| Joseph Henry Kibbey | |
|---|---|
| 16th Territorial Governor of Arizona | |
| In office 1905–1909 |
|
| Preceded by | Alexander Oswald Brodie |
| Succeeded by | Richard Elihu Sloan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 4, 1853 Centerville, Indiana |
| Died | June 14, 1924 (aged 71) Phoenix, Arizona |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Nora Burbank |
| Alma mater | Earlham College |
| Profession | Attorney |
Joseph Henry Kibbey (March 4, 1853 – June 14, 1924) was an American politician, who most notably served as Governor of Arizona Territory from 1905 to 1909.
Contents |
Kibbey was born in Centerville, Indiana, on March 4, 1853. He was a son of Caroline E. and John F. Kibbey, an Indiana Attorney General. He was educated at public schools and later studied at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.
He was admitted to the Indiana State Bar in 1875. He practiced law in Richmond, Indiana, until 1888. He served as city attorney in Richmond for two years. He married Nora Burbank, daughter of John A. Burbank, former governor of the Dakota Territory on January 10, 1877. In 1888 he moved to Arizona for health reasons.
In 1888 Kibbey was appointed as associate Justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court. He handed down the "Kibbey Decision" which dealt with land and water in Arizona. His term as judge ended in April, 1893. He also became Republican Chair of Maricopa County twice and territorial chair three times. He was a Phoenix City Attorney in November, 1897 and a member of council in the 22nd Territorial Legislature in 1903. He was appointed Territorial Attorney General in November, 1904.
In 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Kibbey territorial Governor of Arizona. Immediately after assuming office, Kibbey faced problems regarding a bill in the United States Congress that would have created statehood for Arizona and New Mexico, but would have combined them both into one state. He promised to resign his office instead of allowing the joint statehood bill to pass. The bill was passed by Congress, but with one stipulation. The stipulation was each territory had to vote for the provision. The final tally was 16,265 against the bill and only 3,141 for it. Thus, the measure failed.
Some of Kibbey's major suggestions were the outlawing of gambling, the restriction of liquor and tobacco, and the prohibition of prostitution. He created the Territorial Railroad Commission which was the precursor to the Arizona Corporation Commission and also created Greenlee County.
Kibbey favored taxation of mines and this cost him the governorship. Mining companies were able to delay his renomination by President Theodore Roosevelt because they knew that the new President, William Howard Taft, would not renominate him as governor. He left office on May 1, 1909, when Taft nominated Richard Elihu Sloan.
After serving as governor, Kibbey became counsel to the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association and drafted its articles of incorporation. In 1916 he was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for a United States Senate seat from Arizona. He died in Phoenix on June 14, 1924, and was buried in Greenwood Memorial Park.
|
||||||||||||