- Lewis Wolfley
Infobox Officeholder |name=Lewis Wolfley
nationality=American
party=Republican
office=8th Governor ofArizona Territory
term_start =April 8 1889
term_end =August 20 1890
preceded =C. Meyer Zulick
succeeded =John Nichol Irwin
date of birth=birth date|1839|10|8
place of birth=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
dead=dead
date of death=death date and age|1910|2|12|1839|10|8
place of death=Los Angeles, California
spouse=
profession =Civil engineer
religion=
footnote=Lewis Wolfley (
October 8 1839 ndashFebruary 12 1910 ) was an Americancivil engineer who served as the eighth Governor ofArizona Territory . He is commonly regarded as the first territorial governor to be a resident of Arizona at the time of his appointment and was the only bachelor to hold the position.Ref|Residency_note|AWolfley's political career was marred by his almost complete lack of political skill.Goff pp. 108-9] Much of his time as governor was spent in political infighting, which eventually led to his resignation.
Background
Wolfley was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Lewis and Elanor (Irwin) Wolfley. When he was a young child his father died, and Wolfley grew up near the border ofOhio andKentucky . His mother's family, the Ewings of Ohio, arraigned for his education which included the study ofcivil engineering and possiblylaw . As a young man he worked for railroads operating inIowa and Ohio.Goff pp. 109] Wagoner pp. 259]During the
American Civil War , Wolfley became a member of theUnion Army 's 3rd Kentucky Cavalry. He served with distinction, earning the nickname "Sherman's Fighting Major", and at the end of the war was encouraged by GeneralWilliam T. Sherman to remain with the Regular Army at his war-time rank. Wolfley left the Army with the rank of lieutenant colonel and became a federal revenue officer inNew Orleans . In 1872 Wolfley was mining inColorado , and he also worked in theDistrict of Columbia before moving to Arizona Territory in the early 1880s. In Arizona he worked as a civil engineer performing surveying work on public lands. He gained a reputation as a respected person but due to the large amount of time spent working in the field was not well known. [Goff pp. 109-110]Governorship
When Republican President
Benjamin Harrison took office, he desired to replace Democratic GovernorC. Meyer Zulick with a member of his own political party. Newspaper reports indicated fifteen to sixteen serious candidates were considered for the post, among them being former GovernorAnson P.K. Safford and Territorial DelegateCurtis C. Bean . Wolfley applied for the position directly to Harrison two days after the presidential inauguration. The application letter included information on Wolfley's war record, his six years of living in the territory, and a reminder that the Republican platform called for territorial officials to be drawn from the territory. Wolfley supporters included Generals William T. Sherman,Nelson A. Miles , andJohn Schofield along with U.S. Senator John Sherman,Russell A. Alger ,James G. Blaine , and Secretary of the InteriorJohn W. Noble .Goff pp. 110] Opposition to his nomination came from U.S. SenatorJ. Donald Cameron of Pennsylvania. The senator's nephew, Brewster Cameron of the San Rafael Cattle Company, had a previous billing dispute with Wolfley over a surveying job the nominee had done for the Arizona cattleman.Wagoner pp. 257] Despite the opposition, Wolfley received unanimous confirmation from theU.S. Senate onMarch 28 and was sworn in as Governor of Arizona Territory onApril 8 1889 .Goff pp. 112]The first issue that Wolfley faced as Governor was dealing with appointment of territorial officers. Democratic Governor Zulick, as part of his normal duties, had submitted a full slate of nominations to the
15th Arizona Territorial Legislature . The Republican controlled legislature rejected Zulick's nominations and postponed adjournment after learning of Wolfley's nomination in order to allow the new governor to appoint his own candidates. Many of the Democratic nominees refused to surrender their offices, arguing that the territorial legislature had exceeded their authorized session limit of 60 days prior to confirmation of the Republican nominees and that the Governor could only make recess appointments following the death or resignation of a current office holder. As a result, Arizona Territory effectively had two sets of territorial officers with the Democratic office holders, due to their earlier appointment, controlling