Evan Mecham

Evan Mecham
Mecham, circa 1987
17th Governor of Arizona
In office
January 5, 1987 – April 4, 1988
Preceded byBruce Babbitt
Succeeded byRose Mofford
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the Maricopa County district
In office
1961–1963
Serving with Joe Haldiman
Preceded byHilliard Brooke
Frank Murphy
Succeeded byHilliard Brooke
Paul Singer
Personal details
Born(1924-05-12)May 12, 1924
Duchesne, Utah, U.S.
DiedFebruary 21, 2008(2008-02-21) (aged 83)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Resting placeNational Memorial Cemetery of Arizona
Political partyRepublican (Before 1992)
Independent (1992–2008)
Spouse
Florence Lambert
​
(m. 1945)​
Children7
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1943–1945
Rank Second Lieutenant
Unit U.S. Army Air Forces
Battles/warsWorld 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 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 made 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.

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.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Lost Coattails was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Sullivan, Patricia (February 23, 2008). "Evan Mecham, 83; Was Removed as Arizona Governor". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ Biggers, Jeff (February 14, 2017). "Arizona Once Elected A Governor Like Trump... And Impeached Him". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  4. ^ Johnson (2002), p. 38.
  5. ^ Watkins (1990), p. 11.
  6. ^ Johnson (2002), p. 36.
  7. ^ 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.