The Administration of Alexander 0. Brodie: Arizona
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The administration of Alexander O. Brodie, Arizona Territorial Governor, 1902-1905 Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Kittell, Larry Waite, 1940- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 06/10/2021 16:02:50 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/566314 THE ADMINISTRATION OF ALEXANDER 0. BRODIE: ARIZONA TERRITORIAL GOVERNOR, 1902-1905 by Larry Waite Kittell A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 7 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfill ment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowl edgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the inter ests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: HARWOOD P. HINTON Date Professor of History PREFACE Whipped by the winds of "manifest destiny" the United States entered a war with Spain in 1898. Victory transformed the American Republic from a continental to a world power and domestic politics became increasingly progressive. The dynamic era was a highly romantic one and the prevalent spirit of the new imperialism was perhaps best epitomized by Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders whose valiant charge up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War captured the imagination of the American people. A grateful nation venerated the Rough Riders and at least two of its leaders attained high political office. In 1901 Theodore Roosevelt ascended to the office of President of the United States and in less than a year, he appointed his comrade, Alexander 0. Brodie, to the position of Governor of Arizona Territory. Brodie, a West Point graduate, had come to Arizona as a young man and had fought in the Indian campaigns of the 1870's. He later resigned his military career and became a civil and mining engineer in Yavapai County where he soon rose to prominence. By 1898 he had become an influential mining and ranching entrepreneur and an aspiring Republican politician of minor note. Sensing that war with Spain was inevitable he conceived the idea of a volunteer cavalry and iii iv promptly organized a fighting force which became the Arizona contingent of the Rough Riders. By virtue of his military instruction, Brodie became the military backbone of the organization. Whether destiny or coincidence produced the meeting of Roosevelt and Brodie, the two men discovered in each other a mutual affection that lasted a lifetime. Their comradeship during the Spanish-American War was the most important factor in Brodie1s later career. It ultimately led him to the governorship of Arizona Territory. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a study of the life of Alexander Oswald Brodie, with especial focus on his administration as Governor of Arizona Territory from July 1, 1902 to February 14, 1905. It is hoped that by so doing, a segment of Arizona's past will be better understood and thus appreciated. A more thorough study of Brodie1s life was envisioned, but the lack of materials limited this project. Of the manuscript collections consulted, the Papers of Theodore Roosevelt proved especially valuable. Correspondence between Brodie and George Smalley, his private secretary, and James H. McClintock, a Rough Rider comrade and later Arizona state historian, was most helpful. Government documents and Territorial newspapers comprised . the major source of information for the study of Brodie1s administration. I would like to thank Dr. Harwood P. Hinton, director of this thesis and a truly fine teacher, for his V assistance and encouragement. His continued confidence has proved a major source of inspiration. I am also grateful to Dr. Paul M. Maginnis, whose tutelage and example has left an indelible impression in my quest for knowledge. Special gratitude is extended to my mother, whose struggle against oppression has yielded an example for life. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT........................................... vii CHAPTER I. A VARIED WESTERN CAREER ..................... 1 II. GOVERNOR OF ARIZONA TERRITORY .............. 34 III. 1903: YEAR OF DECISION, ACHIEVEMENT, AND STRUGGLE............................... 65 IV. CHALLENGE, TRIUMPH, AND REWARD .............. 97 V. A NEW ARMY CAREER AND RETIREMENT............ 129 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................. 