Established in 1924 with an original endowment of $1.3 million, the A.V. Hunter Trust is Colorado’s oldest private foundation. Since inception, the Trust has provided $91 million in grant funding throughout the state.
About Absalom Valentine (A.V.) Hunter
Absalom Valentine Hunter was born on November 24, 1846, in Lincoln County, Missouri. He was drawn to the west as a young man and, after trying cattle ranching for a short time, he established himself as a banker in Colorado Springs.
In 1878, the mining boom was in full swing in Oro City, now known as Leadville, when 32 year old A.V. Hunter moved in to establish the town’s very first bank.
In 1911, at age 65, Mr. Hunter and his wife Estelle left their Leadville home and moved to Denver, where he assumed the presidency of the First National Bank.
Between banking and keen investing, Hunter amassed a fortune. When he died in 1924, his estate of $2.6 million was reputed to be the largest ever recorded in the state of Colorado. A.V. Hunter was a true Colorado pioneer. He exemplified the American Dream — starting with nothing, building businesses from the ground up, and becoming a self-made millionaire. A century later, A.V. Hunter’s commitment to helping those less fortunate continues to improve the lives of Coloradans.
“To give aid, comfort, support, or assistance…”
