Fred D. Stackhouse, C.P.A. served as Denver's thirteenth city auditor from 1917 - 1921. He was born in Rensselaer, Indiana on January 10, 1864. He grew up in Indiana, receiving his education at local schools. For a time he worked for an Indiana railroad. At the age of 23, in 1887, he married his wife Alice. The Stackhouses had five children, 2 boys and 3 girls. In 1891, the Stackhouses came to Denver and settled permanently in the city.
For the first few years, Mr. Stackhouse worked for Denver Rio Grand Railroad Company and the Colorado Fuel Company. He served in that position until 1909. During his time at Holly Sugar, he dispersed more than $6,000,000 for the company. Afterward, he practiced accounting as a Certified Public Accountant. Serving as Secretary in 1914 and 1915 to Mayor Perkins in City Hall is what prompted him to enter the public arena in 1917 when he ran for Office of City Auditor. He was elected and served his full four years. During this time, he approved appropriations of more than $6,000,000 for total improvements and signed warrants for more than $12,000,000. This does not include the more than $13,000,000 worth of water bonds he endorsed at the time the City bought the Denver Union Water Company in 1918.
Being no stranger to handling large sums of money, Mr. Stackhouse was named Auditor of the Republican Party in 1924 to supervise the distribution funds. He was again giving the position in 1928 for the duration of that years campaign. During these two campaigns, Mr. Stackhouse signed checks totaling $9,000,000. He was named district court clerk and served in that position until 1937. During this period, in 1937 he took a short leave of absence to become the Auditor of the Republican Party for the third time. He continued to serve as Auditor of Republican Party in many presidential elections. Following his service as Court Clerk, Mr. Stackhouse resumed his public accounting practice.
On March 2, 1937, the Stackhouses celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at their home on Eleventh Ave. He died in late December 1944 at the age of 80 years. He had been a member of the Lions Club, the Colorado CPA Society, and the Teller Masonic Lodge.