Directions: The Mesa City Cemetery is located at 1212 N. Center Street, Mesa, directly west from Hohokam Park where the Chicago Cubs' Spring Training complex is located.  If the Center Street entrance is blocked off to provide access for some of the 150,000 visitors the park receives each year, the cemetery may also be entered from Country Club.

Mesa City Cemetery, located at 1212 N. Center Street in Mesa, can be entered from Country Club or Center Street.

The Mesa City Cemetery is easily the best organized in the valley, possibly owing to its Mormon heritage and the church's emphasis on genealogy and planning.  Almost unique among valley cemeteries, streets in the cemetery have even been given names aiding immensely in finding grave sites.

The cemetery dates back to April 12, 1891, just thirteen years after the first 85 Mormon settlers established the square mile township which was to become Mesa.  In observance of the cemetery's centennial anniversary, a walking tour was developed listing 35 notables in the city's history.  The cemetery office at the B and 10th Streets (the darker green rectangle) offers visitors a free copy of the Walking Tour Guide which has a map showing the grave sites of local historical figures and describes the contribution of each to the community.  Our list has one site from the walking tour, and one more recent site.

Ernesto A. Miranda (1941-1976)

Ernesto Miranda was an eighth grade dropout that managed to leave his mark on virtually every criminal confession since 1966. That was the year that the United States Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in Miranda v. Arizona requiring that all criminal defendants be "Mirandized" in order for their confessions to be used as evidence against them.

Miranda was arrested for the kidnap and rape of a mildly retarded 18 year old woman.  He confessed during interrogation by the Phoenix police and was convicted on the strength of his confession.  On appeal, the Supreme Court set down the rule requiring that a defendant be advised of his right to remain silent and to have an attorney.  Under the new rule, a confession obtained without that warning could not be used at trial.  After the ruling, Miranda was retried and convicted without the confession. 

After several returns to prison on other charges, Miranda was stabbed to death during an argument in a bar in 1976.  A suspect was arrested, but he chose to exercise his right to remain silent after being read his Miranda rights.  The suspect was released, and no one was ever charged with the murder.

Waylon Jennings (1937-2002)

Born in Littlefield, Texas, Waylon Jennings started as a radio DJ when he was only 12. In Lubbock, he became friends with Buddy Holley and they co-wrote a Holly demo. Jennings played bass on Holly's last tour, giving up his seat for The Big Bopper on the plane that crashed killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper.

Jennings moved to Phoenix forming his own group, the Waylors.  They were the resident band for the club J.D.'s for two years starting in 1964. He started recording for RCA in 1965, making the country charts with his first release. During his nearly 50 year career he recorded 60 albums and had 16 number one country singles.

In 1984, he ended a 20-year cocaine addiction. He once told a magazine interviewer, "I did more drugs than anybody you ever saw in your life."

He moved to Mesa with his wife a year before his death. In December, 2001 an infection resulting from his diabetes required the amputation of his left foot. He is buried in the Mesa City Cemetery, Mesa.

Tempe's Double Butte Cemetery, located at Broadway, immediately east of 48th Street, is the last home of 1-Governor John H. Pyle, 2-Governor Benjamin B. Moeur, and 3-Senator Carl T. Hayden.

Interstate 10 divides the two buttes at Tempe's western border as it winds south carrying commuters to the east valley.  In the 25 acres of the Double Butte Cemetery which adjoin the freeway at the turn, 12,000 bodies lie hidden from the rush hour traffic.  Above the cemetery, guest at the 350 room Wyndham Buttes Resort dine at the elegant Rock Restaurant, enjoying the panoramic view of Phoenix as they gaze over the cemetery. 

Double Buttes dates back to the 1880's, following the founding of Tempe.  All but nine of Tempe's 91 early pioneers are buried there.  Governor John H. Pyle dubbed it "Tempe's Arlington" before joining its list of notables.  Other residents include Governor Benjamin B. Moeur Senator Carl T. Hayden, and seven rough riders.

The cemetery was privately owned until the 1950's when the City of Tempe took it over.   Tempe sold it in 1998, but took it back when the private owner did not meet the requirements of the sale.   Operation of the cemetery cost the city about $100,000 a year, with revenues of $15,000 or less in burial fees.  Spaces were only available in the Memorial Gardens since no other plots were left for sale.

The entrance to Double Buttes is on the south side of Broadway, sandwiched between 48th street on the west and I-10 on the east.  The cemetery is a mixture of grass and trees on the west sections and desert plots to the east.  The less inviting desert section is where the historical figures can be found among the interesting old headstones in blocks of plots separated by curbs.

Governor John Howard Pyle (1906-1987)

The son of a Baptist minister, John Pyle came to Tempe, Arizona from Texas in 1925.  He joined the advertising staff of the state's largest newspaper, The Arizona Republican.  Following the paper's purchase of radio station KFAD (later KTAR) in 1930, Pyle became the best known voice in Arizona broadcasting.  For 25 years he conducted Easter Sunrise services at the Grand Canyon, which were so popular that they were broadcast nationally on NBC.  He was a war correspondent in the Pacific during World War II, and broadcast Japan's surrender from the USS Missouri.

