Harvey Wesley Bolin
(1977-1978)
"One stroke of fate made Wesley Bolin governor of Arizona in Ocotber 1977. Another ended his life five months later. Bolin, Arizona's Secretary of State from 1949 to 1978, became governor when Raul Castro resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to Argentina. Bolin's brief tenure as governor ended March 4, 1978, when he died following a heart attack. Best known for his record-breaking longevity--almost 30 years-- as secretary of state, Bolin earned a national reputation as a political leader. Tall, handsome, grey-haired and dignified, the popular Democrat functioned with equal effectiveness under both Democratic and Republican State administrations.
Born at Butler, Missouri, July 1, 1908, Bolin came to Phoenix with his family in 1917. He attended Phoenix Union High School and Phoenix College, and later studied law through extension courses. He first ran for public office in 1938, when he was elected constable of the West Phoenix Precinct. He served as Justice of the Peace in that precinct from 1942 to 1948, when he entered the Democratic primary race for Secretary of State. Opposed by five well-known contenders, he surprised the pundits by winning the primary with a 10,000 vote margin. He then won the general election by 50,000 votes.
Bolin was re-elected as secretary of state every two years, rarely with serious challenges, until becoming governor in 1978. He was elected president of the National Association of Secretaries of State in 1953 and was a leader in that organization for many years. Bolin served his community well, as a Boy Scout leader, a promoter of charitable efforts, political advisor, and champion of Arizona's disadvantaged people. He was an avid horseman, and was a familiar rider in scores of Arizona rodeo parades. He was a political conservative, and a man whose self effacing personality won him thousands of friends across Arizona. Few men understood the workings of Arizona government as well as he, and few served his state longer, and more effectively."
Goff, John F. Arizona
Biographical Dictionary. Black Mountain Press. Cave Creek,
Arizona 1983.
p. 274
Wesley Bolin : "He loved Arizona" / by J. Morris
Richards.
F815.3.B65
R5x 1983b
Newsclippings of Wesley Bolin (Governor)
CE EPH GS-23
Biography of Wesley Bolin, 1908-1978.
CB BIO BOL,WES
Arizona Water Pollution Control Bill, 1967
CM MSM-386
