Stapleton, Denver the A Line. The original airport was named for Benjamin Franklin Stapleton (November 12, 1869 – May 23, 1950) who was the Mayor of Denver for two periods (comprising five terms), the first from 1923 to 1931 and the second from 1935 to 1947. He also served as a high-ranking member of the Ku Klux Klan and the Democratic Colorado State Auditor from 1933 to 1935. Today, the Stapleton neighborhood continues to bear his name despite increasing political pressure to rename it due to Benjamin Stapleton's adherence to white supremacy and membership in the Ku Klux Klan. Stapleton, Denver Stapleton
Stapleton International Airport operated nonstop service between Denver and London from 1981 to 1982, but thereafter shifted resources to Salt Lake City and Los Angeles; Denver ceased to be a Western hub by the time Delta acquired Western in 1987. Southwest Airlines and People Express tried low-cost service to Denver in the mid-1980s, but Southwest withdrew and People Express was acquired by Continental. In September 1982 the first revenue flight of the Boeing 767 arrived at Stapleton, a United flight from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. During the energy boom of the early 1980s, several skyscrapers were built in downtown Denver, including Republic