He was drafted by the Republicans to run for governor in 1950.  Under the management of his friend Barry Goldwater, his campaign had a surprise victory.  He served two terms as governor, from 1951 to 1955.

He was appointed as chairman of the National Safety Counsel in 1959 where he served for 15 years. 

Governor Benjamin Baker Moeur (1869-1937)

Benjamin Moeur (pronounced "more") was a Texas cowboy that went to medical school and came to Tempe to become a country doctor, but ended up becoming Governor.  Along the way, he became president of a gas and electric company and of a large ranching corporation, and a partner in a hardware company.  The partner's Tempe Hardware Building at 520 S. Mill Avenue was built in 1898 and is the oldest remaining 3 story brick commercial building in Maricopa County.

Dr. Moeur was a representative for Maricopa County at Arizona's Constitutional Convention in 1910.  He was elected governor, serving two terms during the Great Depression, from 1933 to 1937.  Fulfilling his campaign promises, he cut the $4.5 million from the state's budget.  His administration reduced property tax by 40%, introduced the state's personal income tax and started relief programs for the rising numbers of unemployed.

Dr. Moeur has been described as crusty, yet having a very big heart.  His vocabulary was profane.  But when he was governor he would conduct free medical clinics in the capitol rotunda during lunch hour.  In his medical practice, he would send Christmas cards to impoverished patients, marking their years' medical debt as "paid in full."

Governor Moeur was not timid in protecting the state's water interests.  When construction of Parker Dam was eminent to divert Colorado River water to Los Angeles in 1934, he mobilized the Arizona National Guard to halt construction.  Although the Secretary of the Interior was furious, construction was stopped until Arizona's water claims were adjudicated.

Dr. Moeur died at his Tempe home just two months after he left office.  The house at 34 E. 7th Street where he lived for nearly 40 years has been restored to its appearance at the time of his death.

Senator Carl T. Hayden (1877-1972)

Carl T. Hayden's father, Charles Trumbull Hayden (1825-1900), brought settlement to Tempe with the establishment a cable operated ferry across the Salt River, a store, and a flour mill in the 1870's.  Carl Hayden was the first white child born in Tempe.

Carl Hayden entered politics in his early 20's, serving first on the Tempe Town Council, then as Maricopa County Treasurer, and later as Sheriff.  He was elected to the U. S. Congress in 1912 where he remained for the next 57 years.  Hayden, a Democrat,  was a Representative from 1912 to 1927, and a Senator from 1927 to 1969.

To the extent water is considered important to Arizona's development, Senator Hayden would have receive credit.  Using his increasing influence in Congress he brought countless federal water, reclamation and parks projects to the state.  His culminating achievement was passage of the Central Arizona Project in 1968, to give Phoenix and Tucson access to Colorado River water.

A panel of six academic and popular historians assembled by The Arizona Republic to mark Arizona's 90th year of statehood named Carl T. Hayden as the most important person in Arizona's history.

George W. P. Hunt (1859-1934)

The gravesite of Governor Hunt is the most visited of any of Arizona's governors.  This seems only appropriate since he was the most elected governor in the history of the nation, having been elected to seven terms in office. However, those who visit his tomb are much less likely to be paying homage to the man than enjoying the view.  His tomb overlooks Phoenix from above the Phoenix Zoo and Papago Park.  Besides the magnificent panorama of the city, visitors can look over their shoulders and have a better view of the long horned sheep than if they were in the zoo.

George Hunt walked into Globe in 1881 leading a burro with all of his worldly possessions on its back.  Through hard work and determination, he became one of the territory's wealthiest men within 10 years.  He was elected to the 1910 Constitutional Convention and became its president.  When the territory became a state two years later, he became the new state's first governor.

Governor Hunt was both enormously liked and intensely hated.  He used his origins in poverty to promote an identity with the common man, but shared much in common with mining interests.  He was fond of saying, "My front door is always open to the working man."  Detractors would add that his back door was open to the mine owners.

As the new state found out, the first governor was not about to leave office easily.  After being reelected twice, Democrat Hunt lost to Republican Tom Campbell in the 1916 election by a mere 30 votes.  Or so it seemed.  Hunt demanded a recount.  When the recount failed to change the vote, the candidates went to court.  When Hunt lost in court, he appealed to the state's Supreme Court.

Both men received the oath of office in separate ceremonies.  Hunt refused to relinquish the office, and after the Supreme Court suggested that he gracefully yield temporary possession of the capitol while the matter was resolved, he moved his government-in-exile to the Adams Hotel.  Since the state treasurer was a Democrat, he refused to honor Campbell's checks, and Campbell served without pay while the matter was winding through the courts.

There were no chads on ballots of that era, hanging or otherwise, but voters could mark their ballots for a straight party ticket.  Enough voters had marked their ballots for the Democrat ticket yet also voted for Campbell, that the court could resolve the ambiguity in favor of Hunt.  After 11 months of conflict, Hunt was officially returned to office to complete his term, but Campbell won the next election.

