Paul Fannin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromArizona | |
| In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Barry Goldwater |
| Succeeded by | Dennis DeConcini |
| 11th Governor of Arizona | |
| In office January 5, 1959 – January 4, 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Ernest McFarland |
| Succeeded by | Sam Goddard Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Paul Jones Fannin (1907-01-29)January 29, 1907 Ashland, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | January 13, 2002(2002-01-13) (aged 94) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Resting place | Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary/Cemetery Phoenix, Arizona |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Lorenza Brown[1] Elma Addington |
| Children | 4, includingBob |
| Alma mater | Stanford University (BA) |
Paul Jones Fannin (January 29, 1907 – January 13, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. ARepublican, he served as aU.S. Senator fromArizona from 1965 to 1977. He previously served as the 11thgovernor of Arizona from 1959 to 1965.
Paul Fannin was born inAshland,Kentucky, to Thomas Newton and Rhoda Catherine (née Davis) Fannin.[2] His father worked as a dairy farmer and also owned a harness shop.[2] Fannin and his family moved toPhoenix, Arizona, when he was eight months old due to his father's health.[3] He received his early education at Kenilworth Elementary School, and graduated fromPhoenix Union High School in 1925.[4]
Fannin attended theUniversity of Arizona for two years before transferring toStanford University, where he received aBachelor of Arts degree in business administration in 1930.[5] He then returned to Phoenix, where he joined his family's hardware business.[4] He and his brother Ernest later established the Fannin Gas and Supply Company, a gas and petroleum equipment company.[3] He served as president of the company from 1945 until 1956, when he and his brother sold the company.[2]
In 1934, Fannin married Elma Addington, to whom he remained married until her death in 2001. The couple had one daughter and three sons,[2] includingBob Fannin.[6]
AconservativeRepublican,[7] Fannin was electedGovernor of Arizona in 1958, defeatingAttorney GeneralRobert Morrison by nearly 30,000 votes.[3] He was sworn into office on January 5, 1959.[8] He was re-elected in 1960 and again in 1962.[5]
During his tenure, Fannin increased funding for the public school system by raising sales taxes, equalized property taxes, established the first medical school in the state, and created the Arizona-Mexico Commission to promote tourism and trade across the border.[8] He also served as chairman of theWestern Governors Association, as well as a member of the Executive Committee of Council of State Governors and of the National Civil Defense Advisory Council.[5]
In 1964, when SenatorBarry Goldwater declined to seek re-election in order to run forPresident of the United States, Fannin was elected to succeed him in theU.S. Senate. He defeatedDemocratRoy Elson, an aide to SenatorCarl Hayden, by a 51–49% margin.[5] He was re-elected to a second term in 1970, receiving 56% of the vote.[7] He did not seek re-election to a third term in 1976.
During his Senate career, Fannin was a hard-line conservative, often voting with Senator Goldwater on the issues, including his vote against theEqual Rights Amendment in 1972. As the ranking Republican on theSenate Interior Committee, he was a spokesman for PresidentsRichard Nixon andGerald Ford on energy policy; he opposed new limits on strip mining and tighter reins on federal lands.[7] He also joined conservative Democratic Senators to preserve the clause of theTaft–Hartley Act that let the states decide whether to prohibit mandatory membership for workers in unionized shops. In 1968, he became the principal sponsor behind theCentral Arizona Project, which diverted water of theColorado River to central and southern Arizona.[7]
Fannin voted in favor of theVoting Rights Act of 1965,[9] but did not vote on the confirmation ofThurgood Marshall to theU.S. Supreme Court and voted againstCivil Rights Act of 1968.[10][11]
During part of his tenure in the Senate, Fannin sat at thecandy desk. He continued to live inPhoenix, Arizona, until he died of a stroke on January 13, 2002. He is buried atGreenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery in Phoenix.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor of Arizona 1959–1965 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Arizona 1965–1977 Served alongside:Carl Hayden,Barry Goldwater | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee for Governor of Arizona 1958,1960,1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee for U.S. Senator fromArizona (Class 1) 1964,1970 | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
