History of VFW Post 1
VFW Post 1, located in Denver, Colorado, holds the distinction of being the oldest Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post in continuous existence. It was originally founded in 1899 by veterans of the First Colorado Volunteers, who had returned from service in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. These veterans served under the command of General Irving Hale. The first official meeting of what would eventually become VFW Post 1 took place on December 1, 1899, in the Colorado State Capitol. This gathering marked the beginning of a movement dedicated to securing benefits, recognition, and support for American veterans who had served in overseas conflicts. From these early efforts, the group formed the Colorado Society, Army of the Philippines—an organization established to honor and support those who had served in that campaign. On August 13, 1900, the second anniversary of the capture of Manila, the Colorado Society convened with other members of the 8th Army Corps for the first national encampment. During this gathering in Denver, Colorado, they founded the National Society, Army of the Philippines. The Colorado chapter formed Camp No. 1, John S. Stewart, named in honor of a fallen comrade. This camp would become the first of its kind—a local unit or "post" specifically for overseas war veterans—laying the groundwork for what would later become VFW posts across the country. In August 1913, during another gathering in Denver, the National Society, Army of the Philippines merged with another organization: the American Veterans of Foreign Service, based in Ohio. This unification created a larger, more unified body representing overseas veterans, which eventually evolved into the national organization known today as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW). Since its founding in 1899, VFW Post 1 has held monthly meetings without interruption. Over the decades, it has transformed into a modern VFW post that continues to serve veterans from all generations and eras of American military service. Its legacy as the founding post of the VFW reflects more than a century of advocacy, camaraderie, and commitment to those who served abroad.
List of Past Post Commanders
Irving Hale 1899-1910 Chas. E. Burkhard 1900 Frank E. Kidd 1901 George M. Post 1902 Rice F. Means 1903 Charels Anderson 1904 Ben F. Stapleton 1905-06 William S. Watson 1907 W.R. Steman 1908 A.W. Davidson1909-15 Charles B. Lewis 1911 Robert F. Reed 1912-13 R.H. Ingersoll1914 I.W. Wikler 1915-16 Chas A.C. Seeman 1917 A. Macd. Brooks 1918 Harry Osborne 1919 J.O. Adams 1920 William E. Guthner 1921 R.A. Freygang 1922 Amos B. Clark 1923 Harry Hegwer 1924 Thomas Rowbotham 1925 Ed F. Murr 1926 Joseph W. Lefever 1927 Emil Madsen 1928 Orville Anderson 1929 James H. Curry 1930 Fred F. Thompson 1931 Walter A. Soule 1932 Floyd A. Crowfoot 1933 Authur J. Becker 1934 Joseph E. Cook 1935 George Cassidy 1936 William O. Babbitt 1937 Clyde E. Hill 1938 Tim Carnaham 1939 John J. Snyder 1939-1940 August E. Vuillot 1940-1941 Alfred H. Ayers 1941-1942 Dr. L.R. Plaugher 1942-1943 T. Logan Waggoner 1943-1944 L.E. McKenzie 1944-1945 Frank Hardy 1945-1946 Edward E. Goshen 1946-1947 John J. Sullivan 1947-1948 Walter C. Emery 1948-1949 Thayer Hilton-Howard 1949-1950 Ben Harmen 1950-1951 Sam H. Berry 1951-1952 Ben Stapleton Jr. 1952-1953 Dan Perry 1953-1954 Ted Nideen 1954-1955 Chas. G. Phillips 1955-1956 John R. Williams 1956-1957 James R. Walker 1957-1958 Robert L. Kreuzer 1958-1959 Donald C. Lee 1959-1960 Donald A. Nikkel 1960-1962 John F. Tyson 1962-1963 Charles E. Ellis 1963-1964 Glenn F. Burger 1964-1965 Russel G. Rozek 1965-1966 William C. Carson 1966-1967 Arthur W. Burress 1967-1968 Joseph P. Vonfeldt 1968-1969 Alfred T. Vonfelot 1969-1970 A.J. “Bud” Zajicek 1970-1971 Chas. J. Arnbrecht Jr. 1971-1972 Keintly C. Allan 