A skillful campaigner if not always the most forthright, Hunt returned to office for three more terms.  He was reputed to purchase cases of jams and peal off the labels.  At campaign stops, he would pull a jar from his pocket handing it to a supporter saying, "My wife was making jelly the other day and she wanted you folks to have a jar."

Governor Hunt's wife Helen died in May 1931, shortly after he assumed the governor's office for the seventh and final time.  Hunt had been quite taken by the pyramids on a trip to Egypt a few years before.  He obtained permission from Congress to build a 20 foot by 20 foot white pyramid to hold her remains on a small portion of the 2,050 acres that had been set aside as Papago Saguaro National Monument by Woodrow Wilson in 1914.  Construction of the tomb was completed in 1932, and he joined his wife in 1934.

Hunt's burial in the white tiled pyramid fulfilled his wish, "The people of this state have been good to me and in my last sleep I want to be buried that I may in my spirit overlook this splendid Valley that in years to come will be a mecca of those that love beautiful things and in the state where people rule."

Persistent demands by the state, city, and private interests coupled with the mighty influence of Senator Hayden numbered the days of Papago as a national monument.  In 1929, the site became one of only three in the entire history of the National Park system to be removed from the system.  The land was then divvied up with 480 acres going to Tempe which the city used to create Moeur Park and a State Tuberculosis Hospital and Sanitorium.  Another 480 acres went to the Arizona National Guard for a rifle ranger. The Salt River Project got a 100 foot right of way adjoining the Crosscut Canal. The balance of the land went to the State of Arizona with its use limited to for parks and recreation.  Portions of the state's share became the forerunner to the Desert Botanical Gardens in 1938, and a zoo in 1962.

A panel of six academic and popular historians assembled by The Arizona Republic to mark Arizona's 90th year of statehood named George W. P. Hunt as the third most important person in Arizona's history.

The Pioneer & Military Memorial Park at 1400 W. Jefferson, Phoenix is the resting place of pioneers 1-Governor Benjamin J. Franklin, 2-Lord Darrell Duppa, and 3-The Lost Dutchman, Jacob Waltz.

Seven historic cemeteries share the blocks between 13th and 15th Avenues, south of Jefferson below the capitol complex.  The Rosedale and Porter Cemeteries date back to 1890, while those below Madison, including the joined Loosley and City site, were developed a decade earlier.

Burials ceased in 1914 as residences surrounding the capitol encroached.  Articles decried the lack of maintenance as early as the 1890's.  In the 1930's a group of townspeople including Thomas Hayden and Barry Goldwater formed the Pioneers' Cemetery Association, Inc. and made improvements at the cemetery.

World War II saw the curtailment of the association.  In 1983, the association was re-established.  The City of Phoenix owns, maintains and operates the Pioneer & Memorial Park, but it is staffed by volunteer members of the association.

Those wishing to tour the cemeteries or the restored 1897 home, must make reservation with the volunteers at 602-534-1262.  We thank volunteers Marge West and Diane Sumrall for their warm and enthusiastic tour.

Benjamin J. Franklin (1839-1898)

Benjamin J. Franklin was indeed a descendant of the Benjamin Franklin.  He was born in Maysville, Kentucky.  He taught school before he studied law, and practice law before he was elected to Kentucky Senate.  He never made it to the state senate because of the outbreak of the Civil War.  He entered the Confederate Army as a private and was promoted to Captain by war's end. He again practiced law before and after his two terms as Kentucky's Representative to Congress (1875-1879).

Franklin was appointed United States consul at Hankow, China, in 1885, and when he returned to the United States in 1890 he settled in Phoenix.  He practiced law in his new home state and was instrumental in the removal of the Arizona's Territorial Governor Louis Cameron Hughes.  Franklin was appointed as Hughes' successor and served from April 18, 1896, to July 29, 1897.

As territorial governor, Franklin supported irrigation,  statehood, and taxation of the railroads.  When he left office, railroads still escaped taxation, Arizona was still a territory, and the land was still arid.

Franklin suffered a serious heart attack in his last year in office.  He returned as a private citizen to practice law, but died of a heart attack within a year.

"Lord" Bryan Philip Darrell Duppa (1837-1898)

Phoenix and Tempe are said by some to owe both of their names to the eccentric, dipsomaniacal Darrell Duppa.  Phoenix, he thought, would rise from the ancient Indian canals like the mythological bird that rose from its ashes. The settlement by the buttes across the Salt River reminded him of the Vale of Tempe in Greece.

 

His lordship as he appears on his second tombstone. 3-02.

Reportedly Duppa was an English lord who proved such an embarrassment to his family that he had been exiled to the states.  His family members were highly educated and prominent English landowners, but he was no lord.  Duppa was fluent in five languages but was said to be hard to understand when he was drunk--which was much of the time--because then he spoke all five languages at the same time.

Around 1870, Duppa built a two room adobe home at what is now 116 W. Sherman, which stands today as the oldest home in Phoenix.

The Lost Dutchman was not Dutch.  We have not found confirming authority but our theory has Waltz, a German-born prospector, telling the curious that he is from "Deutchland," which of course is German for Germany.  That would make him a "Deutchman" or "Dutchman" to the inquiring Arizonans.

