Arizona Territorial Legislature | |||||
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Overview | |||||
Legislative body | Arizona Territorial Legislature | ||||
Jurisdiction | Arizona Territory, United States | ||||
Council | |||||
Members | 12 | ||||
House of Representatives | |||||
Members | 24 |
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. [1] Its actions include the creation of Greenlee County, establishing the Arizona Pioneers' Home, and requiring primary elections.
Arizona was still seeking statehood. After years of electing a Democrat as the territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress, feelings in the territory were that a Republican could have better results achieving statehood in a Republican controlled Congress. This sentiment helped Ralph H. Cameron defeat long term territorial Delegate Mark Smith. [2]
President Theodore Roosevelt renominated Governor Joseph Henry Kibbey for a second term on December 16, 1908. [3] Mining interests and other political opponents delayed confirmation until after Roosevelt left office. [4] When President William Howard Taft took office, he decided to appoint Richard Elihu Sloan and as a result Kibbey left office on May 1, 1909. [3]
The session ran from January 18 till March 18, 1909. [1] It passed 107 bills into law. [5]
Governor Kibbey gave his address to the session during the afternoon of January 19, 1909. [3] The lengthy speech dealt with generalities and descriptive principles but gave few specific recommendations. [1] The governor was pleased with the financial position and economic development of the territory and its roughly 200,000 residents. While he deferred asking for additional reforms in the area of mine taxation till a state legislature could be convened, Kibbey asked for establishment of a territorial railroad commission to work with the Interstate Commerce Commission. [5] Additionally, the governor expressed his view that this would be the final session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature. [1]
The 25th legislature proved to be highly partisan with the Democratic controlled session opposing many of their Republican governor's efforts. [6] The session overrode vetoes to bills eliminating the position of Territorial Examiner and creating a literacy test for all Arizona voters [upper-alpha 1] Another veto override abolished the Arizona Rangers. In their place each county sheriff was authorized a limited number of "ranger deputies". [8] The final key veto override involved a bill authorizing territorial schools to segregate "African" students. [9]
In other business, the session created Greenlee County from eastern Graham County [7] As part of the compromise for creating the county, the mines in the Clifton and Morenci mining districts assumed responsibility for paying off Graham County's debt. [8] A railroad commission and the office of territorial historian were established. [7] The office of territorial engineer was also created with responsibility for the construction and improvement of bridges and roads within Arizona. [8] Authorization to establish the Arizona Pioneers' Home was likewise passed. [7] The session modified territorial election laws to require use of primary elections. Finally, the legislature established February 12 as a legal holiday in honor of Abraham Lincoln's 100th birthday. [7]
Mulford Winsor, the person who first recommended creation of the position, was appointed territorial historian by Governor Kibbey. [10] He retained the position till October 1909 when he was replaced by Sharlot Hall. [10] [11] With the coming of statehood, the Territorial Railroad Commission was succeeded by the Arizona Corporation Commission. [5]
The legislation authorizing statehood for Arizona was signed into law on June 20, 1910. [12] The enabling act held a provision that prevented elections after the 1908 election from being held under territorial law. [13] This resulted in the legislative session scheduled for January 1911 being cancelled. [14] This was done because it was assumed at the time of the act's passage that a state legislature would meet in 1911. Governor Sloan also had the authority to call the 25th legislature back into session. Instead of calling the territorial legislature back as final approval for statehood was delayed, the governor used another provision in the enabling act to levy taxes and authorize needed appropriations. [15]
House of Representatives [16] | ||||
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Name | County | Name | County | |
Neill E. Bailey | Cochise | Phil C. Merrill | Graham | |
G. A. Bray | Yavapai | Kirke T. Moore | Pima | |
J. B. Bourne | Pinal | George D. Morris | Yavapai | |
T. J. Coalter | Coconino | W. W. Pace | Graham | |
Frank DeSouza | Maricopa | Joseph Peterson | Navajo | |
John Doan | Pima | J. C. Reed | Maricopa | |
Frank J. Duffy | Santa Cruz | Oscar W. Roberts | Cochise | |
J. S. Gibbons | Apache | C. L. Shaw | Pinal | |
Perry Hall | Yavapai | Fred A. Sutter | Cochise | |
R. A. Hightower | Yuma | S. W. Tobey | Mohave | |
William J. Hogwood | Pima | Sam F. Webb (Speaker) | Maricopa | |
John McCormick | Gila | J. W. Woolf | Maricopa |
Council [16] | |
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Name | County |
Fred Sylvester Breen | Coconino |
Michael G. Burns | Yavapai |
Kean St. Charles | Mohave |
S. E. Day | Apache |
James B. Finley | Pima and Santa Cruz |
Ben Goodrich | Cochise |
John R. Hampton | Graham |
George W. P. Hunt (President) | Gila |
William J. Morgan | Navajo |
George W. Norton | Yuma |
Eugene B. O'Neill | Maricopa |
Thomas F. Weedin | Pinal |
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.
Joseph Henry Kibbey was an American attorney who served as Associate Justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court from 1889 to 1893 and Governor of Arizona Territory from 1905 to 1909. His legal career is most remembered for his efforts in the area of water law, his key legal contributions being the "Kibbey Decision", a legal ruling establishing the principle that "water belongs to the land", and creation of the legal framework for the Salt River Valley Water User's Association, a model for federal water projects in the American West. As governor, Kibbey was a leader in the effort to prevent Arizona and New Mexico territories from being combined into a single U.S. state.
The 15th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which began on January 21, 1889, in Prescott, Arizona, moved to Phoenix on February 7 and did not adjourn till April 11. The session is known as the "Hold-over Legislature" due to the Republican majority extending the length of the session past the sixty-day limit prescribed by law.
The 5th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which met from November 10, 1868, to December 16, 1868, in Tucson, Arizona Territory. It was the last of the annual legislative sessions.
The 7th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened on January 6, 1873, in Tucson, Arizona Territory.
The 9th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened on January 1, 1877, in Tucson, Arizona Territory. It passed 79 statutes and adopted the Hoyt Code as the basis of the Territory's legal system.
The 8th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened from January 4, 1875, till February 12, 1875, in Tucson, Arizona Territory.
The 10th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened on January 6, 1879, in Prescott, Arizona Territory. The session was the last to be composed of nine Council members and eighteen members of the House of Representatives.
The 11th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened on January 3, 1881, in Prescott, Arizona Territory.
The 14th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Prescott, Arizona. The session ran from January 10, 1887, till March 10, 1887.
Mulford Winsor was an American newspaperman and politician active in Arizona.
The 18th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which met in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from January 21 to March 21, 1895. Due to the abrupt manner in which the session ended, none of the usual appropriations bills were passed by the legislature.
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 19th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session began on January 18, 1897, and ended on March 18, 1897.
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 20th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from January 16, 1899, to March 16, 1899.
The 21st Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from January 21, 1901, till March 21, 1901. It was the first session of the territorial legislature to meet in the territorial capital building and overrode more vetoes than any other session.
The 23rd Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The session ran from January 16, 1905, till March 16, 1905.
The 22nd Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from January 19, 1903, until March 19, 1903.
The 24th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from January 21, 1907, till March 21, 1907.