John Jacob "Jay" Rhodes III (September 8, 1943 – January 20, 2011) was 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 ...

Representative from

Arizona's 1st congressional district Arizona's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona, covering northeastern Maricopa County. Before 2023, geographically, it was the eleventh-largest congressional district in the country and inc ...

Youth and education

Rhodes was born in Mesa, Arizona. His father and namesake, John Jacob Rhodes, represented the 1st district from 1953 to 1983. As a result, the younger Rhodes spent much of his youth in

Washington, D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

He graduated from the

Landon School Landon School is a private, college preparatory school for boys in grades 3–12, with an enrollment of approximately 680 students, in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Background Paul Landon Banfield and his wife, Mary Lee, fo ...

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

(1961); graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

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(1965) with an A.B., and 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 ...

College of Law in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

with a J.D. (1968). Rhodes joined the

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in 1968, served in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, and left as a captain in 1970. He was admitted to the Arizona State bar in 1968 and commenced practice in Mesa. Rhodes was a Republican district chairman (1972–1982), served on the Mesa Board of Education (1973–1976), and served with

Central Arizona Water Conservation District The Central Arizona Project (CAP) is a 336 mi (541 km) diversion canal in Arizona in the southern United States. The aqueduct diverts water from the Colorado River to the Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge south portion of Lake Havasu ne ...

(1983–1986).

While in Congress

After his father's successor, John McCain, was elected to the

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, Rhodes jumped in the Republican primary for his father's seat, anchored in the East Valley. Despite his name recognition in the district, he faced a tough contest in the four-way Republican primary—the real contest in this heavily Republican district. While he won the nomination, it was only by 5,000 votes, and he fell far short of a majority. Nonetheless, he romped to victory in November with 71 percent of the vote. He was reelected almost as easily in 1988, and in 1990 no Democrat even filed to run against him. Rhodes appeared to be a heavy favorite for a fourth term in 1992. His district had become even more Republican on paper when redistricting shifted several majority-Hispanic neighborhoods in Phoenix to the 2nd District. However, his Democratic challenger, Sam Coppersmith, hammered Rhodes for several ethical lapses. In one of the biggest upsets in Arizona political history, Coppersmith defeated Rhodes by just over six points. After his defeat, he remained in Washington, D.C.

Accident and death

Rhodes died on January 20, 2011, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Rhodes had been treated for three fractured

vertebrae The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates, Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristi ...

he sustained in an automobile accident in October 2010. He was found unconscious ten days before his death and began suffering organ failure. He was survived by his wife, Jane, sons John, Taylor, Jeremy, Dennis and Arthur, and mother, Betty Rhodes.

Notes

External links

Finding Aid to the John J. Rhodes Papers at Arizona State University
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, John Jacob, III 1943 births 2011 deaths United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Arizona lawyers Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Politicians from Mesa, Arizona Military personnel from Arizona University of Arizona alumni Yale University alumni United States Army officers Deaths from organ failure Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American lawyers