Neither was the Dutchman lost.  It was his mine that was lost--to everyone but him.  It is this circumstance that makes him popular to this day.  Volunteers manning the Pioneer & Military Memorial Park where Jacob Waltz is buried say that his is the most asked about site.  Nothing, save being buried on a butte with a spectacular view, beats dying with the location of a huge gold find on your lips to keep the visitors coming more than a century later.

Jacob Waltz arrived in Arizona in 1862.  He spent most of the next three decades prospecting in the Superstitions. He claimed to have uncovered a fortune in gold.  The gold he supposedly found wasn't the gold ore you'd have to mine.  It was, so the story goes, treasure hidden by conquistadors who were then under attack from the Apaches.

Another variation of the story says that in 1878 Waltz discovered a mine which had been worked by a rich Spanish-Mexican family thirty years prior.  Rather than pack out the ore on mule-back, they refined it on the spot, bring out only huge quantities of the refined gold by pack mule.  The Apaches saw the mine as a desecration of their sacred Thunder Gods Mountain and ambushed the mule train in 1848.  Not knowing the value of the "dirt" on the mule's back, they cast it aside for the tourists to find a century later.

The story continues that Waltz and his mining partner did actually find the mine.  The partner died mysteriously--either at the hands of more Apaches or Waltz himself.  Waltz's health was failing so he moved to Phoenix, unable to bring the riches out with him.  He is said to have carried the secret of the mine's location to his grave.  Only his curse to those who would seek to find his fortune has the ring of certainty:  "No miner will find my mine."    

The old miner may be gone, but he is not forgotten.  Apache Junction has a street and an annual festival in February--"Lost Dutchman Days"--named after him.  Nearby there is the Lost Dutchman State Park, and the Lost Dutchman and Superstition Museum.  Then there are all of the maps to his mine, and the countless articles, magazines and books about him.

Ernest W. McFarland (1894-1984)

You cannot tell the magnitude of a man's accomplishments by the enormity of his monument. Perhaps no Arizonan has achieved more than Ernest W. McFarland, having served in highest position in all three branches of Arizona government: U.S. Senator, governor, and Arizona Supreme Court Justice. Yet, his remains are in a modest vault in the Greenwood Garden Mausoleum.

A panel of six academic and popular historians assembled by The Arizona Republic to mark Arizona's 90th year of statehood named Ernest W. McFarland as the fourth most important person in Arizona's history. 

Governor Robert T. Jones (1884-1958)

Businessman Robert T. Jones had the reins of the state government for one term (1939-1941) as Arizona slowly recovered from the Great Depression.  Hitler invaded Poland just months after Jones took office, but it would not be until after Jones left office that the United States would enter the war upon the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  Serious war preparations would only reach Phoenix with the construction of Luke and Williams air bases in March and July, 1941.

Jones, a civil engineer, came to the Arizona Territory in 1909 to help in the building of the Southern Pacific Railroad, having learned his trade on construction projects in Mexico and the Panama Canal.  He went into business opening a drug store in Tucson, then a larger one in Phoenix, later also operating a cattle ranch near Chandler.  In 1953, he opened Jones Western Wear in Phoenix. 

Governor Richard E. Sloan (1857-1933)

Governor Sloan was the last governor of the Arizona Territory, serving from his appointment by Taft in 1909 until statehood in 1912.  A graduate of Cincinnati Law School, he had come to Phoenix for his health.  He was appointed to the Territorial Supreme Court 1897, and served there for nearly 7 years, longer than any other judge.

Governor Joseph H. Kibbey (1853-1924)

Like Sloan who succeeded him, Kibbey was a lawyer that came to Arizona for his health, and was appointed to the Territorial Supreme Court (1888-1893).  Kibbey was appointed as the next to last Territorial Governor, serving from 1905 to 1909.

One of the immediate problems of his governorship was a statehood bill creating one state out of the New Mexico and Arizona territories.  He vowed that he would resign rather than see that bill be given effect.  The U. S. Congress did pass the joint statehood bill, but it overwhelmingly failed to receive the required popular vote in the territory.

As governor Kibbey sought to outlaw of gambling, restrict liquor and tobacco, and prohibit prostitution.  He created Greenlee County, the Territorial Board of Health, and the Territorial Railroad Commission which was the precursor to the Arizona Corporation Commission.  He wanted to reform the taxation on mines, but this proved to be an issue which would cost him his office.  The mine interests were able to delay his reappointment until Teddy Roosevelt left office, allowing Taft to make his own appointment.

When he returned to the practice of law after leaving office, he became counsel to the Salt River Valley Water User's Association and drafter of their articles of incorporation.

Governor Frederick A. Tritle (1833-1906)

Frederick A. Tritle was Governor of the Territory of Arizona from 1882-1885.  He was the first Governor to be living in territory at the time of appointment, and the first Governor to be buried in Arizona.

