining engineering, which he followed in various parts of the United
States, and he has been identified in his professional capacity with
some of the most famous mineral producing properties of this section of
the country. In 1883 he was appointed to the position of state geologist
of Colorado and occupied that position for two years. His home was
always in Georgetown and Denver, engaging in mining principally in Clear
Creek, Gilpin and Summit counties for many years and he has played a
most prominent part in the development of ore-bearing properties in this
state. While living in Clear Creek county he also served as county
commissioner, occupying that position for six years, during all of which
time he was honored with the chairmanship of the board. He continued to
make his home in Georgetown, Colorado, for twenty one years and during
six years of that period served as alderman and filled various other
positions of public honor and trust, the duties of which he discharged
with marked promptness and fidelity. In 1875 he became a member of the
American Institute of Mining Engineers and is now one of the thirty
senior members of that society, which comprises upward of six thousand
members. For three years, from 1900 until 1903, he served as president
of the Colorado Scientific Society, of which he was the first elected
member at the first meeting in 1883. Fraternally he is a Mason and has
passed through both the York and Scottish Rites, while his high standing
in the order is indicated in the fact that in 1887 he was elected grand
high priest of the Royal Arch Masons and in 1890 he was chosen grand
master of Masons of the state of Colorado. In 1906 he was grand master
of the Royal and Select Masters of Masons.
On the 20th of March, 1875, Mr. Ernest Le Neve Foster was
married to Miss Charlotte Teal, of Georgetown, a daughter of George
Teal, a well known mining engineer of Clear Creek and Boulder counties,
and to them were born two children: Bernice, who died at the age of four
years, and Oscar Le Neve, who was born in Georgetown, Colorado, in 1878,
and was graduated from Princeton University with the degree of Civil
Engineer. He is now with Taylor, Dodge & Ross, bond and investment
brokers of Chicago, as manager of their electrical plants at Glendive
and other points in Montana, where he makes his home. He is married and
has two children, Elizabeth Le Neve and Mary Le Neve Foster. Mrs.
Charlotte Foster passed away in November, 1906, and her death was the
occasion of deep regret to her many friends. On the 20th of
February, 1909, Mr. Foster was again married, his second union being
with Mrs. Marion Fulton, of Denver. During his long residence in
Colorado, Mr. Foster has taken a very active and prominent part in
promoting interests which have been of great value to the state and
aside from his business affairs has always stood as a loyal citizen,
active in support of plans and measures for the general good.
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