150 vi ABSTRACT Born in 1849, Alexander Oswald Brodie had wealthy parents. Graduating from West Point in 1870, he commenced a varied western career. Lieutenant Brodie fought Apaches in Arizona, Nez Perce in Washington, ranched in Kansas, mined in Dakota, and returned to Arizona in 1884, a civil- mining engineer. Brodie soon became an influential mining- ranching entrepreneur. In the Spanish-American War, he organized and led the Arizona contingent of "Roosevelt's Rough Riders." In 1902, President Roosevelt appointed his cherished comrade, Alex Brodie, governor of Arizona. Brodie1s administration, characterized by honesty and integrity, ranks among the Territory's most significant. He opposed misappropriation of funds, secured fiscal responsibility, supported labor, increased Arizona Ranger effectiveness, and removed politics from education. Upon his recommendation, Roosevelt and Laguna Dams were secured and admittance of Arizona and New Mexico as one state was prevented. Brodie enjoyed universal press support and worked harmoniously with democratic legislatures. In 1904, Brodie gained control of the Arizona Republican party and delivered a Roosevelt-committed delegation to the national convention. He resigned in 1905 accepting a War Department position. Subsequently, he served as Adjutant General in vii viii the Philippines, Dakotas, and California. Colonel Brodie retired in 1913, settled on a New Jersey estate, and lived as a gentleman-soldier until death in 1918. CHAPTER I A VARIED WESTERN CAREER On May 4, 1898, more than two hundred men climbed aboard a train at Prescott, Arizona, with shouts of farewell from several thousand citizens ringing in their ears. Organized and led by Alexander O. Brodie, West Point graduate and Indian war veteran, this group was the Arizona contingent of the First United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, which was being raised for service in the war with Spain. A week later the Arizonans reached San Antonio, Texas, where they reported to the regimental commander, Colonel Leonard Wood, and began their training. By virtue of his extensive military experience, Brodie received the commission of major of the regiment soon to be called the Rough Riders. Here he also met Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, who would play an important role in his life in the years ahead. The Spanish-American War was short, and by fall Brodie had returned to Arizona. Upon becoming President, Theodore Roosevelt did not forget his Rough Rider buddies, particularly Alexander Brodie. On July 1, 1902, 1 2 he appointed his esteemed friend the Governor of Arizona Territory.^ A Scotsman by heritage, Alexander Oswald Brodie enjoyed a background of wealth and prestige. He was born in the town of Edwards in St. Lawrence County, New York, on November 13, 1849, one of four children of Joseph and Margaret (Brown) Brodie. His father was an influential citizen of St. Lawrence County, the largest and northernmost county of New York, and held several local elective offices. Young Brodie attended the local public schools and commenced his collegiate instruction at St. Lawrence University, but soon received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Admitted with a group of thirty- three young men on July 1, 1866, he graduated on June 15, 1870, twenty-seventh in a class of fifty-eight. A tall, thin man standing five feet ten and one-half inches, Brodie had deep-set, penetrating blue eyes and dark hair. In later life, he invariably wore a well-trimmed yet drooping 1 1. H. Charles Herner, The Arizona Rough Riders (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1970), pp. 12-13, 24, 36, 40, 54, 217-18, 220-21. Harlan Charles Herner cites Alexander O. Brodie as the first to take direct action in raising a volunteer cavalry for action in Cuba. Virgil Carrington Jones, Roosevelt's Rough Riders (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Co., 1971), pp. 182-88, credits Roosevelt with the initial conception to raise a volunteer force of cowboys and western men. Confirmation of Alexander 0. Brodie as Governor of Arizona effective July 1, 1902, Conqressional Record. 57 Cong. 1 Sess., XXXV (1902), 5115, 5436. 3 2 mustache. His appearance suggested both dignity and character. Second Lieutenant Brodie received orders in October of 1870 to join the First Cavalry Regiment stationed at Camp Thomas (Camp Apache) in East-Central Arizona. After a short leave, he went west, arriving at the frontier post in January of 1871. At Thomas, the government was attempting to settle the Coyotero (White Mountain) Apaches near the camp. There was a strong citizen feeling against the Indians and many clamored for their extermination. It was imperative that the various bands be moved onto reserva tions. During 1870, Brevet Major General George Stoneman, commanding the newly created Department of Arizona, had urged the Apaches to locate near military posts, where they would not be bothered by prospectors or settlers.