Evan Mecham

Evan Mecham
Mecham c. 1987
17th Governor of Arizona
In office
January 5, 1987 – April 4, 1988
Preceded byBruce Babbitt
Succeeded byRose Perica Mofford
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the Maricopa County district
In office
1961–1963
Serving with Joe Haldiman Jr.
Preceded byHilliard T. Brooke
Frank G. Murphy
Succeeded byHilliard T. Brooke
Paul L. 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.[1]
Resting placeNational Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Florence Lambert
​
(m. 1945)​
Children7
ProfessionAutomotive dealer
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service U.S. Army Air Forces
Years of service1943–1945
Rank Second Lieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War II
Awards

Evan Mecham (/ˈmiːkəm/ MEE-kəm; May 12, 1924 – February 21, 2008) was an American businessman and politician. He was the 17th governor of Arizona from January 5, 1987, until his impeachment conviction on April 4, 1988.[2] He was very unpopular in Arizona because many of the things he said were seen as racist and was accused of hiring close friends and family to high state jobs.[3]

Mecham was removed from office following conviction in his impeachment trial on charges of obstruction of justice and misuse of government funds—funds. In his later career, he unsuccessfully ran for governor again and for the United States Senate against John McCain.

Mecham died at a retirement home in Phoenix, Arizona on February 21, 2008 from problems caused by Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease at the age of 83.[4][1][5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sullivan, Patricia (February 23, 2008). "Evan Mecham, 83; Was Removed as Arizona Governor". The Washington Post.
  2. ↑ Biggers, Jeff (2017-02-14). "Arizona Once Elected A Governor Like Trump... And Impeached Him". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  3. ↑ Chu, Dan (August 24, 1987). "Arizona's Outspoken New Governor, Evan Mecham, Seems to Enjoy Diving Straight into Political Hot Water". People. 28 (8). Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Ex-Arizona governor Evan Mecham shows symptoms of dementia". Associated Press. October 20, 2004. Archived from the original on October 26, 2004.
  5. ↑ Flannery, Pat (February 22, 2008). "Former Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham has died". The Arizona Republic.