Arthur J. Hubbard Sr.

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Arthur J. Hubbard Sr.
Born(1912-01-23)January 23, 1912
DiedFebruary 7, 2014(2014-02-07) (aged 102)

Arthur J. Hubbard Sr. (January 23, 1912 – February 7, 2014) was an American state senator from Arizona, who served as a Navajo Code Talker instructor in World War II. [1]

Life

Hubbard was born in 1912 on the Tohono O'odham Nation in Topawa, Arizona Territory, on January 23, 1912, [1] [2] about three weeks before Arizona became a state. [3] He grew up in Ganado, Arizona, which is part of the Navajo Nation, and studied at the University of Arizona. He was the leader of a Navajo tribal band, as a trombone player and singer. [1]

From 1939 to 1945 Hubbard voluntarily served in the U. S. Marine Corps. [2] [4] During World War II, he was a Navajo Code Talker instructor [1] training over 200 men to transmit coded messages using the Navajo language. [3] [4] After his military duties, the then Governor Jack Williams appointed him Director of Indian Development District of Arizona. [4] In 1972 he became state senator in Arizona, serving for 12 years until 1984. [2] This made him the first Native American senator in the Arizona State Legislature. [1] [2] [3] [4] His other work includes serving as a water rights advisor to the Tohono O'odham Nation, and as a Navajo culture and language instructor at Arizona State University. He also played an important part in the establishment of Diné College (originally known as Navajo Community College), which was the first college established within the Navajo Nation. [3]

Hubbard was inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame and the Arizona Democratic Party Hall of Fame. [1] He received the Navajo Code Talker Congressional Silver Medal in 2000. [4] He died at age 102 on February 7, 2014, in Phoenix, Arizona. [2] [4] On his death, flags across the Navajo Nation were flown at half-staff in his honor. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Code talker</span> Military personnel using their native languages for secret wartime communication

A code talker was a person employed by the military during wartime to use a little-known language as a means of secret communication. The term is most often used for United States service members during the World Wars who used their knowledge of Native American languages as a basis to transmit coded messages. In particular, there were approximately 400 to 500 Native Americans in the United States Marine Corps whose primary job was to transmit secret tactical messages. Code talkers transmitted messages over military telephone or radio communications nets using formally or informally developed codes built upon their Indigenous languages. The code talkers improved the speed of encryption and decryption of communications in front line operations during World War II and are credited with some decisive victories. Their code was never broken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tohono Oʼodham</span> Native American people of the Sonoran Desert

The Tohono Oʼodham are a Native American people of the Sonoran Desert, residing primarily in the U.S. state of Arizona and the northern Mexican state of Sonora. The United States federally recognized tribe is the Tohono Oʼodham Nation. The Ak-Chin Indian Community also has Tohono Oʼodham members.

Indigenous peoples of Arizona are the Native American people who currently live or have historically lived in what is now the state of Arizona. There are 22 federally recognized tribes in Arizona, including 17 with reservations that lie entirely within its borders. Reservations make up over a quarter of the state's land area. Arizona has the third largest Native American population of any U.S. state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baboquivari Peak Wilderness</span> Protected area in Pima County, Arizona

The Baboquivari Peak Wilderness or La Bestia is a 2,065-acre (8 km2) wilderness area in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is located in the Baboquivari Mountains 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Tucson, Arizona. It is administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The United States Congress designated the Baboquivari Peak Wilderness in 1990. It is the smallest such designated wilderness in the state of Arizona. Today, the 2,900,000-acre (12,000 km2) Tohono O'odham Nation lies to the west. Baboquivari Peak's elevation is 7,730 feet. It is a popular site for many climbers, tourists and other visitors to Arizona and can be seen in the distance from the Kitt Peak National Observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter MacDonald (Navajo leader)</span> Native American politician (born December 16, 1928)

Peter MacDonald is a Native American politician and the only four term Chairman of the Navajo Nation. MacDonald was born in Arizona, U.S. and served the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II as a Navajo Code Talker. He was first elected Navajo Tribal Chairman in 1970.

