Joseph Henry Kibbey

Joseph Henry Kibbey ( born March 4, 1853 in Centerville, Wayne County, Indiana, † June 14, 1924 in Phoenix, Arizona ) was an American politician and from 1905 to 1909 governor of the Arizona Territory.

Early years

Kibbey attended the public schools and later studied law at Earlham College in Richmond. He was admitted to Virginia Bar Association in 1875 and then practiced until 1888 in Richmond. He also worked for two years as a prosecutor in Richmond. On 10 January 1877 he married Nora Burbank. For health reasons he moved to Arizona in 1888.

Arizona

Kibbey was appointed associate judge in 1888 at the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court. He negotiated the Kibbey Decision, which allowed the trading of land and water in Arizona. His term of office as a judge ended in April 1893. During his political career, he was twice the Republican chairman of Maricopa County, and three times territorial Chairman. In November 1897, he was a prosecutor of Phoenix and a councilor in the 22 Territorial Legislature of 1903. Thereafter, he was appointed in November 1904 Territorial Attorney General.

Territorial Governor of Arizona

President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Kibbey 1905 Territorial Governor of Arizona. Immediately after he had taken office, Kibbey was confronted with the problems concerning a bill in Congress, Arizona and New Mexico should gain statehood, but both united into a single state. He promised rather resign, to pass as this bill. The draft law was passed by Congress, however. Having a condition stating that each territory had to vote for the project At the last vote, 16,265 spoke out against the bill and only 3,141 for this. The result was that the project was off the table.

Some of its main proposals were the prohibition of gambling, the restriction of spirits and tobacco, as well as the prohibition of prostitution. He created the Territorial Railroad Commission, which was the forerunner of the Arizona Corporation Commission. He also created the Greenlee County.

Kibbey advocated the taxation of mines, which ultimately cost him his governorship. Mining companies were able to delay his re- nomination by the president Theodore Roosevelt, because they knew that the new President William Howard Taft would not nominate him as governor. He left office on May 1, 1909, as a nominated Taft Richard Elihu Sloan.

Later years

After his time as governor was Kibbey Consul of the Salt River Valley Water User 's Association and wrote their articles of incorporation. In 1916, he ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He died on June 14, 1924 in Phoenix and was then buried in the Greenwood Memorial Park.