CHARLES DAVID BYRNE I

These are photos of Charles D. "Chuck" Byrne taken circa 1944.  After the war, he returned to Denver, Colorado where he met, courted, and married the one love of his live, Dorothy ("Dottie") Lewis.

He attended the University of Denver, then after his marriage went to work at Mountain Bell, as well as for his father who was a very successful electrician in Denver.

In the early 50's he worked for American Crystal Sugar company as their accountant.

Appointed by Denver Mayor Nicholson as Clerk and Recorder in 1958, this began a lifelong career of public service.

Further Biography courtesy of http://www.denvergov.org/Auditor/template18775.asp

Charles D. Byrne served as the seventeenth and the nineteenth Auditor for the City of Denver from 1963-1975 and from 1979-1983. He was born in Denver on March 24, 1926.

 After graduation from East High School, he enlisted in the Navy, serving in the Pacific Fleet during World War II.

 Returning to Denver, He attended the University of Denver, taking courses in accounting. Prior to his becoming involved in the public life of politics, he was employed by the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company from 1952-1955.

In 1957, Chuck Byrne began to wade in the political pond. President of The Young Republicans of Denver, he is credited with arranging to have the National Convention of Young republicans scheduled in Denver in 1959. In 1958, Mayor Will F. Nicholson appointed Mr. Byrne County Clerk and Recorder. The position held automatic membership on the Denver election Commission. He served in this capacity for two years until the end of 1959.

Citing issues such as revision of the state election laws and the reduction of taxes and expenditures, Mr. Byrne ran for and was elected to the State House of Representatives in 1960. I the election of 1962, he was re-elected to Representative. One responsibility in the Statehouse was Administrative Assistant to the Budget Director.

Vacating his seat in the Statehouse, Mr. Byrne ran, in 1963, for the Office of City Auditor. Winning the municipal election run-off in June of that year, Charles Byrne was elected as the seventeenth City Auditor. Re-elected to the Office of Auditor in 1967 and again in 1971, he was known for his running feuds involving the fiscal responsibility of Mayor's Tom Currigan and William H. Nichols, Jr., administrations, both of whom were Democrats.

In 1975, Mr. Byrne felt he was ready to make a move from Auditor to Mayor as Begole and as Currigan had done. Being the only Republican in the race for the Mayor's Office, he was an underdog from the beginning in a heavily Democratic Denver. Subsequently, Mr. Byrne failed to make the run-off election in which the then Mayor, McNichols, was re-elected over the late Dale Tooley.

Feeling the itch to be back in the public arena after a four-year absence, Mr. Byrne ran once again for the Office of City Auditor in 1979. During the campaign, he stresses his experience of the past three terms as well as the fact that he was credited for expanding, modernizing to the times, and computerizing the Auditor's Office. He was elected to his fourth term as City Auditor over John F. Dee. In 1983, he lost a bid for re-election to office by 97 votes to City Auditor, Mike Licht.

In January of 1986, Mr. Byrne became a Presidential Appointee as one of 10 Regional Advocates for the Small Business Administration.

On May 26, 1986, Mr. Byrne passed away while playing golf, one of his favorite pastimes. He is survived by his wife, the former Dorothy Lewis, and their six children.

His accomplishments and activities in addition to his work included membership in the Municipal Finance Officer's Association, The National Association of Accountants, The Advisory Committee on Governmental Accounting, and The Governor's Workmen's Compensation Advisory Committee. Mr. Byrne was also a member of the American Legion, the Kiwanis, the Denver Press Club, and the International Footprinters Association.

The Byrne Family Website

http://www.elvislive.com/Byrne%20Family.htm

Thanks to http://home.twcny.rr.com/cod324th/