His administration remembered for the "Thieving Thirteenth" Legislature which overpaid themselves for fictitious services.  During his term, the Territorial Normal School in Tempe (Arizona State University), the University of Arizona in Tucson, and the Insane Asylum in Phoenix were created.  Before coming to office, Tritle had been a lawyer, and a Member of Nevada State Senate (1866).  After his term in office he was a delegate to Arizona State Constitutional Convention (1891), the Yavapai County Recorder (1895-1897), and the Supervisor of the Arizona Census (1900). He was Episcopalian.

Governor & Senator Paul J. Fannin (1907-2002)

Paul J. Fannin filled Barry Goldwater's seat in the Senate when Goldwater resigned to run for president in 1964, but he did not quite fill his shoes.  Fannin was if anything, even more conservative than Goldwater, but fell a bit short on name recognition, breadth of accomplishments and, some might say, principle.

As a first term Senator with little clout, he struggled mightily to eliminate a provision of the Taft-Hartley Act which would have restricted a state's ability to enact "right to work" laws which prohibit compulsory union membership.  Eventually a coalition of Republicans and Southern Democrats joined Fannin defeating that provision of the legislation supported by the Democrats lead by President Lyndon Johnson.

One of his proudest achievements was the sponsorship of the Central Arizona Project with Senator Hayden to bring Colorado River Water to Arizona.  After leaving office he worked on the project's board.

His position in support of stricter sentencing was compromised during his second and final term in the U. S. Senate.  In 1973, he was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol at a time when the charge had somewhat less onus that it would later acquire.  The charge, which carried a mandatory day in jail, was mysteriously dropped.  When the issue of favoritism made headlines charges were reinstated.

Prior to his two terms in the Senate, Fannin was a three term governor serving as the state's chief executive from 1959 to1965.  His goals in office included an increase public education funding for metropolitan areas and the equalize the state property tax.

Fannin was born in Ashland, Ky., but raised in Phoenix.  He attended the University of Arizona but graduated from Stanford University.  He returned to Phoenix to work in the family's hardware business and started a petroleum equipment company with his brother which he sold before running for governor.

He died of a stroke at 94 years of age at his Phoenix home, a year after the death of his wife, Elma. 

Walter Winchell (Walter Winchel, 1897-1972)

Walter Winchell was a newspaper columnist credited with inventing the gossip column.  He took his column to national radio in 1932 which he began with the memorable "Good Morning, Mr. and Mrs. North and South America and all the ships at sea ... let's go to press!"  From 1959 to 1963 his distinctive voice provided narration for the popular television series The Untouchables.

Winchell's wife moved to Arizona for her health in 1955, and bought a home at 6116 Yucca Street on the northeast side of Camelback Mountain.  Eventually Winchell joined her there in retirement.  Winchell, his wife who died in 1970, and his son who committed suicide in 1968 are buried at Greenwood Memorial Lawn.

Senator Barry Goldwater (1909-1998)

At the time of his death at 89, Barry Goldwater was the icon of Arizona politics.  Had he never entered politics, he would still be remembered for his pursuits in business, photography, and the military.

Goldwater's grandfather, "Big Mike" Goldwasser, emigrated from Poland in the mid 19th century to avoid conscription in the Russian army.  Big Mike and his brother tried and failed at several businesses, including a saloon in California, before they found success in Arizona.  Starting with a mule-drawn wagon loaded with goods, they began their mercantile career at a mining camp east of Yuma.  They established permanent stores in La Paz and Ehrenberg, and later in Prescott, Bisbee and Phoenix.  By 1900, Goldwater's had become the territory's leading department store.

Goldwater's father, Baron Goldwater, converted to the Episcopal church and married Hattie Josephine Williams, a nurse who had come to Arizona from Nebraska for her health.  Barry Goldwater, was born in a red brick house at 710 N. Central Avenue in Phoenix.  He was baptized in the church of his parents, learning that he was Episcopalian long before he discovered his father's Jewish heritage.

Portending future success in Arizona politics, Goldwater was elected president of his freshman class.  He paid so much attention to extracurricular activities--like firing a small cannon at the Methodist Church steeple--that he nearly flunked out.  On the diplomatic suggestion of the school's principal that Phoenix Union was not the best place for the young Goldwater's sophomore year, his father transferred him to Staunton Military Academy in Virginia.  There, with the added discipline, he earned academic honors.

At University of Arizona, the handsome, moneyed frat boy drove a 1925 Chrysler roadster and cut a rakish path.  His college career was cut short when his father died suddenly of a heart attack in 1925.  Goldwater dropped out to join the family business.

Like his father before him, the 20-year-old Goldwater started as a clerk. In 1938, the year after he became president of the store and still in his 20's, he created "antsy pants" for men.  The white boxer shorts sporting red ants became a national marketing hit.

In 1934, Goldwater married Margaret Johnson, a store patron from Indiana who wintered in the valley with her family. After two years of dating, he had proposed to her in a phone booth while they were both waiting to make a call.  They had four children were together until her death in 1985.

World War II temporarily suspended Goldwater's marketing career. Months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps.  He was immediately assigned to organizing the supply depot at a new field being constructed in the desert west of Phoenix to train fighter pilots.  Sixty years later, pilots were still being trained on that desert field which became Luke Air Force Base.  In 1942, he became director of ground training at the base and a 2.7 million-acre gunnery range near Gila Bend which now bears his name.

