Guide to the
George W. P. Hunt (1859-1934) Collection, 1709-1955
CALL#: MSS-48
VOLUME: 44 Boxes: 22 linear ft.
PROCESSED BY: Robert P. Spindler (February, 1990); Roann Monson
PROVENANCE:
The George W.P. Hunt Collection was received in
two accessions. Diaries, biographical materials,
personal correspondence and miscellaneous publications and
notebooks were received from Mrs. W.E. Frund (Virginia Hunt) in
1954 (ACC#54-038). Personal, business and political
correspondence,
genealogical and biographical materials, notebooks and scrapbooks
were purchased from a dealer in 1978 (ACC# 78-038).
COPYRIGHT:
Arizona State University does not own copyright to this
collection. The Department of Archives and Manuscripts recognizes
that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to
publish information from this collection from the owner of
copyright.
RESTRICTION:
Access to the original diaries in this collection has been
restricted by the Department of Archives and Manuscripts because of
the fragility of the material. See the Curator of Manuscripts
regarding access to the original diaries.
PROCESSING:
The George W.P. Hunt Collection was reprocessed in 1990 in
order to improve subject access and preserve the collection. The
original box and folder numbers have been retained in order to
insure consistency of existing published citations to the material.
However, when a folder number includes letter designations (e.g. 1-1F) the original (overfilled) folder has been divided into a group of folders in order to properly house the material. When a folder number is followed by "OV", this indicates that oversized material from that original folder has been housed in larger flat boxes. In some instances the entire content of an original folder has been rehoused in an oversize container.
Bibliography and Related Collections
Hunt worked at a number of odd jobs at Globe, and served as a delivery boy for A. Bailey and Company, a general store that eventually became the Old Dominion Commercial Company. He would become president of the retail outfit in later years. Hunt was elected to the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1893 and served until 1898, when he left politics to pursue business and personal interests.
Hunt was married to Helen Duett Ellison in 1904, and later that year he was elected to the territorial legislature once again.
He was elected president of the legislative council in 1905 and again in 1909. Hunt was elected president of the Arizona Constitutional Convention in 1910 and was elected the first governor of the state of Arizona in 1912. He served as governor until January, 1917, when he surrendered his office to Thomas E. Campbell after the disputed election of 1916. Hunt was reinstated by the courts in December of 1917, but declined to run in 1918. While he was out of office, Hunt served as a federal labor conciliator at the request of President Woodrow Wilson.
In 1920 President Wilson nominated Hunt as US Minister at Siam, a post he held until September, 1921. Hunt returned to the governor's office in January, 1923 and served until his attempt for re-election was defeated in 1928. He defeated the incumbent Governor John C. Phillips in 1931 and served his final term as governor until 1933. George Hunt died at his home in Phoenix in 1934.
I. POLITICAL/PROFESSIONAL CORRESPONDENCE
II. PERSONAL PAPERS
III. NOTEBOOKS/SCRAPBOOKS/PUBLISHED MATERIALS
IV. DIARIES
V. MEMORABILIA
The POLITICAL/PROFESSIONAL
CORRESPONDENCE in this
collection
extends from 1901-1935, and is largely concerned with Hunt's work
as Governor of Arizona. A calendar of these letters is available
from the reference archivist. The letters have been divided into
broad subject categories, including "Constitution/Statehood",
"Constitutional Convention", "Government/Politics", "Highway
Construction", "Old Dominion Commercial Co.", and "Prison Reform".
The "Constitution/Statehood" files include letters from a
number of prominent individuals offering their comments and advice
on the proposed Arizona Constitution produced in 1910.
