Election deniers in old-time, and modern Phoenix, Arizona


If you're an old history buff, like me, you know that there's really nothing new under the sun. Nowadays I'm reading a lot about election deniers, and it got me to thinking about a similar situation in Phoenix in 1917.

A peaceful transition of power of an elected official after an election is something that I've always taken for granted, but it can't be easy. And it can't be pleasant for the person who has lost, and needs to vacate the office, but that's just the way that democracy works. When you're voted out, you gather up your stuff, and leave with dignity.

Let's time-travel back to January of 1917 in Phoenix, Arizona, after Tom Campbell won the election to be the new governor, and replace George W. P. Hunt. But Hunt didn't want to leave. And here ya go, from the newspaper article on January 2nd:


"Within the doors of the office he should have left yesterday morning, were fifty men, national guardsmen on furlough, and civilians, armed with Springfield rifles, and prepared to prevent the entrance of the new governor." Here's a link to the whole article if you want to read it https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/az_iguana_ver01/data/sn84020558/00202193353/1917010201/0168.pdf

Happily, it was all sorted out, and no one got hurt, except maybe their feelings. And if there's a lesson to be learned here, it's that things don't always go smoothly, and that democracy is often quite messy. And I'm inclined to think if you quaffed a beer or two at the Central Hotel with some of the people who tried to keep the new governor from taking over, they'd probably sound a lot like people who deny elections nowadays. Nothing really changes.

Thank you for the encouragement! If you want to see daily pics of my adventures on my recumbent trike in suburban Phoenix (just for fun, of course!) you can follow me on buymeacoffee.com/bradhall, and you can buy me a coffee if you'd like to!

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