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

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 ...

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 ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

. After graduating in 1896, Moeur moved to Tempe, Arizona and started a medical practice. He was a representative for

Maricopa County Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about ...

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 National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

to stop the construction on

Parker Dam Parker Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam that crosses the Colorado River downstream of Hoover Dam. Built between 1934 and 1938 by the Bureau of Reclamation, it is high, of which are below the riverbed (the deep excavation was necessary in ...

, which was being built primarily to divert more water to the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

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 California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

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 The Double Butte Cemetery is the official name given to a historic cemetery in Tempe, Arizona. The cemetery was founded in 1888 on the baseline of the Double Butte Mountain for which it is named. It is the final resting place of various notable pi ...

Personal life

Moeur married Honor G. Anderson in 1896. His wife was the sister of Guess Eleanor Birchett (1881–1979) who was known as "the Bird Lady of Tempe".

Legacy

In 1939, as a WPA project, Tempe

Normal School A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

(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 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

-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