the buildings and records needed to perform various duties.Wagoner pp. 260]The territorial government's ability to function was severely impacted by the two sets of territorial officials.Wagoner pp. 261] As an early step in resolving the issue, a lawsuit was filed to declare the Republican nominee for Territorial Treasurer the legitimate office holder. The court ruled in favor of the Republican nominee, but the details of the ruling left other Republican nominees reluctant to also file suit. While the courts eventually ruled in favor of Wolfley's appointments, it was his administration's withholding of salary payments that eventually forced all the Democratic nominees to surrender their offices.Wagoner pp. 263]
Wolfley's problems with infighting also extended to members of his own party. William Christy, an unsuccessful candidate for the governorship, worked with a group of supporters to remove the Governor from office.Goff pp. 113] Wolfley was also perturbed by his political opponents receiving federal appointments. An example was George Christ, who assisted Brewster Cameron in opposing Wolfley's nomination, being appointed collector of customs in
Nogales, Arizona .Wagoner pp. 264-5] Another was the appointment ofRichard E. Sloan as judge in Arizona Territory's First Judicial District. Wolfley initially supported this appointment but change position after Sloan made Brewster Cameron his clerk.Wagoner pp. 265-6]The primary accomplishment of the Wolfley administration was refinancing the territorial debt. The lower interest rate obtained by the refinancing reduced annual interest payments by US$59,006.40 per year.Wagoner pp. 268-9] In an effort to reduce transportation related price disparities between different parts of Arizona, he lobbied for creation of new railroads to connect the northern and southern halves of the territory.Wagoner pp. 275] The governor also faced several event driven concerns. The possible return of
Chiricahua Apache to Arizona became an issue following their move from Florida to Alabama by the Federal government. After several possible locations were considered, the Apache were finally settled atFort Sill in theIndian Territory (nowOklahoma ).Wagoner pp. 269] Continued migration of Mormon settlers into the territory, with their tendency to vote as a unified block, worried Wolfley to the point that he called them "a most dangerous and unscrupulous factor in politics". FinallyJames Reavis , with his fraudulent claim of aland grant in excess of convert|18000|mi2|km2, caused a disruption that took till 1904 to completely settle.Wagoner pp. 271-4]By the end of 1889, most of the territory's newspapers were calling for Wolfley's removal.Goff pp. 114] To counteract the hostilities of these papers and his political enemies, Wolfley helped found the "
The Arizona Republican " as a forum to express his views.Wagoner pp. 268] His efforts were not enough to save his job. After being asked for his resignation, Wolfley submitted his letter of resignation onAugust 20 1890 .Wagoner pp. 276, 278]After office
After his resignation, Wolfley moved to Prescott and worked as a civil engineer and surveyor.Goff pp. 116] One project Wolfley worked on was surveying of 414,000 acres along the
Atlantic & Pacific Railroad 's right or way. Another projects was an earthworks dam on theGila River . After nearly $750,000 had been spent building the dam, a flood washed out the work. During the subsequent legal proceeding, Wolfley demanded all justices on the supreme court be removed following an adverse ruling.Goff pp. 117]Wolfey made another request to become Governor in 1897, but was not nominated by President
William McKinley . By 1908 he had moved toLos Angeles, California where he attempted to use ocean waves to generate electricity. Wolfley died onFebruary 12 1910 after being struck by astreetcar . He was buried in Prescott's I.O.O.F. Cemetery.Goff pp. 117]Notes
* While Governor McCormick claimed residency, he came to Arizona after being appointed Territorial Secretary. Governor Zulick had recently moved to the territory at the time of his appointment and was working in New Jersey as a surrogate six months prior.Wagoner pp. 259]References
*
*Persondata
NAME = Wolfley, Lewis.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Arizona Territorial Governor (1889-1890)
DATE OF BIRTH =October 8 1839
PLACE OF BIRTH =Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH =February 12 1910
PLACE OF DEATH =Los Angeles, California
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