Guggenheim, Simon, 1867-1941

John Simon Guggenheim (December 30, 1867 – November 2, 1941) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate from 1907 to 1913.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he attended Central High School and the Peirce School of Business Administration before settling in Pueblo, Colorado, where he worked as the chief ore buyer for his father's mining and smelting operation, M. Guggenheim's Sons. Guggenheim moved to Denver in 1892; he was the Republican candidate for Governor of Colorado early in the 1898 campaign but withdrew after riots broke out at the State Convention in Colorado Springs. In 1907, Simon Guggenheim was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate, representing Colorado from 1907 to 1913. During his term in the Senate, he chaired the Committee to Establish a University of the United States, and the Committee on the Philippines. While in Congress, one of his older brothers, Benjamin Guggenheim, died in the RMS Titanic catastrophe. After his term expired, he and his wife moved to New York City.

In New York, Guggenheim joined the board of American Smelting and Refining Company, later becoming the board chairman. From 1919 to 1941 he was president of that company. He died in 1941 and was interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York.