Kit Carson

Carl Beverly “Bev” Bledsoe, Rancher/Speaker of the House
Graduated from Kit Carson High School

Carl “Bev” Bledsoe served was the longest-serving Speaker of the House of Representatives in Colorado. He was born Oct. 6, 1923 in Aroya in Cheyenne County, and graduated from Kit Carson High School. He attended the University of Colorado before joining the Army in 1942. When he got out in 1945, he enrolled at Colorado State University where he got a degree in animal husbandry.

Carl was a long-time rancher in Hugo, and was known as a tough, but honest advocate for rural Northeast Colorado. He was first elected to the House in 1972 and became speaker in 1981.

Carl is being honored posthumously for his great achievements and representing our region as an outstanding alumni of Northeast Colorado.