W. A. Saunders
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the Apache County district
In office
January 1921 – December 1922
Preceded byE. I. Whiting
Succeeded byFred Colter
Personal details
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
ProfessionPolitician

W. A. "Art" Saunders was an American cattle rancher and politician from Arizona. He served a single term in the Arizona State Senate during the 5th Arizona State Legislature, holding the seat from Apache County.[1] In addition, he served several years as a supervisor on the board of supervisors in Apache County, as well as the county surveyor in Navajo County.

Biography

Saunders operated a cattle ranch in between St. Joseph and Penzance, near Holbrook.[2][3] In 1908 he ran for Navajo County surveyor, and won in the November general election.[4][5] In 1911, he ran for re-election, easily defeating his Democrat opponent, Charles Perkins.[6][7] In 1912, he was one of the founding members of the Stockmen's Association of Navajo and Apache Counties, and served as its president.[8][9] In 1914, he sold his ranch near Penzance to the Babbitt Brothers. After the sale, he and his partner, Tom Tucker, purchased the Long H. ranch in Apache County.[3] He also managed the ranch.[10] In addition to managing the ranch, Saunders was also the foreman of the Tucker-Church Cattle Company.[11]

In 1916, he was one of two Republicans elected to the County Board of Supervisors in Apache County.[12] In 1917, Saunders and two partners formed the Apache Cattle Company.[13] In August 1917, after the United States entered World War I, Saunders volunteered for the army and was sent to Fort Leon Springs in Texas for officer training.[14] In October 1917, he injured his arm during training, and was discharged.[15][16] In January 1919, Saunders resigned his position as one of the supervisors of Apache County.[17] In 1919, Saunders brother was killed when the horse he was riding fell and rolled on him. Saunders raised his brother's son, Harry as his own.[18]

In 1920 he was selected by the Republicans to run for the sole state senate seat from Apache County. He narrowly defeated Democrat A. J. McKay in the November election.[19][20] He did not run for re-election in 1922.[21] In September 1922, Saunders was chosen to be the land examiner for the Santa Fe Railway in Arizona and New Mexico, which necessitated him to move to their headquarters in Kingman, Arizona, Mohave County. Simultaneous to this appointment, Saunders culminated a deal with the Babbit Brothers to purchase their significant holdings in Apache County. In addition, Saunders procured the option on the adjoining lands of C. H. Odell. These transactions created one of the largest cattle ranches in the United States.[22][23]

In December 1924, Saunders married Edith Hill of Kingman, in a wedding ceremony in San Francisco, California.[24] Edith died suddenly on May 29, 1929, in a hospital in Gallup, New Mexico. She was taken to Fulton, Kansas for burial.[25] His nephew, Harry, had attended Edith's funeral, having flown in from Virginia, where he was serving in the Army at Langley Field. On his return to Langley following the funeral, the plane he was flying crashed in foggy conditions in Maryland, killing both him and his engineer.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "History of the Arizona State Legislature 1912-1966". State of Arizona. p. 81. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Untitled". The Holbrook News. July 30, 1909. p. 4. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "Big Cattle Deal". The Holbrook News. March 20, 1914. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Republican County Ticket". Holbrook Argus. October 13, 1908. p. 4. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Un-Official Election Returns of Navajo County, Arizona, November 3, 1908". Holbrook Argus. November 10, 1910. p. 4. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Republican Ticket". The Holbrook News. November 10, 1911. p. 4. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Official Election Returns". The Holbrook News. March 8, 1912. p. 5. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Untitled". Holbrook Argus. August 13, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Navajo and Apache Stockmen's Convention". The Coconino Sun. February 5, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Untitled". The Holbrook News. August 27, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Sold Sheep and Ranches". The St. Johns Herald. April 5, 1917. p. 2. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "President Wilson Is Re-Elected". The Holbrook News. November 10, 1916. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Cattle Company Organized". The Holbrook News. February 16, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Untitled". The Holbrook News. August 24, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Untitled". The Holbrook News. October 19, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Untitled". The St. Johns Herald. October 11, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Proceedings of Board of Supervisors, Apache County". The St. Johns Herald. January 30, 1919. p. 3. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. 1 2 "Harry Saunders to Have Been Married Day After Crash Of Airplane That Took His Life, Uncle Writes To U". Arizona Daily Star. June 23, 1929. p. 1. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Brief Local Notes". The St. Johns Herald. November 4, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Proceedings of Board of Supervisors, Apache County". The St. Johns Herald. November 25, 1920. p. 3. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Official Election Returns". The St. Johns Herald. November 30, 1922. p. 8. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Appointed Santa Fe Land Examiner". Mohave County Miner and Our Mineral Wealth. September 15, 1922. p. 6. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ "W. A. Saunders Will Take Over Babbit Brothers Cattle At Pine Springs". The Coconino Sun. September 15, 1922. p. 10. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Santa Fe Man Weds In San Francisco". The Arizona Republican. December 10, 1914. p. 16. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ "Santa Fe Railroad Man's Wife Is Dead". The Arizona Republican. May 30, 1929. p. 1. Retrieved August 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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