Correspondents include Sen. Robert M. LaFollette (1/5/11),
President Woodrow Wilson (1/11/11), William Jennings Bryan (3/1/11,
3/23/11, (resp.) 3/28/11), Governor Chase Osborn of Michigan
(1/19/11), and Lindley W. Keasbey of the University of Texas at
Austin. Arizonans Mulford Winsor, A.F. Parsons and Amos W. Cole
are regular correspondents in these files. Of particular interest
are letters from representatives of the Arizona Equal Suffrage
Campaign Committee (1/27/11, 8/24/11, 10/23/11) and Kansas Equal
Suffrage Association (2/16/11). A paper by Wiley E. Jones entitled
"Can Arizona and New Mexico be Admitted as States by Act of
Congress Alone..." is included with his letter of May 12, 1911.
The "Constitutional Convention" files include a number of
letters from Mulford Winsor and various university presidents and
faculty members concerning the proposed constitution. A letter
from Senator Jonathan Bourne of Oregon (12/29/10) contains
particularly lucid comments on the constitution. An undated
document (Box 1, Folder 10A) entitled "Model Constitution of Ohio"
contains a number of holograph insertions and deletions.
The "Government/Politics" files contain a wide variety of
materials extending from 1907-1927. These materials include a
number of letters of support for Hunt from Arizonans and often
contain election returns and comments upon political conditions in
various localities. Regular correspondents include Ed Chilson,
John T. Hughes and Mulford Winsor. These files also contain a
number of interesting items. Roll call slips from the 24th
Territorial Legislature for House bills 2-160 are housed in Box 1,
folder 3. A letter from the Arizona Cattle Growers Association
(2/24/07) expresses support for retention of the Arizona Rangers.
A number of letters from Francis W. Munds (1/14/12, 9/5/16,
9/10/18, 9/17/18, 11/24/18) of the Arizona Equal Suffrage Campaign
Committee are included in these files. Of particular interest is
a letter from Hunt to the Second Arizona Legislature (5/27/15)
requesting commutation of the death sentence of five Mexican
citizens. Telegrams from William Jennings Bryan and various
Mexican officials are enclosed with the letter. Correspondence
from May and June of 1916 concerns Mother Jones' visit to Arizona
and her support for Hunt. A leaflet criticizing the politics of
Hunt and Mother Jones entitled "Some Gems of Thought by Mother
Jones" is located in Box 2, folder 3A. Other correspondence from
John T. Hughes over the summer of 1916 regards establishment of a
Spanish language newspaper at Tucson entitled El Combate. A letter
from Hunt to the Arizona Gazette (5/25/18) refutes a recent
editorial concerning Hunt's sympathy for the International Workers
of the World (IWW). A mob action in the Clifton-Morenci mining
district in the winter of 1915-16 is described in a letter from
Norman Carmichael of Clifton (5/25/18). Hunt's reply to Carmichael
is dated June 4, 1918.
The "Government/Politics" correspondence from 1923-26
contains information regarding the Colorado River Controversy. A
letter from W.S. Norviel (3/26/23) responds to Hunt's "attack" upon
his work as Arizona State Water Commissioner. This letter includes
transcriptions of a number of communications regarding survey work
for the Boulder Canyon "High Line Canal" and other irrigation
projects. A letter from A.G. McGregor (7/24/25) concerns funding
of Colorado River projects and the Swing-Johnson Bill. A
typescript of Henry S. McCluskey's speech before the Los Angeles
Realty Board (9/29/25) describes plans for development of the
Colorado River and criticizes the Colorado River Compact.
Correspondence from 1926 includes a series of cordial letters
between Hunt and Governor George H. Dern of Utah regarding Colorado
River negotiations, and a letter from Hunt to Henry F. Ashurst
(2/3/26) concerning the testimony of witnesses before the Senate
Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation. A letter from Hunt to
Dwight B. Heard (5/5/26) refutes Heard's statement describing
Hunt's political alliances and serves as a broad summary of the
differences between Hunt and Heard positions on a number of issues.
