The 7th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of 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 ...

which convened on January 6, 1873, in Tucson, Arizona Territory.

Background

The

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

continued within

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...

. Dissatisfied with the situation, Governor Anson P.K. Safford and

Territorial Delegate to Congress A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

Richard C. McCormick had successfully lobbied for a replacement to General

George Stoneman George Stoneman Jr. (August 8, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a United States Army cavalry officer and politician who served as the fifteenth Governor of California from 1883 to 1887. He was trained at West Point, where his roommate was Stonewall ...

as commander of the

District of Arizona District of Arizona was a subordinate district of the Department of New Mexico territory created on August 30, 1862 and transferred to the Department of the Pacific in March 1865. District of Arizona (Dept. of New Mexico) commanders Headquarter ...

. Replacing the general was Colonel

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nantan ...

who was bringing new methodologies to the fight. Following the establishment of a public school system by the previous legislature, Arizona's first public school had opened in March 1872. On a more private level, Governor Safford and his wife Jenny had experienced a public falling out of their marriage following the death of their infant son. The situation had escalated to the point where she had printed and distributed pamphlets claiming he had committed marital infidelity and contracted a venereal disease.

Legislative session

The legislative session began on January 6, 1873.

Governor's address

Governor Safford gave his address to the session on January 17, 1873. In regards to the Apache situation, he stated "The hostility of Indians strikes at the life of our people, retards immigration, prevents development of our resources, and impoverishes the masses." In more mundane matters, Safford reported on the need to revise the territorial legal code, build a prison, and make provisions for the care of the insane. He also declared Arizona's " great diamond mine" a hoax.

Legislation

Among the session’s accomplishments was the transfer of a section of

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 population ...

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 6 ...

. They also changed the name of Arizona City to Yuma. The legislature authorized Governor Safford to print an immigration pamphlet promoting the territory. They also passed a resolution to commend General Crook. Finally the legislature passed granted a divorce to the Governor and his wife.

Members

References