George W. Draper was born in New York City in 1844 and lived there until he was eight. At that time the Draper family moved to Illinois. Young George lived there until he was sixteen years old. By then Draper was ready for a change; he crossed the mighty Missouri River and headed for Wyoming Territory. Draper was elected to the territorial legislature in 1877. His description was printed in the newspaper, as was that of all legislators at the time. It read: "5' 10" tall, 160 pounds, blue eyes, brown hair and a drooping mustache." In the 1878 election, Draper ran for sheriff of Laramie County and won with 1,074 votes to his opponent's 1,068 votes. The ballot was so close that a contest case was started in court, but it was finally abandoned, and the vote was left as it was originally tallied.
Information obtained from Wyoming Territorial Sheriff's, by Ann Gorzalka.