The "Highway Construction" files also contain some items of
particular interest. A letter from Henry F. Ashurst to Hunt
(5/1/13) discusses appropriations for construction of Post Roads
from Holbrook to Springerville. Hunts' response is dated May 8,
1913. A letter from the State Engineer (unidentified) to the Board
of Supervisors of Globe (11/29/13) describes the use of prison
labor in road construction. A description of administration of
highway work (e.g. organization, funding, etc.) is provided in a
letter from E.P. Adams to Sen. Dorsey W. Shackleford of Missouri
(1/9/14). F.G. Twitchell's letter to the Gila County Board of
Supervisors (2/1/14) contains an operations report for a road
construction camp listing costs and production figures. An
unsigned addendum to this report is dated March 5, 1914.
The "Prison Reform" files contain a number of important
documents concerning Hunt's reforms in general and the capital
punishment issue. Correspondence from 1912 deals with a variety of
administrative matters including a number of requests for
commutation of sentences. Letters written during May, 1912 concern
a proposal to use the Fort Grant Military Reservation as a
"reformatory institution". A letter from Robert B. Sims
(Superintendent, Arizona State Prison) to Hon. C.S. Potts of
Austin, Texas provides details of the road work program for
convicts. This letter is enclosed with a cover letter to Hunt
dated November 18, 1912. Prison Reform correspondence for 1913-14
describes Hunt reforms in a number of areas including parole of
prisoners, censorship of prisoner's mail, prisoner entertainment
and capital punishment. Many of these letters were written by J.J.
Sanders, who was appointed Superintendent of the Arizona State
Prison in 1913.
The "Miscellaneous Subjects" files concern a wide variety of
topics, some of which overlap with the subject files described
above. A 1907 report on the status of the Territorial Asylum for
the Insane is included in Box 1, Folder 2. A series of letters
from Mulford Winsor in 1909 concern Winsor's possible dismissal as
Arizona State Historian by Governor Sloan. A letter from Michael
G. Cuniff to Hunt (12/26/11) describes Sharlot Hall's
qualifications for the position of State Historian. A letter from
J.J. Healey of Phoenix to Hunt (2/23/12) and a series of letters
written from August-December of 1912 relates to alleged mob
violence perpetrated against Healey at Parker. These documents
include Healey's description of his attempts to initiate a state or
federal investigation. A letter from the Acting British
Consul-General at San Francisco to Hunt (4/4/13) contains
additional documentation of the Healey affair. A transcript of the
Grand Jury proceedings in the Healey affair is located in Box 3,
Folder 23A. The use of detectives and hired men for harassing mine
workers and unemployed men at Jerome is described in a letter from
representatives of the Socialist Party at Bisbee, Arizona
(5/31/13). Similar activities by an individual investigator known
as "Gila Monster" or "Maricopa Slim" are described in a series of
letters written between May-August of 1913. A letter from Mulford
Winsor (1/10/14) discusses the transportation and location of Elk
in the Sitgreaves National Forest. A letter from Mother Jones to
Hunt (1/16/20) concerns national politics and anti-Communist
activities.
The "Miscellaneous Subjects" files for 1920 and 1921 mostly
concern Hunt's activities as US Minister at Siam. However, many of
the letters are from Hunts' personal friends and contain references
to Arizona and United States politics. Regular correspondents
include Mulford Winsor, Edna W. Corbett and Thomas Coleman, a
sailor assigned to the USS Helena. Coleman's letters give details
of his life at sea and continue after Hunts' return from Siam. An
undated report with photographs on the Chiengmai Leper Asylum is
located in Box 2. Folder 24. An important letter from Arthur P.
Davis of the US Department of the Interior (2/13/23) includes a
preliminary report on sites for Glen Canyon Dam and compares them
with sites in Boulder Canyon. An undated letter from Hunt to
Senator Marcus A. Smith describes Allan B. Jaynes attempt to block
Hunt's confirmation as Minister to Siam on the grounds of sympathy
with the IWW.
The Capital Punishment letterbook at the end of this series
contains correspondence from Arizona citizens for and against
executions. An index to the letterbook lists the city of residence
for each correspondent.
