Ninety eight years ago today Arizona officially became a state. We were the last of the 48 contiguous states to be admitted to the union. This is my favorite AZ history story:
Senator Henry Ashurst presided over the convention that adopted AZ’s state constitution and later became one of our first 2 Senators. He used to tell on himself the story of his maiden speech in the U.S. Senate. “Mr. President,” he began, “The new baby state I represent has the greatest of potential. This state could become a paradise. We need only two things: water and lots of good people.” A gruff senior senator from New England interrupted, “If the Senator will pardon me for saying so, that’s all they need in Hell!”
Happy Statehood Day, AZ!
Yours Truly,
An AZ Native
Oh, and Happy Valentines Day!
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Thanks for reminding about AZ statehood. Of course the greatest thing AZ ever did was give birth to Barry Goldwater, who paved the way for Ronald Reagan. Since then, AZ has gone down the toilet – just witness what the late govenor has been doing at the federal level, plus the traffic rivals LA. But the State is still great.