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 Stapleton Airfield in 1944, in honor of Mayor Stapleton. Stapleton's modern horseshoe-shaped terminal design was first announced in 1946 and promptly shelved by incoming mayor James Newton. The original administration building was extended with new wings in the early 1950s, and replaced entirely in 1954. By the early 1950s, the airport was served by five major airlines. United connected Denver to both coasts, with multi-stop routes extending to Boston, New York and Washington in the east, to major cities on the West Coast, and to Honolulu. Braniff operated routes from Denver to Texas, with connections to South America. Continental connected