Robert Nelson "Bob" Leatherwood (June 1, 1844 – April 3, 1920) was an American businessman and politician who served three terms in the

Arizona Territorial Legislature The Arizona Territorial Legislature was the legislative body of Arizona Territory. It was a bicameral legislature consisting of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Council. Created by the Arizona Organic Act, the le ...

and two years as Mayor of Tucson, Arizona Territory.

Biography

Leatherwood was born to William and Elizabeth (Nelson) Leatherwood near Haysville, North Carolina in June 1844. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, he served as a member of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. Leatherwood saved his uniform and cap following the war and often wore them on special occasions. While he was small of stature, standing and weighing , he was considered an individual full of "valor and grit". Leatherwood married and the union produced one son. In 1869, Leatherwood moved to Tucson, Arizona Territory and lived there for the rest of his life. He operated a livery stable and had mining operations in the

Santa Catalina Mountains The Santa Catalina Mountains, commonly referred to as the Catalina Mountains or the Catalinas, are north and northeast of Tucson in Arizona, United States, on Tucson's north perimeter. The mountain range is the most prominent in the Tucson area, w ...

. In addition to his mining interests, Leatherwood built a ranch in the Santa Catalinas. Politically, Leatherwood was a member of the Tucson

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

from 1874 through 1879. He also served as a

school trustee A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional ar ...

and was elected Mayor of Tucson for 1880. During his term of office, the Southern Pacific Railroad reached Tucson. To celebrate the March 20, 1880 arrival, Leatherwood appointed eight committees to help organize the festivities and served as chairman of both the Committee on Toasts and Speeches and the Committee of Reception. In 1885, Leatherwood represented

Pima County Pima County ( ) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the populati ...

in the Council (

upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

) during the

13th Arizona Territorial Legislature The 13th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which began on January 12, 1885, in Prescott, Arizona. The session's accomplishments included allocation of a variety of territorial institution ...

. He was returned to the territorial legislature two years later, serving in the lower house during the 14th Arizona Territorial Legislature. Leatherwood's final term in the legislature was during the 1893 session. By the late 1880s, Leatherwood was a deputy sheriff serving under Charles A. Shibell. He was elected Pima County Sheriff on November 6, 1894 and served in the office from 1895 through 1898. After leaving office he retired to private life. Leatherwood died from a heart attack on April 3, 1920. He was buried in Moss Memorial Graveyard,

Cherokee County, North Carolina Cherokee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It borders Tennessee to its west and Georgia to its south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,774. The county seat is Murphy, elevation 1604 ft. History ...

. Despite rumors to the contrary, Leatherwood was not buried in his Civil War uniform.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leatherwood, Robert Nelson 1844 births 1920 deaths Members of the Arizona Territorial Legislature Mayors of Tucson, Arizona People from Clay County, North Carolina Arizona pioneers Arizona city council members People of North Carolina in the American Civil War Arizona Democrats Confederate States Army personnel Arizona sheriffs