Merril L.Sandoval was an American Navajo World War II veteran and a member of the Navajo Code Talkers, a group of United States Marines who transmitted important messages in their native Navajo language in order to stop the Japanese from intercepting sensitive material. Sandoval took part in every Marine landing in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II from 1943 until 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tohono Oʼodham Nation</span> Indian reservation in Tohono Oʼodham, United States

The Tohono Oʼodham Nation is the collective government body of the Tohono Oʼodham tribe in the United States. The Tohono Oʼodham Nation governs four separate sections of land with a combined area of 2.8 million acres (11,330 km2), approximately the size of Connecticut and the second-largest Indigenous land holding in the United States. These lands are in the Sonoran Desert of south central Arizona and border the Mexico–United States border for 74 miles (119 km). The Nation is organized into 11 local districts and has a tripartite system of government. Sells is the Nation's largest community and functions as its capital. The Nation has about 34,000 enrolled members, most of whom live off of the reservations.

Frank Tsosie Thompson was an American Navajo code talker in the United States Marines during World War II.

Jerry ClasChee Begay Sr. was an American World War II veteran and a member of the Navajo Code Talkers.

Thomas Claw was an American Navajo Code Talker during World War II. He served with the 1st Marine Division throughout the Pacific theater during the war.

Allen Dale June was an American veteran of World War II. June was one of the 29 original Navajo code talkers who served in the United States Marine Corps during the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Norris Jr.</span> Chairman of the Tohono Oodham

Ned Norris Jr. is chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation of southern Arizona. He previously held the office for two consecutive terms from 2007 to 2015, and was returned to the office in 2019. Norris previously worked as the director of marketing and public relations for the O'odham Gaming Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Morris Sr.</span> World War II Navajo code talker (1926–2011)


Joe Morris Sr. was an American World War II United States Marine veteran and Navajo code talker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Chee Willeto</span> American politician and Navajo code talker (1925–2012)

Frank Chee Willeto was an American politician and Navajo code talker during World War II. Willeto served as the vice president of the Navajo Nation under President Milton Bluehouse, Sr. from his appointment in August 1998 until January 1999, when the Begaye administration took office.

Augustine Baptisto Lopez, Sr. was the tribal chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Nez</span> American World War II veteran (1921–2014)

Chester Nez was an American veteran of World War II. He was the last surviving original Navajo code talker who served in the United States Marine Corps during the war.

Joe Hosteen Kellwood was a United States Marine, best known for serving as a Navajo code talker during World War II.

Fleming Begaye Sr. was a Navajo code talker during World War II. He was born in Red Valley, Arizona, was a member of the Navajo Nation, and attended Fort Wingate boarding school. When he learned that the US military was searching for recruits who could speak Navajo, he enlisted. He became one of over 400 code talkers in the Marines. The code talkers helped to create top-secret coded messages which helped gain victory for the allies in the Pacific theater of the war. Although the Japanese deciphered other codes, they never broke the Navajo code. Begaye served as a code talker from 1943 until 1945. He fought in the Battle of Tarawa and the Battle of Tinian. He later spent one year in a naval hospital treated for injuries he sustained during his time as a marine. After his service he opened a trading post called Begaye's Corner in Chinle, Arizona. the post later grew into a gas station, car repair shop, cafe and small grocery store. He later worked as a farmer and grew apple, cherry and plum trees. He also raised cattle and sheep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Nelson Gorman</span> Navajo code talker, artist, and professor (1907–1998)

Carl Nelson Gorman (1907–1998), also known as Kin-Ya-Onny-Beyeh, was a Navajo code talker, visual artist, painter, illustrator, and professor. He was on the faculty at the University of California, Davis, from 1950 until 1973. During World War II, Gorman served as a code talker with the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Former Senator, Navajo code talker Arthur Hubbard remembered". My Fox Phoenix. 2014-02-11. Archived from the original on 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Navajo Code Talker Arthur Hubbard Sr. has died, served as first Native American state senator in Arizona", Farmington Daily Times, 2014-02-10, archived from the original on 2014-03-11
  3. 1 2 3 4 Matthew Hendley (2014-02-10), "Arthur Hubbard, Former State Senator and Navajo Code Talker, Dies at 102", Phoenix New Times
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Navajo Nation and Tohono O'odham Remembers Arthur J. Hubbard Sr.", Indian Country Today Media Network, 2014-02-11