When Goldwater turned his attention back to civilian duties at the close of the war, a new interest soon captured his time.  In 1950 Phoenix was wild and woolly western city of 100,000 people.  Prostitution and gambling flourished amid perpetual political upheavals in the municipal government.  Over the preceding 35 years, the city counsel had fired 30 city managers.  Allegations surfaced that bribes had been used to secure favors, and the city was being overcharged.

Goldwater formed a coalition of wealthy but diverse citizens on a non-partisan slate.  This Charter Government ticket succeeded in ousting every incumbent counsel member except the one who was on their ticket.  When the new government took office, Goldwater became its de facto head. 

Harry Rosenzweig, a close friend of Goldwater and a prominent jeweler--when Rosenzweig's Jewelers was sold to Zales in 1973, it commanded an estimated 90% of the Phoenix market--was also on the ticket.  Later he said that Goldwater's concern was to create a stable government, not to deal with gambling and prostitution.

Goldwater's Charter ticket was so successful in reforming city government that it was named an ''All America City'' 1951.  During his stint on the council from 1949 to 1952, Goldwater was also credited with ending segregation in Phoenix public schools.

From municipal politics, Goldwater moved on to become the campaign manager of underdog Howard Pyle in the governor's race.  Pyle won a surprise victory, becoming Governor in 1952.

Goldwater then turned his growing political acumen taking the senatorial seat of Ernest W. McFarland.  In 1952 Goldwater was elected to the United States Senate.  He stayed in the senate for most of the next 30 years.

Although he was an opponent of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, his first Senate assistant over 10 years earlier was an African-American woman--an uncommon choice for that era.  The FBI opened a file on the newly elected senator because of what was perceived as his leftward leanings and support by "by a large percentage of Negroes in the Phoenix area."

Political activities having supplanted business interests, Goldwater gave up the presidency of the family business to become chairman of the board in 1953.  He remained on the board through the sale of the stores to Associated Dry Goods Corporation of New York in 1962.  The stores continued to carry the Goldwater name for decades until they were renamed to become part of the Robinson's chain by their new owner, the May Company.

In 1964, Goldwater took time out from the Senate for a stunningly unsuccessful run for the Presidency--he carried only 6 states with Lyndon B. Johnson taking 44.  Only Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and barely Arizona (50.4% to 49.5%) were in the Goldwater column.

In 1992, six years after the death of his wife, at the age of 82, he married Susan Shaffer Wechsler, 51.  His lifelong friend Harry Rozenzweig remarked with a smile, "Susan Wechsler is a very nice Jewish woman."

A panel of six academic and popular historians assembled by The Arizona Republic to mark Arizona's 90th year of statehood named Barry Goldwater as the second most important person in Arizona's history.

Governor Evan Mecham (1924-2008)

Evan Mecham was a decorated veteran of World War II, a successful owner of a major car dealership, and a perpetual fringe gubernatorial candidate who had the misfortune of actually being elected 

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Evergreen Cemetery is located at the corner of Oracle Road and West Miracle Mile in Tucson, Arizona.

Governor Louis Cameron Hughes (1842-1915)

Governor Louis Cameron Hughes, a highly principled reformer, was appointed territorial governor in 1893, but opposition to his liberal bent resulted in his removal from office in 1896.  He endorsed women's suffrage, cleaning up the election process, prohibition, and enforcement of laws preserving the Sabbath and prohibiting prostitution and adultery.

Orphaned, Hughes spent his youth in indentured servitude to a Calvinist farmer in Pennsylvania.  An abolitionist, he enlisted in the Union army at the outbreak of the Civil War.  After the war, he worked as a machinist, saving his money for school, eventually practicing law.

Hughes came to Arizona for health reasons in 1871 where he practiced before the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court.  He was a city councilman for Tucson, and Attorney General of the Arizona territory.  He started the Daily Bulletin in 1887, which eventually became the Arizona Star.  Well after his term as governor, he was invited by Theodore Roosevelt to the christening of the USS Arizona, but refused because champagne was used in the ceremony.

Governor Hunt referred to Mrs. Hughes as the "Mother of Arizona."  She was a member of the Women's Suffrage Movement, and a friend of Frances Williard and Susan B. Anthony.  She became a prime mover in the establishment of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of Arizona. 

The International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cemetery is located at south end of Acker Park at 400 S. Virginia, Prescott.  (Don't be thrown off by the failure of MapQuest and MapBlast to list a 400 S. Virginia.  Acker Park really is at that location.)

Lewis Wolfley (1839-1910)

In 1889, Benjamin Harrison, a Republican, took office as President of the United States.  Territorial Governor Conrad Zulick, appointed by the Democrat administration of Grover Cleveland, was asked to resign to allow a Republican to be appointed by the new administration.

Major Lewis Wolfley was that man.  Wolfley had studied law but joined the Kentucky Calvary to fight for the Union in the Civil War.  After the war, he moved to Tucson, where he was living when he applied for and was appointed territorial governor in April, 1889.  He was the territory's only bachelor governor.

