Former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm dies at 85

Former Colorado Democratic Gov. Richard “Dick” Lamm has died. He was 85. Lamm passed away late Thursday following complications from a pulmonary embolism suffered this week, his wife, Dottie Lamm, said in a statement issued Friday.

Lamm served three terms as governor from 1975 to 1987. As a state lawmaker and environmental activist, he campaigned against having Denver host the 1976 games, arguing it would damage the environment and cost the state. Colorado voters rejected spending state funds on the Games, and they were relocated to Innsbruck, Austria. Denver voters later passed an initiative requiring voter approval for any future Olympic Games.

Lamm’s legacy includes a landmark abortion rights law and state ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972. He also appointed the first woman to the state’s Supreme Court.

Lamm was born on Aug. 3, 1935, in Madison, Wisconsin. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a law degree from University of California, Berkeley. He also served in the U.S. Army. In 1962 he became an attorney for the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission, and from 1965-1974 had his own law practice.

He and his wife, Dottie, married in 1963. Dottie Lamm is a women’s rights activist and a former Denver Post columnist.

https://apnews.com/article/colorado-governor-richard-lamm-dies-112908995cfa55a945772c844dc941b1