The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established the direct election of United States senators in each state. The amendment supersedes Article I, Section 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures. It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate, allowing for state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election can be held.
The 1914 United States Senate elections, with the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913, was the first time that all seats up for election were popularly elected instead of chosen by their state legislatures. These elections occurred in the middle of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson's first term.
Henry Fountain Ashurst was an American Democratic politician and one of the first two Senators from Arizona. Largely self-educated, he served as a district attorney and member of the Arizona Territorial legislature before fulfilling his childhood ambition of joining the United States Senate. During his time in the Senate, Ashurst was chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs and the Judiciary Committee.
Marcus Aurelius "Mark" Smith was an American attorney and politician who served eight terms as Arizona Territorial Delegate to Congress and as one of the first two Senators from Arizona. As a Delegate, he was a leader in the effort to gain statehood for Arizona. His non-voting status, however, minimized his influence with only 35 of the 277 bills he introduced into the House of Representatives being signed into law. Lack of a voice in the United States Senate further weakened his efforts as he managed to get Arizona statehood bills passed by the House only to see the legislation blocked in the Senate. Beyond his efforts for statehood, Smith worked to have government buildings constructed and to provide relief to his constituents affected by either man-made or natural misfortunes. His efforts to provide relief to the citizens of Arizona did not however extend to the indigenous population for whom Smith expressed great animosity.
Ralph Henry Cameron was an American businessman, prospector and politician who served as both Arizona Territory's Delegate to Congress and as an Arizona United States Senator. As a Territorial delegate, he saw Arizona achieve statehood in 1912. Cameron's greatest achievement in the US Senate was authorization for the Coolidge Dam.
In the 1912–13 United States Senate elections, Democrats gained control of the Senate from the Republicans. Of the 32 seats up for election, 17 were won by Democrats, thereby gaining 4 seats from the Republicans. Two seats were unfilled by state legislators who failed to elect a new senator on time. They were the last Senate elections held before ratification of the 17th Amendment, which established direct elections for all seats in the Senate.
The 1910–11 United States Senate election, although the 17th Amendment was not passed until 1913, some states elected their senators directly before its passage. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to adopt measures reflecting the people's will. By 1912, as many as 29 states elected senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in conjunction with a general election.
The Arizona Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix.
Richard Elihu Sloan was an American jurist and politician, who served as Associate Justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona and as the 17th and final Governor of Arizona Territory. As an Associate Justice he served for 16 years, the longest service of any member of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court, and wrote over 150 legal opinions. As Governor he oversaw Arizona's transition from territory to statehood.
The 1932 United States Senate elections in Arizona took place on November 8, 1932. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Carl Hayden ran for reelection to a second term, again defeating his 1926 challenger former U.S. Senator Ralph H. Cameron in the general election.
Mulford Winsor was an American newspaperman and politician active in Arizona.
The 16th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session began on January 19, 1891.
The 17th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from February 13 through April 13, 1893.
The 1934 United States Senate elections in Arizona took place on November 3, 1934. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Henry F. Ashurst ran for reelection to a fifth term, defeating Republican nominee Joseph Edward Thompson in the general election by a wide margin.
The 1940 United States Senate elections in Arizona took place on November 5, 1940. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Henry F. Ashurst ran for reelection to a sixth term, but was defeated in the Democratic primary to challenger Ernest McFarland.
The 1920 United States Senate elections in Arizona took place on November 2, 1920. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Marcus A. Smith ran for reelection to a third term, but was defeated by former Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Arizona Territory Ralph H. Cameron in the general election. Cameron would become the first Republican elected to the office of U.S. Senator from Arizona since the state joined the union in 1912. The same year, Republican Governor Thomas Edward Campbell was reelected to a second term.
The 1928 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1928. Despite a fairly poor economy, a 15-point loss by Al Smith for the Arizona electoral votes, and having served for nearly 6 full terms, Hunt only narrowly lost the general election. Other state Democrats like Senator Ashurst and Representative Douglas both won re-election. John C. Phillips became the second Republican to serve as Arizona Governor, and the first to beat Hunt in a general election.
The 25th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was the final session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature. The session convened in Phoenix, Arizona, and ran from January 18 till March 18, 1909. Its actions include the creation of Greenlee County, establishing the Arizona Pioneers' Home, and requiring primary elections.
The 1916 United States Senate elections in Arizona took place on November 7, 1916. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Henry F. Ashurst ran for reelection to a second term, defeating Republican former Territorial Governor Joseph H. Kibbey in the general election by a comfortable margin.
