Star Berton Caywood (October 6, 1915 – July 19, 1968) was a Democratic member of the Colorado House of Representatives. He served two complete two-year terms and part of a third term in the State House, serving from 1963 until his death in 1968.

Star Caywood
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 24th district
In office
January 11, 1967 – July 19, 1968
Preceded byM. Keith Singer
Succeeded byVirla Caywood
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the 63rd district
In office
January 1965 – January 1967
Preceded byDistrict established
Succeeded byClarence Quinlan
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives
from the Huerfano County district
In office
January 1963 – January 1965
Preceded byAlbert J. Tomsic
Succeeded byDistrict disestablished
Personal details
Born
Star Berton Caywood

(1915-10-06)October 6, 1915
Salida, Colorado
DiedJuly 19, 1968(1968-07-19) (aged 52)
Walsenburg, Colorado
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseVirla Ruth Caywood (née Smallwood)
ChildrenNone
ResidenceWalsenburg, Colorado
ProfessionAbstractor
Insurance agent
Real estate agent
[1][2]

Early life and career

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Caywood was born in Salida, Colorado in 1915. He attended the University of Denver but did not graduate. During World War II, he enlisted in the United States Army on October 26, 1943, and joined the 185th Replacement Company. He was stationed in the South Pacific, eventually became a staff sergeant, and was discharged on January 13, 1946.[2][1]

Following the war, he moved to Walsenburg, Colorado, U.S. and worked as an abstractor, an insurance agent, and a real estate broker. In 1950, he was elected to the Walsenburg City Council.[2][3][4]

Elections

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Caywood was first elected as a state representative in 1962 and was sworn in in January 1963. At the time, state representative districts were by county; he represented Huerfano County. He was re-elected in 1964, when the state established numbered districts for state representatives — districts not based on county boundaries. Caywood represented District 63 from 1965 to 1967. In 1966, he was elected to represent District 24 and began his final term in January 1967.[4]

Personal life

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Caywood married Virla Ruth Smallwood in 1940. They had no children together, but she had a son from a previous relationship.[2]

Death

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Caywood died in a boating accident on July 19, 1968. The accident occurred on Lake Martin in what is now Lathrop State Park, west of Walsenburg. Fishing with his wife and a friend in a small boat, Caywood drowned after the boat overturned in heavy winds. He tried swimming to shore but then turned around and began heading back to the boat when he went under. Pueblo Police Department divers found his body the next morning.[5][2]

State House succession

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Following Caywood's death, a Democratic Party vacancy committee selected his wife, Virla Caywood, to fill out the remainder of his term. The committee chose Alamosa resident George W. Woodard to replace Caywood as a candidate in the fall 1968 statehouse elections.[6][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Draft card for Star Berton Caywood on Ancestry.com accessed using The Wikipedia Library
  2. ^ a b c d e f Osterdahl, Andy (September 8, 2014). "Starr Wenzel Gruner (1878-1951), Starr Holmes Beatty (1872-1946), Star Berton Caywood (1915-1968)". The Strangest Names In American Political History. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  3. ^ Application for headstone or marker form for Star Berton Caywood (DD form 1330) dated September 19, 1968, on the Ancestry.com website accessed using The Wikipedia Library
  4. ^ a b "Star Caywood (D)". Colorado Secretary of State. n.d. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  5. ^ "State representative drowns in Walsenburg boat mishap". The Daily Sentinel. Vol. 75, no. 244. Grand Junction, Colorado. July 20, 1968. p. 1.
  6. ^ "Two named". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Vol. 95, no. 78. Fort Collins, Colorado. July 28, 1968. p. 2.
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