The brief tenure and political turmoil of the Wolfley administration reminds one of Evan Mecham's  governorship which began just 2 years shy of a century later (1987-1988).  Some similarities are remarkable:

• Both were Republicans, and both were at the fringe of their party.
• Both were alleged to be suspicious of people, and unable to cooperate with others.
• Mecham believed that "the good people" of Arizona supported him even through his impeachment.  Wolfley withheld pay from certain judges so that he could replace them with "good Republicans."
• Wolfley had to deal with "the Mormon problem" ("stakes" of 2,000 Mormons were sent into four areas to vote in blocks for legislation or politicians they favored).  Mecham was a problem Mormon.
• Both believed that existing newspapers were biased and both made plans to start newspapers which would promote their own views.  Mecham dropped his newspaper plans, but Wolfley and his Attorney General, Clark Churchill, were instrumental in establishing The Arizona Republican which published its first edition on May 19, 1890.
• Politically inept actions of each resulted neither having a second anniversary in office.  Mecham lost his office through impeachment in April, 1988.  The Secretary of the Interior asked for Wolfly's resignation in August, 1890.

Wolfley faced challenges not dreamt of by Mecham.  A forger attempted--and almost succeeded--in seizing 18,750 square miles in central Arizona through phony land grants, in what became known as the Peralta Grant scandal.  Shortly before Wolfley was asked to leave office, the Gila River Dam washed out resulting in $750,000 of damages.

Wolfley died after being run down by a street car in California. 

Mesa City Cemetery, Mesa:

__________, Mesa Cemetery Walking Tour Guide, 4-12-1991.

__________, "Waylon Jennings," Internet Movie Database (IMDb), � 1990-2002, accessed 3-10-02.

__________, "Waylon Jennings," Find A Grave, accessed 3-14-02.

__________, "Waylon Jennings," Lycos Music, � 2002, Lycos, Inc. & 1989-2001 Muze UK Ltd., accessed 3-15-02.

Sources Double Butte Cemetery, Tempe:

__________, "Charles Trumbull Hayden," TEMPE HISTORICAL MUSEUM,  � 1999 City of Tempe.

__________, "Governor Benjamin Baker Moeur," TEMPE HISTORICAL MUSEUM,  � 1999 City of Tempe.

__________, "HAYDEN, Carl Trumbull, 1877-1972," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed 3-30-02.

Susie Steckner, "TEMPE'S 'ARLINGTON' HIDDEN\ FADED, CRUMBLING CEMETERY HOLDS MANY MEMORIES." The Arizona Republic, 05-28-2001, pp A20.

de Uriarte, Richard,  "THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN ARIZONA HISTORY." The Arizona Republic, 02-10-2002, pp V1.

Scott, Jeffrey, Governor (Dr.) Benjamin B. Moeur, Arizona's Governors, Arizona History Reference Guides, accessed 3-31-02.

Trimble, Marshall, Arizona, A Cavalcade of History, Treasure Chest Publications, Tucson, 1989-2000, pp. 269-270.

 Sources for Papago Park:

__________, "THE LIST." The Arizona Republic, 01-16-2002, pp E2.

__________, "Kiddies' Pennies Bought Hunt Plaque," Phoenix Gazette, 10-31-1969, p. 23.

__________, "New plaque for Gov. Hunt's tomb," Phoenix Gazette, 11-2-1969, p. 24-A.

__________, "ALL'S RIGHT AGAIN," Phoenix Gazette, 11-3-1969.

Arline, Kenneth, "Hunt Sets Lively Pace For New State," Phoenix Gazette, 2-13-1967.

Casstevens, David, "OUR STATE'S 1ST GOVERNOR COULD USE SOME COMPANY." The Arizona Republic, 01-06-2002, pp A2.

Dedera, Don, "Replacement of Plaque Suggested as Project," The Arizona Republic, 4-23-1968.

George, Dick, "Papago Park\ Where the history is sometimes more colorful than the rocks." Arizoo--The Magazine of The Phoenix Zoo, Jan/Feb 1992, pp 7-11.

Irvine, Thomas K.," RECOUNTS, LAWSUITS, DEAD WINNERS ALL OLD HAT IN ARIZONA." The Arizona Republic, 11-15-2000, pp B9.

Trimble, Marshall, Arizona, A Cavalcade of History, Treasure Chest Publications, Tucson, 1989-2000, pp. 267-269.

 Trujillo, Laura," A PYRAMID FOR PARAMOURS\ HUNT'S TOMB PROVIDES PANORAMA OF CITIES' NIGHT LIGHTS." The Arizona Republic, 12-15-2001, pp E10.

 Sources for Pioneer & Military Memorial Park, Phoenix:

__________, "FRANKLIN, Benjamin Joseph, 1839-1898," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed 4-1-02.

Arad, Shimshon, "The fall and rise of US conservatism." Jerusalem Post, 07-06-2001, pp 13.

Cirianni, Rosa, "LOST DUTCHMAN DAYS OFFERS OLD WEST FUN." The Arizona Republic, 02-15-2002, pp 1.

