Benjamin Baker Moeur (December 22, 1869 – March 16, 1937) was an American physician who served as the fourth governor of Arizona.

Biography

Born in

Decherd, Tennessee Decherd is a city in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,246 at the 2000 census and 2,361 at the 2010 census. History Peter Decherd came to the area in 1831 from Franklin County, Virginia and set up a plantation. In t ...

, Moeur attended medical school in Little Rock, Arkansas. After graduating in 1896, Moeur moved to Tempe, Arizona and started a medical practice. He was a representative for Maricopa County at the State of Arizona Constitution Convention in 1910. He also served on the Tempe School Board and served as the Secretary of the Board of Education for Arizona State Teacher's College (the precursor to

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

) in Tempe. During Moeur's governorship, he mobilized the Arizona National Guard to stop the construction on Parker Dam, which was being built primarily to divert more water to the Los Angeles area. The mobilization was partly an embarrassment, as the troops arrived via an antiquated

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

, which became stranded. Its troops were rescued by workers from California working at the dam. Moeur's primary motive, however, was later vindicated by the United States Supreme Court when it ruled that California and the Bureau of Reclamation were constructing Parker Dam illegally because the dam had never been properly authorized. Subsequent legislation rectified this error and construction continued apace. Governor Moeur served two terms (1933–1937) and died 71 days after he left office. He died in Tempe, where he is buried at the Double Butte Cemetery.

Personal life

Moeur married Honor G. Anderson in 1896. His wife was the sister of

Guess Eleanor Birchett Guess Eleanor Birchett (March 28, 1881 – January 30, 1979) was an American self-trained ornithologist and naturalist. She was known as "the Bird Lady of Tempe". In 1989 she was inducted into the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame. Biography Guess ...

(1881–1979) who was known as "the Bird Lady of Tempe".

Legacy

In 1939, as a WPA project, Tempe Normal School (later known as

) constructed the B. B. Moeur Activity Building on the main Tempe campus. The building was originally the women's activity center, later being remodeled and used as the university's admissions office. The building now houses the Mars Space Flight Facility, a NASA-funded research center directed by Dr.

Phil Christensen Philip Russel Christensen (born 1953) is a geologist whose research interests focus on the composition, physical properties, processes, and morphology of planetary surfaces, with an emphasis on Mars and the Earth. He is currently a Regents' Prof ...

. Dr. Moeur has been honored since 1901 by the now Arizona State University via the Moeur Award. The Moeur Award is given to the student or students with the highest academic standing in terms of GPA, and is thus also considered the equivalent to a Valedictorian Award (which is not directly offered by Arizona State).

Gallery

Tempe-Double Butte Cemetery-1883-Gov. Benjamin B. Moeur.JPG, The grave site of Benjamin B. Moeur ; Sec. 04–283 in Double Butte Cemetery Tempe-Moeur Park-1933-1.JPG, Entrance to Moeur Park which was established in 1933 and is located on Mill Ave

References

External links

Biography at the Tempe Historical Society

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moeur, Benjamin Baker Democratic Party governors of Arizona 1869 births 1937 deaths People from Franklin County, Tennessee Politicians from Tempe, Arizona Physicians from Arizona School board members in Arizona Arizona State University alumni