John Verkamp (born c. 1940) is an American attorney and politician in Arizona. He served as a county attorney for 12 years, and was elected to four terms as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

state representative. He served one term as a state senator, but decided not to run for re-election in 2002 after redistricting moved his base of Flagstaff to a primarily Democratic district. Continuing to disagree with the Republicans over the issues of the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

, which he opposed, in 2005 Verkamp joined the Democrats.Paul Giblin, "Verkamp running against Pederson"
''East Valley Tribune'', 5 May 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2012 He filed to run in 2006 as a Democrat for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

,Andrea Stone, "Immigration may play a key role in Arizona's Senate race"
''USA Today'', 17 May 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2012. but was late and failed to qualify for the primary.

Early life and education

John Verkamp was born about 1940 in Grand Canyon Village, Arizona. His family has operated a store at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park for three generations, since 1906. He went to elementary and high school there. He earned his bachelor's degree from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

in 1962. He went on to law school, gaining his JD degree in 1965 from the University of Arizona. Verkamp entered the U.S. Army, serving from 1965 to 1970, in the U.S. and Germany. He achieved the rank of captain.

Career

He built a private practice in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he lived until 2004.

Political career

In 1980, Verkamp was elected as

Coconino County Coconino County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from ''Cohonino'', a name applied to the Havasupai p ...

Attorney. He was re-elected twice and served a total of three terms, to 1992. While County Attorney, Verkamp was elected president of the Arizona County Attorneys’ and Sheriffs’ Association in 1985-86. He was active in other related associations.

State office

In 1992, Verkamp ran for state office and was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives from the 2nd district. He was re-elected three times, serving a total of four terms, until 2000. That year, he was elected to the Arizona State Senate. During his service he became Chairman of the Commerce Committee. Through this entire period, he worked on issues related to education, health care and the environment. In 2002, the Republican-dominated state legislature redistricted, moving Flagstaff from its former district, which had included

Sedona Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...

and Kingman, to a new district containing the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

. In recent years, its members have historically supported Democratic Party candidates for the state legislature. Verkamp decided against running for re-election in the new district. His former State Senate seat has been won by Democrats since the redistricting. In 2004, Verkamp moved from Flagstaff to Phoenix to be near his children and grandchildren. An opponent of the

, which started in 2003, and a supporter of single-payer health care, Verkamp in December 2005 left the Republican Party over those issues. He filed to run in 2006 as a Democrat for

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, saying his opponents were not addressing the Iraq War. As Verkamp was a late entry in the race, he did not gather enough petition signatures to qualify for the September 12 primary election ballot. His opponent in the primary would have been the Democrat Jim Pederson. The Republican incumbent, Jon Kyl, defeated his challenger and won re-election for a third term in November 2006.

References

External links