Scott, Jeffrey, Governor Benjamin Franklin, Arizona's Governors, Arizona History Reference Guides, accessed 4-1-02.

Thompson, Clay, "LOST DUTCHMAN WORTH DAY IN WILD." The Arizona Republic, 01-10-2000, pp B8.

Thompson, Clay, " INTRIGUING ARIZONA-ISMS\ IT'S TIME TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF TRUTHS, HALF-TRUTHS, LEGENDS, BIG LIES." The Arizona Republic, 01-28-2001, pp F1.

Trimble, Marshall, Arizona, A Cavalcade of History, Treasure Chest Publications, Tucson, 1989-2000, pp. 214-215.

Winters, Holly, "LEGENDS, SECRETS HOLD TRUTH OF SUPERSTITIONS." The Arizona Republic, 09-24-2000, pp F5.

Sources for Greenwood Memorial Lawn, Phoenix:

Scott, Jeffrey, Robert T. Jones, Arizona's Governors, Arizona History Reference Guides, accessed 4-3-02.

Scott, Jeffrey, Governor Richard E. Sloan, Arizona's Governors, Arizona History Reference Guides, accessed 4-3-02.

Zielinski, Graeme, "Arizona Senator Paul Fannin Dies; Republican Led Fight to Limit Labor Unions' Influence." The Washington Post, 01-16-2002, pp B06.

Sources for Christ Church of the Ascension Memorial Gardens, Paradise Valley (Barry Goldwater):

Goldwater-senate photo, from U.S. Senate Historical Office, http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=G000267.

__________, "Barry Goldwater, 1909-1998," The Arizona Republic, � 2002, [links to Arizona Republic articles on Goldwater].

__________, "GOLDWATER, Barry Morris, 1909-1998," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed 4-7-02.

__________, "1964-State Results," HistoryCentral.com, 2002 by MultiEducator Inc.

__________, "Goldwater, Goldwasser," Jewish News of Greater Phoenix, Vol. 50, No. 36, June 5, 1998.

__________, "The Goldwaters: An Arizona Story and A Jewish History As Well," The Leona G. and David A. Bloom Southwest Jewish Archives, Volume 1, Number 3, Spring 1993.

__________, "NEWTON ROSENZWEIG," Arizona Historical Foundation, 2002.

Beard, Betty, "Native Son Never Lost Love of Arizona/ Career Led Him to Washington and Back Again." The Arizona Republic, May 30, 1998.

Clymer, Adam, "Barry Goldwater, Conservative and Individualist, Dies at 89." The New York Times (on the web), May 29, 1998.

de Uriarte, Richard, "THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN ARIZONA HISTORY." The Arizona Republic, 02-10-2002, pp V1.

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Harris, Don, "Goldwater recalls base's early days," The Arizona Republic, March 21, 1991.

Jennings, Peter, "ABOUT GOLDWATER'S 30 YEARS IN WASHINGTON."  World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, 05-29-1998.

Michaelis, Dee, "'Cleaning Up' City Hall Led to Bigger, Better Things," The Arizona Republic, Jan. 18, 1987.

Murphy, Michael,  "Arizona legend Goldwater dies at 89 1909-1998: Cornerstone of Conservatism Leaves a Powerful Legacy." The Arizona Republic (online edition), May 29, 1998.

Povich, Elaine S.,  "A Lion for Liberty / Goldwater, GOP's `patron saint,' dies." Newsday, 05-30-1998, pp A05.

Smith, Dean, "Military influences, a love of the desert were ingrained early," The Arizona Republic, Jan. 18, 1987.

Smyth, Mitchell, "Treasure of the Thunder Gods." The Toronto Star, 02-12-2000.

Sowers, Carol, "FBI had files on Goldwater," The Arizona Republic, May 10, 2000.

Tabor, Gail, "Goldwater takes a bride\ Elegant rite performed in Scottsdale," The Arizona Republic, Feb. 10, 1992.

Wilson, Steve, "Goldwater admirers buy home\ Couple pay $4.1 million for it," The Arizona Republic, May 24, 2000.

Sources for National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix:

__________, "Historical Information," Cemeteries - National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona,  United States Department of Veterans Affairs, accessed 8-14-2012.

Sources for Evergreen Cemetery, Tucson:

Scott, Jeffrey, Robert T. Jones, Arizona's Governors, Arizona History Reference Guides, accessed 6-19-02.

Sources for Odd Fellows Cemetery, Prescott:

__________, "Benjamin Harrison," The White House,

__________, The Arizona Republic: An Overview, azcentral.com, 2002, accessed 7-27-02.

__________, On the Map, gannett.com, accessed 7-27-02.

Mayes, Kris, MECHAM STILL STIRRING POLITICAL BREW\ BOOK REVEALS HIS BELIEF IN CONSPIRACIES, The Arizona Republic, 08-22-1999, pp B3.

Scott, Jeffrey, Lewis. Wolfley, Arizona's Governors, Arizona History Reference Guides, accessed 6-19-02.

This page was last revised on 08/30/12.