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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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1910-01-01 |
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| Name | Thomas F. Weedin |
| Address |
Florence, Arizona , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
December 15, 1854
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| Died | September 30, 1916
(61 years)
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| Contributor | Thomas Walker |
| Last Modifed | Thomas Walker
Jun 24, 2020 02:07pm |
| Tags |
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| Info | Among the interesting and distinguished citizens of Arizona who left their mark on the communities in which they lived, Thomas F. Weedin was editor and publisher for many years of the newspapers in Florence.
His career included several years as clerk of the United States District Court, service in three sessions of the territorial legislature, mayor of Florence, candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor when Arizona became a state, and registrar of the United States Land Office in Phoenix.
Weedin was born in Cooper County, Missouri, on December 15, 1854. His first exposure to journalism was at the age of nine years when he went to Kansas City and became a newsboy for the Kansas City Times. From there he went to St. Louis, where he gave his attention entirely to journalism until 1873. From St. Louis he went into Tennessee and established "this first journal” known as the Brownsville Democrat.
By 1875 he had disposed of the Tennessee paper and became editor of the Daily Herald at Fremont, Nebraska. The following year he went to Omaha to be city editor of the Omaha Herald. After two years he went westward to become editor of the Daily Prospect at Silver Cliff, Colorado.
There he became interested in mining and prospecting, so abandoned journalism for a time. This interest took him to Silver City, New Mexico, and in 1880, to Tombstone, Arizona, where he found nothing attractive in prospecting, but took a position for a time as a printer.
He moved from Tombstone to Prescott, where he also worked for a short time as a printer, and then, feeling that the thriving town of Florence, on the Gila River in Pinal County, offered the best opportunities, he went there and established the Florence Enterprise in 1881. The first issue appeared in March of that year.
Weedin published the Florence Enterprise until after the election of Grover Cleveland as President of the United States in 1884, and with the beginning of the new administration in 1885, he accepted appointment as clerk of the United States District Court in Florence.
In 1884 Weedin was elected to the Council in the Territorial Legislature from Pinal County, and appeared in Prescott in January 1885 to serve his term. There is no evidence to connect him directly with the bad reputation earned by that session, but the fact that a bridge over the Gila River at Florence was authorized by the 13th Legislature that winter could indicate that he was busy during the session.
When Weedin surrendered the post of clerk of the district court in 1900, he returned to the newspaper business by establishing the Florence Blade, and shortly thereafter acquired the Florence Tribune and combined them in the Arizona Blade-Tribune.
He became active in Democratic politics in Arizona almost as soon as he arrived in the territory, and from 1882 onward was a prominent figure in all Democratic conventions. It was his party activity that gained him the appointment as clerk of the district court, and much later as registrar in the land office.
He gained prominence on a territory-wide basis during his service in the Council of the 24th and 25th legislatures from 1907 to 1910. The wide acquaintance he gained during those years, and the familiarity with all problems of the territory through service there caused him to seek the nomination for governor when Arizona first attained statehood. He opposed George W. P. Hunt in the primary election, being somewhat conservative as compared with the more radical tendencies attributed to Hunt.
As a member of the Council of the 24th Legislature in 1907, he was instrumental in obtaining passage of a bill that would move the Territorial Prison from Yuma to Florence, and to obtain the necessary appropriation to begin construction of the initial buildings there.
Weedin began early to promote a reclamation project for the Casa Grande Valley, envisioning with other leaders in the Gila River Valley an area between the point where the river emerges from the hill country above Florence to the vast acreage westward to the junction of the Gila and Salt Rivers.
The ideal location for a storage dam was known as the San Carlos dam site just below the junction of the San Carlos with the Gila. There was competition between the Casa Grande and the Salt River Valley for federal funds with which to establish a major reclamation project, and it was natural for the people of Phoenix to oppose any diversion of funds until the great Theodore Roosevelt Dam was assured. It was natural, too, that the people of Florence and Casa Grande should resent the activities of Salt River boosters against the construction of the San Carlos.
Keeping abreast of new developments in the printing business. Weedin announced that the Blade-Tribune was getting a new home and new equipment in the spring of 1910.
A month later he announced that he was one of the Arizona Democrats who had been asked by the territorial party chairman, Joseph P. Dillon, to go to Washington to assist Arizona’s congressional delegation in their fight for separate statehood for Arizona, by furnishing all information that might be needed for the congressional committees considering the statehood bill.
Weedin was tireless in his support for statehood, and a month after the Arizona delegation arrived in Washington, the Enabling Act was passed. This opened the way for the Arizona Constitutional Convention in the autumn of 1910.
He supported the new system of Arizona government which gave the people the opportunity to recall unsatisfactory officials and the referendum in connection with legislation.
Even though Weedin received the political support of many newspapers for the governorship of the territory, it was the entry of Dr. H. A. Hughes of Phoenix into the 1911 Democratic primary campaign for governor that seemed to divide the opposition to Hunt. Dr. Hughes carried on his campaign until four days before the election, then suddenly withdrew. This action came without warning, and gave the Weedin forces no chance to organize for capturing the Hughes following. There were those, too, who said that the political atmosphere of the times favored a candidate with the radical posture of Hunt.
The Arizona Silver Belt of Globe, which had praised Weedin during the campaign as “a man of many parts, pioneer, newspaperman, territorial legislator, Arizonan in every sense of the word,” conceded Hunt’s nomination on October 25, the day after the primary election.
As a reward for party loyalty and leadership for so many years, and because of his ability in so many avenues of life, he was appointed in 1913 as registrar of the United States Land Office in Phoenix.
Death came to Thomas F. Weedin on September 30, 1916 at his home in Phoenix. His daughter, Jennie F. Weedin, was with him at the end. Cause of death was said to be “blood poisoning from an amputated toe,” which he suffered two weeks before he died.
Historian James H. McClintock described him in these words:
"Practically all of the vital and important interests which go to make up the sum of human existence have at some time claimed the attention of Thomas F. Weedin, editor, businessman, statesman and public spirited citizen. His activities have been as varied as they have been important, and in their effects as beneficial as they have been far reaching.
"He stands at all times for progress, reform and advancement in municipal affairs, and in the border political circles of the county and state he has made his name a synonym for all that is worthy and acceptable in public service."
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