Henry Moore Teller

Seeing opportunity in gold mining camps, Henry Teller (1830–1914) headed West and opened a law practice in Colorado in 1861. He became major general of Colorado's territorial militia, president of the Colorado Central Railroad, and ultimately—upon Colorado statehood in 1876—one of the state's first two senators. President Arthur's selection of Teller as his secretary of the Interior in 1882 represented the first presidential Cabinet member to come out of a truly western state. Teller opposed creating national forests or parks and increased federal land for settlement and logging. He defended Indian land rights and reformed Indian schools to include vocational training. Teller left the Department when President Cleveland was elected and went on to serve four more terms in the U.S. Senate.