Member of the Arizona Senate from the Maricopa County district
In office 1961–1963
Serving with Joe Haldiman
Preceded by
Hilliard Brooke Frank Murphy
Succeeded by
Hilliard Brooke Paul Singer
Personal details
Born
(1924-05-12)May 12, 1924 Duchesne, Utah, U.S.
Died
February 21, 2008(2008-02-21) (aged 83) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Resting place
National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona
Political party
Republican (Before 1992) Independent (1992–2008)
Spouse
Florence Lambert
(m. 1945)
Children
7
Military service
Allegiance
United States
Branch/service
United States Army
Years of service
1943–1945
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Unit
U.S. Army Air Forces
Battles/wars
World War II • European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign (POW)
Awards
Purple Heart Air Medal
Evan Mecham (/ˈmiːkəm/MEE-kəm;[1] May 12, 1924 – February 21, 2008)[2] was an American businessman and the 17th governor of Arizona, serving from January 5, 1987, until his impeachment conviction on April 4, 1988. A decorated veteran of World War II, Mecham was a successful automotive dealership owner and occasional newspaper publisher.[3]
Periodic runs for political office earned him a reputation as a perennial candidate along with the nickname of "The Harold Stassen of Arizona" before he was elected governor, under the Republican banner.[4] As governor, Mecham was plagued by controversy almost immediately after his inauguration and became the first U.S. governor to simultaneously face removal from office through impeachment, a scheduled recall election, and a felony indictment.[5] He was the first and only Arizona governor to be impeached, as well as one of only 15 U.S. governors to be impeached.[citation needed]
Mecham served one term as a state senator before beginning a string of unsuccessful runs for public office. His victory during the 1986 election began with a surprise win of the Republican nomination, followed by a split of the Democratic party during the general election, resulting in a three-way race. While Governor, Mecham became known for statements and actions that were widely perceived as racially charged or racist.[6] Among these actions were the cancellation of the state's paid Martin Luther King Jr. Day and creating an unpaid King holiday on a Sunday, attributing high divorce rates to working women, and his defense of the word "pickaninny" in describing African American children. In reaction to these events, a boycott of Arizona was organized.[7] A rift between the Governor and fellow Republicans in the Arizona Legislature developed after the Arizona Republic newspaper made accusations of questionable political appointments and cronyism, accusations that Mecham contended were false.
Having served from January 5, 1987, to April 4, 1988, Mecham was removed from office following conviction in his impeachment trial on charges of obstruction of justice and misuse of government funds—funds that Mecham maintained were private. A later criminal trial acquitted Mecham of related charges. Following his removal from office, Mecham remained active in politics for nearly a decade. During this time, he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and made his final runs for the Arizona governorship and also for the U.S. Senate, in which he unsuccessfully challenged John McCain as an independent.
^Cite error: The named reference The Lost Coattails was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Sullivan, Patricia (February 23, 2008). "Evan Mecham, 83; Was Removed as Arizona Governor". The Washington Post.
^Biggers, Jeff (February 14, 2017). "Arizona Once Elected A Governor Like Trump... And Impeached Him". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
^Johnson (2002), p. 38.
^Watkins (1990), p. 11.
^Johnson (2002), p. 36.
^Chu, Dan (August 24, 1987). "Arizona's Outspoken New Governor, Evan Mecham, Seems to Enjoy Diving Straight into Political Hot Water". People. Vol. 28, no. 8. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016.
EvanMecham (/ˈmiːkəm/ MEE-kəm; May 12, 1924 – February 21, 2008) was an American businessman and the 17th governor of Arizona, serving from January 5...
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bipartisan leader who often reached across the political aisle. Governor EvanMecham was impeached on February 8, 1988. Per the Arizona Constitution, his...
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Governor of Arizona. Democrat Bruce Babbitt defeated Republican nominee EvanMecham. Babbitt was the former Attorney General of Arizona, but after the death...
on September 13, 1988. The 1988 impeachment and removal of Governor EvanMecham caused turmoil in Arizona politics and spilt the state Republican Party...
victories] of World War II) Ed McMahon (actor, entertainer, and Marine pilot) EvanMecham John C. Meyer Edward S. Michael William Milliken Hugh L. Mills Jr. (Vietnam...
Finkelstein (New Alliance) John McCain, incumbent U.S. Senator (Republican) EvanMecham, former Governor and candidate for this seat in 1962 (Independent) Claire...
Governor of Arizona in 1986, but was defeated by former state senator EvanMecham, who would go on to be impeached and removed from office by the Arizona...
Democrat Claire Sargent, community activist and Independent former Governor EvanMecham. Incumbent Democratic senator Dale Bumpers won re-election to a fourth...
Hayden's Republican challenger, state representative and future governor EvanMecham, only got lukewarm support from the state party. Arizona's Republican...
approved a runoff-style election following the impeachment of governor EvanMecham. Because no candidate received a majority (50%) of the vote in the November...
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March 4, 1978 – January 5, 1987 Preceded by Wesley Bolin Succeeded by EvanMecham 19th Attorney General of Arizona In office January 6, 1975 – March 4...
Global Information
United States
Second Lieutenant
U.S. Army Air Forces
Purple Heart
Air Medal