Lavington Park
Lavington Park
Loveland Avenue & W 4th Street
Hon. Leon Edward Lavington, Sr. was the first child born to the pioneering homesteaders of Flagler, Colorado. His parents were William Henry "W.H." and Louella Isabel "Ella" (Van Heusen) Lavington.
W.H. came to Kit Carson County, Colorado in 1888 by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad and developed Flagler along with his partner and brother-in-law, W.L. Price. Prior to the settlement of the town, the location had been named Bowser in memory of the W.H.'s favorite dog who had died. Notable projects include the first general store and combined post office, Flagler State Bank, and the Hotel Flagler built in 1909. The hotel has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior; it later became the Flagler Hospital, under by W.L. McBride, and now serves as the Town Hall and library.
W.H. was President of the Flagler State Bank, held the office of County Commissioner for Kit Carson County from 1893 to 1895, and served as Postmaster of Flagler from 1889 to 1894. Ella worked alongside W.H. and served on the School Board of Education for Flagler County Public Schools.
Leon, Sr. graduated from the University of Colorado in 1915 before entering the United States WWI Draft Registration of 1917.
His wife, Marjorie (Dixon) Lavington, graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder, class 1914 and member of Pi Beta Phi. She also served as the Chairman of the American Red Cross Gray Ladies of Denver.
When the town of Flagler was incorporated, Leon, Sr. was the first Mayor of Flagler, and served as President of the First National Bank of Flagler, previously the Flagler State Bank.
Initially appointed by Governor Ralph Lawrence Carr to a civil service commission, State Purchasing Agent, Leon, Sr. was elected Auditor of State and Colorado State Treasurer before running for Governor (R 1946). The third largest blizzard in recorded state history preceded the gubernatorial election, shutting down street cars, which resulted in a less than 30 percent voter turn-out (Historical Blizzard, November 2–4, 1946, 30.4 inches). The election was lost by a small margin having won nearly 48 percent of the vote.
Leon, Sr. died on December 13, 1961, in Denver, Colorado at age 72.[2] He and his wife are buried in the Fairmount Cemetery (Denver, Colorado). Lavington Park is named in his honor.
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Leon Edward Lavington was the first child born in Flagler, Colorado, and became the first mayor when the town was incorporated. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 1915 before becoming President of the First National Bank of Flagler. Later, he served as the Colorado State Purchasing Agent, Auditor of the State, and State Treasurer before running for Governor (R 1946). Lavington Park is named in his honor.