1972-1973 Robert A. Lehmann 1973-1974 William E. Hanley 1974-1975 Earl E. Yates 1975-1976 Edwin D. Caywood 1976-1977 Ralph K. Bray 1977-1978 Walter T. Glasmann 1978-1979 Raymond H. Starkey 1979-1980 James A. Bovito 1980-1981 Frank L. Bartlett 1981-1982 Charles W. Sparks 1982-1983 Ralph G. Manning 1983-1984 Donald L. Wright 1984-1985 Norval W. Moore 1985-1986 James R. Wallace 1986-1987 Perry S. Cook 1987-1988 Gerold R. Rhoades 1988-1989 Robert W. Bakke 1989-1990 Glenn A. Rotkovich 1990-1991 Douglas Murray 1991-1992 Thomas Mitchell 1992-1993 John Holland 1993-1994 James R. Miller 1994-1995 John Holland 1995-1996 Christine Yurgert 1996-1997 Richard E. Siegwart 1997-1998 Michael L. Wolfe 1998-2000 Ronald Reagon 2000-2002 A. N.---- 2002-2003 George Caulkins 2003-2008 Izzy Abbass 2008-2013 Michael Mitchel 2013-2016 John Harry 2016-2018 John Keene 2018-2021 Jim Stevens 2021-2023 Brittany Bartges 2023-2024 Jesse Eastburn 2024-2025 David Bigelow 2025-Present
List of Past Auxiliary Presidents
* Alice M. Walker 1914 to 1915 * Pearl Hartung 1915 to 1916 * Alice M. Walker 1916 to 1917 * Emma Killius 1917 to 1918 * Carrie Hartung 1918 to 1920 * Vassie Ingersol 1921 to 1922 * Hattie Gunther 1922 to 1924 * Alice Walker 1924 to 1925 * Elizabeth Anderson 1925 to 1927 * Vassie Ingersol 1927 to 1928 * Loretta Daugherty 1928 to 1929 * Gladys Fischer 1929 to 1930 * Mary Finkenauer 1930 to 1930 * Blanche Scott 1930 to 1931 * Belle Heberling 1931 to 1932 * Anna Curry 1932 to 1933 * Alyce Guthner 1933 to 1934 Agnes Messenger 1934 to 1935 * Alma Crombie 1935 to 1936 * Elizabeth Findley 1936 to 1937 Mary Holmberg 1937 to 1939 Marguerite Shinabargar 1939 to 1940 Marjorie Beckenbaugh 1940 to 1941 * Phronie Ireland 1941 to 1942 * Georgia Pals 1942 to 1943 * Leah Sparks 1943 to 1944 * Marie Crane 1944 to 1945 * Edith Woods 1945 to 1946 Lydia Colfer 1946 to 1947 * Mary Feeley 1947 to 1948 * Lela Neff 1948 to 1949 Velma Echternacht 1949 to 1950 * Esther Meyer 1950 to 1951 * Agnes Hoop 1951 to 1952 Alice Miner 1952 to 1953 Beulah Sobiella 1953 to 1954 Velva Seager 1954 to 1955 * Edith Matoon 1955 to 1956 Elizabeth Peery 1956 to 1957 Dorothy Marshall 1957 to 1958 Coriene Jones 1958 to 1959 * Ruth Kreuzer 1959 to 1960 Elizabeth Martin 1961 to 1962 * Mary Plamondon 1962 to 1963 * Marie Cater 1963 to 1964 Alvina Merrettig 1964 to 1965 * Alice Rozek 1965 to 1966 Vernie O’Grady 1966 to 1967 Dorothy Burress 1967 to 1968 * Peggy Gentry 1968 to 1969 Leah Lotz 1969 to 1970 Helen Zajicek 1970 to 1971 Annie Boyd 1971 to 1972 Ann Vonfeldt June 1972-June 1973 Wilma Nikkel June 1973-June 1974 Margaret Conway June 1974-June 1975 Rose Garibaldi 1975 to 1976 Phyllis Caywood Hennesy 1976 to 1977 Marie Bray 1977 to 1978 Otillia Yates 1978 to 1979 Dorothy McKelvey 1979 to 1980 Eileen Bonito 1980 to 1981 Betty Gemmecke 1981 to 1982 Audrey Goldfuss 1982 to 1983 Lois Clayton 1983 to 1984 Marie Stone 1984 to 1985 Margarett Moore 1985 to 1986 * Charlotte Bartlett 1987 to 1988 Gloria Rhoads 1988 to 1989 Diana Mulligan 1989 to 1990 * Dorothy Wright 1990 to 1991 Cheryl Rotkovich 1991 to 1992 Isabella Rendon 1992 to 1993 * Linda Croak 1993 to 1994 Connie Wright 1994 to 1995 * Dorothy Wright 1995 to 1996 * Betty Gemmecke 1996 to 1997 * Muriel Siegwart 1997 to 1998 * Lorraine Hebestreit 1998 to 1999 * Muriel Siegeart 2000 to 2002 Laurie Rowley 2002 to 2003 Laurie Lawrence 2003 to 2009 Eryth Zecher 2009 to 2010 Marsha Harrison 2010 to 2024 Elizabeth Wybenga 2024 to Present
Fairmount Cemetery in Denver Colorado is home to the Dead members of VFW Post 1, Post Members, only Post 1 members in good standing are allowed to be buried here, in 2021 the Post included, Members of it's Auxiliary the same honor.
In the Colorado State Capital, this Plaque was erected by the VFW Denver County Council on the 25th Anniversary of VFW Post 1, Dec 1st 1924
Visit the Post 1, History Exhibits in VFW Post 1