A Hard-Fought Birth: Arizona’s Road to Statehood

George Pusch and Arizona Statehood

• George Pusch was a successful businessman who served in the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1891 and 1899.
• When delegates were elected to the Arizona Constitutional Convention in 1910, George Pusch was elected as one of five Republican delegates from Pima County.
• Pusch served on two standing committees:
  • • Public Service Corporations Other Than Railroads
    • Public Debt, Revenue and Taxation
• George held strong views on taxation. As early as 1889, he stated: “If it (statehood) will result in any increase in taxation, I would say no.”
• The Constitutional Convention consisted of 52 delegates:
  • • 41 Democrats
    • 11 Republicans
• The proposed Constitution included a provision allowing the recall of all public officials, including judges, who were often viewed as being controlled by large corporations and railroads.
• Divided along party lines, all but one Republican delegate, including George Pusch, refused to sign the Constitution because of the judicial recall provision.
  • • George Pusch and the other Pima County delegates returned home without signing the document, leaving Pima County with no signatures on the Constitution sent to Congress for ratification.
• In 1910, President William Howard Taft vetoed approval of the Arizona Constitution because he believed the recall of judges would upset the balance of governmental powers.
  • • At the time, judges on the nation’s highest courts and in many states generally held lifetime appointments.
• Congress would not approve Arizona’s Constitution until the judicial recall provision was removed.
  • • Two years later, Arizona voters complied and removed the provision.
• On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1912, President Howard Taft signed the proclamation admitting Arizona as the 48th state.
  • • Later that same year, Arizona voters amended the Constitution and reinstated the judicial recall provision.

President Taft signing Arizona into statehood on February 14, 1912. (Library of Congress photo)

Other resources:

The Arizona Constitution: The Unabridged Edition, by Arizona State University Center for American Civics

A Hard-Fought Birth: Arizona’s Road to Statehood, by Devon Sloan as featured in OV Style Magazine, February 2025, page 9

It wasn’t an easy “birth”, and one Oro Valley connection was very much involved. That person was George Pusch, owner of Steam Pump Ranch. Not only was he a cattleman, Pusch was also owner of an ice storage facility and a butcher shop located in Tucson, a director of the Arizona National Bank, a member of Tucson’s city council, and an Arizona Territorial Legislature member. (Remember, we weren’t a state, and still a part of New Mexico, thus territory instead of State legislature). But how he was involved with the “birth” of Arizona, was as a representative to the 1910 Arizona Constitutional Convention. It took 2 years after that convention met for Arizona to be “born”. You ask, “Why so long?”

A little background – after the Gadsden Purchase was signed on December 30, 1853, Arizona and New Mexico were now part of the United States, no longer a part of Mexico. Throughout many years, the Arizona legislature sent documents to the U.S. House of Representatives requesting statehood, and finally in June 1910, Congress passed an act to authorize the people of the New Mexico and Arizona Territories to form state constitutions and state governments, which would provide for the admission of each state (separately) into the Union once those constitutions were approved by Congress. The “birth” of Arizona was imminent.

Arizona Constitutional Convention Signed, December 10, 1910

Not so fast! The progressive constitution which Arizona presented included a statement that included the ability to recall public officials because it was thought at the time that they were controlled by large companies and the railroads. George Pusch and four other representatives from Pima County disagreed with that and refused to sign the constitution as drafted. It took two more years for Congress to approve a revised Arizona constitution which removed the recall provision after voters agreed. President Taft finally signed the proclamation which admitted Arizona to the Union on February 14, 1912. That’s definitely a day we can all remember since Arizona is high on the list of things we love!

And George Pusch? He undoubtedly signed on to the constitution which was presented to President Taft…however during the next election cycle, that recall provision was voted on and added back into the Arizona constitution, an act with which Pusch certainly disagreed. However, it was done. Arizona was now a state, and Pusch lived in the STATE of Arizona until his death in 1921.

Rest in peace, George, and thanks for your hard work giving “birth” to Arizona!