Wesley Bolin

{{short description|American politician (1909–1978)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Wesley Bolin |image = Wesley Bolin (Arizona governor).jpg |caption = |order = 15th Governor of Arizona |term_start = October 20, 1977 |term_end = March 4, 1978 |predecessor = Raúl H. Castro |successor = Bruce Babbitt |order2 = 12th Secretary of State of Arizona |term_start2 = January 3, 1949 |term_end2 = October 20, 1977 |governor2 = Dan Edward Garvey John Howard Pyle Ernest McFarland Paul Fannin Samuel Pearson Goddard, Jr. Jack Williams Raúl H. Castro |predecessor2 = Curtis M. Williams |successor2 = Rose Mofford |birth_name = Harvey Wesley Bolin |birth_date = {{birth date|1909|7|1}} |birth_place = near Butler, Missouri, U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|1978|3|4|1909|7|1}} |death_place = Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |party = Democratic |profession = Businessman |alma_mater = Phoenix College La Salle Extension University |signature = |footnotes = }}

'''Harvey Wesley Bolin''' (July 1, 1909 – March 4, 1978) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 15th governor of Arizona between 1977 and 1978. His five months in office mark the shortest term in office for any Arizona governor. Prior to ascending to the Governorship, Bolin was the longest serving Secretary of State of Arizona, serving 28 years from 1949 until he succeeded to the governorship in 1977 following the resignation of his predecessor.

==Life and death== right|thumb|A view of the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza Harvey Wesley Bolin was born on a farm near Butler, Missouri, a son of Doc Strother Bolin (1878–1946) and Margaret (Combs) Bolin (1885–1966).<ref name="Association">{{cite book |date=1974 |title=National Association of Secretaries of State Handbook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9j4kAQAAIAAJ&q=%22attended+isaac+school,+phoenix%22 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=National Association of Secretaries of State |page=15 |via=Google Books}}</ref> His family moved to Arizona when he was six, and Bolin was raised and educated in Phoenix.<ref name="Association"/> He attended Isaac Elementary School,<ref name="Association"/> graduated from Phoenix Union High School, and attended Phoenix College.<ref name="Sobel">{{cite book |last1=Sobel |first1=Robert |last2=Raimo |first2=John |date=1978 |title=Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978 |volume=I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F30iAAAAMAAJ&q=%22wesley+bolin%22+%22lasalle%22 |location= Westport, CT |publisher=Meckler Books |page=60 |isbn=978-0-9304-6600-8 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Bolin became active in the dry cleaning business and completed an LL.B. degree from La Salle Extension University.<ref name="Sobel"/>

Active in politics as a Democrat, Bolin was elected constable of West Phoenix Precinct in 1938.<ref name="Sobel"/> From 1943 until 1948, he was the West Phoenix Precinct's justice of the peace.<ref name="Sobel"/> While serving as a justice, Bolin was one of the organizers of the Arizona Justices of the Peace and Constables Association.<ref name="Association"/>

Bolin served as Arizona's secretary of state for a total of 28 years, 9 months, 17 days (or 10,518 days), and remains the longest-serving secretary of state in Arizona history.<ref>[http://www.azsos.gov/public_services/kids/sos_whos_who.htm Arizona Secretaries of State Since Statehood] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211171542/http://www.azsos.gov/public_services/Kids/sos_whos_who.htm|date=December 11, 2007}}</ref> He was first elected to the state's second highest-post in 1948 and was re-elected every two years between 1950 and 1968, when executive offices had two-year terms, and twice more in 1970 and 1974, when four-year terms began. Only in his last three runs did he encounter significant challenges, culminating in him almost losing his thirteenth campaign in 1974.

He succeeded to the governorship in October 1977 after the previous governor, Raúl H. Castro, was named ambassador to Argentina by President Jimmy Carter. Under the Arizona Constitution, the secretary of state, if he or she was elected to that position, is first in line to fill a vacancy in the governorship. Bolin was the second secretary of state to succeed to the Arizona governorship, after Dan Edward Garvey in 1948. In 1977, the State Bar of Arizona presented Bolin its first Liberty Bell Award in recognition of his responsibility as keeper of the laws.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=February–March 1978 |title=Wesley Bolin: The Governor of Arizona |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=932&dat=19780208&id=hTxTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZIMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5740,2714218 |work=Mohave: Newspaper Supplement to the Kingman Daily Miner |location=Kingman, AZ |pages=16–17 |via=Google News}}</ref>

Bolin died at home of a heart attack on March 4, 1978.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 4, 1978 |title=Gov. Bolin Dead |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57253363/gov-bolin-dead/ |work=Tucson Citizen |location=Tucson, AZ |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=March 5, 1978 |title=Heart Attack Claimed Bolin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57253458/claimed-bolin/ |work=Arizona Daily Sun |location=Flagstaff, AZ |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at multiple sites, one in each of Arizona's 14 counties.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=March 11, 1978 |title=Bolin's Ashes Scattered |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57252964/bolin-ashes/ |work=Tucson Citizen |location=Tucson, AZ |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

After Bolin's death, Bruce Babbitt succeeded to the governorship.<ref name="Sweitzer">{{cite news |last=Sweitzer |first=Paul |date=March 5, 1978 |title=Flagstaff's Bruce Babbitt Becomes Governor Following Bolin's Death |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57253527/flagstaffs-babbit/ |work=Arizona Daily Sun |location=Flagstaff, AZ |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Rose Mofford had been appointed by Bolin to finish his term as secretary of state, but was ineligible to succeed him as governor because she had not been elected to her office.<ref name="Sweitzer"/> Babbitt, then serving as state Attorney General, was next in the line of succession and had been elected to his post.<ref name="Sweitzer"/> He finished the remaining nine months of the term, then was elected to two terms as governor in his own right.

The Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza near the capitol in Phoenix, Arizona, was named after him, and has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://phoenix.gov/ARTS/pridepts.html|title=Phoenix Points of Pride|access-date=October 18, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001123029/http://phoenix.gov/ARTS/pridepts.html|archive-date=October 1, 2006}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.nga.org/governor/wesley-bolin/ Wesley Bolin] at National Governors Association

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | before=Curtis Williams | title=Secretary of State of Arizona | years= January 3, 1949 – October 20, 1977 | after=Rose Perica Mofford }} {{succession box | before=Raúl H. Castro | title=Governor of Arizona | years=October 20, 1977 – March 4, 1978 | after=Bruce Babbitt }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolin, Wesley}} Category:Democratic Party governors of Arizona Category:Secretaries of state of Arizona Category:American Congregationalists Category:1909 births Category:1978 deaths Category:Politicians from Phoenix, Arizona Category:People from Bates County, Missouri Category:20th-century Arizona politicians