William R. Beatty served as Denver's First Auditor from 1884 to 1885. Born in Xenia, Ohio in 1837, Beatty came west with a team of surveyors and settled in Denver at the age of 21. During the Civil War, he was a member of the 1st Colorado Cavalry.
Prior to becoming the City's first Auditor, Mr. Beatty served as an election judge in the spring of 1870, and ran for Mayor of Denver in 1874 as an Independent. His normal party affiliation was Republican. His party selected him Republican Committeeman in 1881. Unofficially, as a member of the volunteer fire department, Mr. Beatty's concern for the City's welfare led him to petition City Council to put in a fire hydrant on the corner of 21st and California Streets.
In April of 1879, William R. Beatty was selected as one of the directors of the Loan Association. A prominent member of the Colorado Pioneer Society, Mr. Beatty served two terms as its president. Mr. Beatty was given the honor, for many years, to decorate the pioneer stature in front of the Capitol each Memorial Day holiday.
In his later years, Mr. Beatty remained a generous, energetic man. He took great pride in growing a garden and distributing flowers and vegetables among his neighbors on Grant Street.
Mr. Beatty, in 1871, had married the woman with whom he was to spend the next 50 years. The Beattys had two children, a boy and a girl. In 1921, he and his wife celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at their son's home. Later that year, William R. Beatty died at his home at the age of 84.