(1945-08-12) August 12, 1945 (age 78) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party
Republican
Spouse
Ann Olin Pritzlaff
(m. 1976)
Parent
J. Fife Symington Jr. (father)
Education
Harvard University (AB)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance
United States
Branch/service
United States Air Force
Years of service
1967–1971
Rank
Captain
Battles/wars
Vietnam War
Awards
Bronze Star
John Fife Symington III (/faɪfˈsaɪmɪŋtən/ⓘfyfe SY-ming-tən; born August 12, 1945) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 19th governor of Arizona from 1991 until his resignation in 1997. A member of the Republican Party, he resigned from office following convictions on charges of extortion and bank fraud – convictions which were later overturned. Prior to entering politics, Symington served in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona.
A native of New York City, Symington attended the Gilman School in Baltimore; he subsequently graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Dutch art history. Symington comes from a political family: his father, J. Fife Symington Jr., served as Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago; his cousin Stuart Symington was a U.S. Senator from Missouri. After joining the Air Force in 1967 and achieving the rank of captain, Symington was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service. He was honorably discharged in 1971. He remained in Arizona and became a real estate developer, founding his own company, the Symington Company, in 1976.
Symington was elected to the governorship in 1990 over Democratic Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard, following a close campaign that resulted in a runoff election. During his first term, Symington established charter schools in Arizona by signing sweeping education reform legislation, with the first charter schools opening in the state in 1995. The following year, during his second term, Symington signed legislation to establish the Arizona Water Bank Authority as a separate agency, allowing excess water to be acquired from the Central Arizona Project and banked in Arizona for future necessity. His term in office also oversaw the first temporary closure of Grand Canyon National Park during the federal government shutdown in November 1995. In 1997, Symington was convicted on seven counts of bank fraud, and resigned from office, but the convictions were later overturned. Before the government could retry him, Symington was pardoned in January 2001 by President Bill Clinton, whom he once saved from a rip tide off of Connecticut during his youth.
After his term as governor, Symington left public service and pursued a career as a chef, later co-founding the Arizona Culinary Institute with his business partners Jerry Moyes, Darren Leite and chef Robert E. Wilson. He has been speculated as a possible candidate for another term as Governor of Arizona, as well as considered running for the United States Senate, but has only endorsed candidates since leaving the Governor's office. Symington is also known as a witness to the infamous Phoenix Lights, a mass UFO sighting which occurred in Phoenix, Arizona on March 13, 1997.
John FifeSymington III (/faɪf ˈsaɪmɪŋtən/ fyfe SY-ming-tən; born August 12, 1945) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 19th governor...
took place on November 8, 1994, for the post of Governor of Arizona. FifeSymington, the incumbent Republican Governor of Arizona, defeated the Democratic...
training exercises at the Barry Goldwater Range in southwest Arizona. FifeSymington, governor of Arizona at the time, years later recounted witnessing the...
William Stuart Symington III (/ˈsaɪmɪŋtən/ SY-ming-tən; June 26, 1901 – December 14, 1988) was an American businessman and Democratic politician from...
1997 to 2003. She ascended to the office following the resignation of FifeSymington; Hull was elected in her own right in 1998 and served one term. She...
(190,000 m2), around 40 acres under glass. The owner, FifeSymington IV is the son of FifeSymington, who was the state governor in the 1990s. Cannabis portal...
term. One governor, Evan Mecham, was successfully impeached, and one, FifeSymington, resigned upon being convicted of a felony. The longest-serving governor...
to run for election to a full four-year term. She was succeeded by FifeSymington. Mofford told reporters in 1990 that she hoped to be remembered "as...
Wormit is a village on the south shore of the Firth of Tay in north-east Fife, Scotland. It is located at the southern end of the Tay Rail Bridge and together...
North Bergen". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 6, 2014. FifeSymington (November 9, 2007). "Symington: I saw a UFO in the Arizona sky". CNN. Dekker, Julie...
1992 Pima Gas chamber Allen Gage, Robert Wise, and Martin Concannon FifeSymington 2 John George Brewer White 27 M March 3, 1993 Coconino Lethal injection...
original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2018. Symington, Fife (November 9, 2007). "Symington: I saw a UFO in the Arizona sky". CNN. Atlanta, GA:...
Arizona in 1990, alongside the narrow election of Republican Governor FifeSymington. Mahoney led gubernatorial Democrat Terry Goddard by 50,000 votes, and...
15, 1972 – December 27, 1973 President Richard Nixon Preceded by J. FifeSymington Jr. Succeeded by Lloyd I. Miller United States Ambassador to Madagascar...
Retrieved April 1, 2015. "Jeb Bush's Arizona supporters include Dan Quayle, FifeSymington". The Arizona Republic. October 28, 2015. Archived from the original...
Jamie Tisdale as Melissa Henessey James Patrick Stuart as David Collins FifeSymington III as himself John McCain as himself Mark Withers as Bill Lauder Karl...
include author Walter Lord, sportswriter Frank Deford, Arizona Governor FifeSymington, Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich, US Senator Daniel Brewster, US Congressman...
Served his entire 17-month sentence, then pardoned in December 2000. FifeSymington III – Governor of Arizona convicted of bank fraud in 1997, the conviction...
Donald Leith Symington (August 30, 1925 – July 24, 2013) was an American stage, film and television actor. He appeared in such movies and television shows...
Maricopa County Attorney John Shadegg, former U.S. Representative FifeSymington, former Governor of Arizona Organizations Arizona Free Enterprise Club...
administration. Her candidacy was endorsed by former Arizona governors FifeSymington and Jan Brewer, Ducey, the outgoing governor; Arizona Senate president...
Global Information
United States
United States Air Force
Captain