The PERSONAL PAPERS series comprises
correspondence,
biographical and genealogical documents, bills and receipts and
printed matter. Genealogical Material includes research notes and
correspondence as well as Hunt's application for membership in the
Sons of the American Revolution. The Miscellaneous Family
Documents are comprised of bills, receipts, correspondence and
estate papers mostly relating to the Christian family of Kentucky.
The correspondence in this series is composed of letters
from family and friends. Letters written from 1879-1892 are mostly
those received by Hunt from his mother and friends from Globe.
Letters from Hunts' mother (Sarah E. Hunt) generally concern the
health and activities of family members. Correspondence from
friends usually relates news of Globe and activities of past and
present citizens of Globe. After 1892 the correspondence is
dominated by letters from Duett Ellison, who married Hunt in 1904.
These letters generally concern family affairs and news of friends
and acquaintances, but political affairs are occasionally addressed
as well. As Hunt advanced in his political career the
correspondence from his friends became more politically oriented.
As a result many letters from friends touch upon political issues
during Hunt's tenure as Governor.
A number of interesting items are included in the personal
correspondence. A poem entitled "In Honor of the Democratic
Candidates of Gila County" and a political cartoon depicting the
state of Arizona sinking into a tureen of Democratic soup (11/9/92)
are located in Box 5, Folder 3. A letter from William M. Griffith
(US Marshall) to Hunt (10/16/97) indicates that Hunt was subpoenaed
to testify in an unidentified case "on behalf of the Govt. before
the U.S. Court." Hunt's self-portrait is enclosed with his letter
to Duett of August 26, 1906. A letter from Sharlot Hall (6/5/08)
concerns locations of the graves of Arizona pioneers and the state
of historical collections in Arizona. A letter from Frances W.
Munds (Arizona Equal Suffrage Campaign Committee) to Hunt (7/21/10)
regards his candidacy for the Constitutional Convention delegation
and his position on equal suffrage. Letters to Duett during the
convention provide a sense of the atmosphere of the proceedings
rather than the details. Hunts' letter to Duett of August 2, 1912
describes his journey with a road crew from the State Prison at
Florence to the construction site near Globe. Another letter to
Duett (8/20/12) describes an epidemic of an unidentified disease
resulting in infantile paralysis and includes a copy of the "State
Quarantine Orders." A letter from Leroy A. Ladd (Hunt's Secretary)
to Duett Hunt (8/4/13) describes a national survey of governor's
wives and includes a copy of Duetts' response to the survey.
The NOTEBOOKS/SCRAPBOOKS/PUBLISHED
MATERIALS series contains
information regarding Hunt's political career and his private life.
Poems of Sarah Elizabeth Yates Hunt is a privately published
compilation of poetry by Hunt's mother. The volume includes a
memorial of Mrs. Hunt by her sister Virginia Yates McCanne and a
photograph of Mrs. Hunt and her two sons taken in 1865.
The 1898-1932 Notebook contains political, biographical and
genealogical newsclippings. The 1915 Notebook contains a list of
Arizona representatives at the US Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York
for the christening of the battleship USS Arizona. The
Holbrook-St. John's Highway Notebook contains compilations of
elevations taken along the route.
Miscellaneous Memo Books consist of five volumes containing
a wide variety of material. The 1911-14 volume contains names of
Hunt's acquaintances listed alphabetically by city and by last name
under each city. The 1914-1919 volume includes poetry, personal
health notes, a photograph of Duett and Virginia Hunt (1914) and a
list of Colorado River Commission members. The 1918-1919 volume
includes additional health notes. The 1923-32 volume contains
notes on Duett's final illness and records of her funeral costs.
"Peace Upon the Earth" is a signed carbon typescript of E.
S. Yamamoto's essay. The 1915-1932 Notebook includes a list of
Hunt's acquaintances and personal notes on those that impressed
him. The volume also includes personal financial notes and lists
of gifts given to friends.
The balance of the "notebooks" in this collection provide
information on a number of subjects. The Addresses notebook (Box
10, Folder 5) includes a list of "friends" in the 1st Arizona
Regiment (1916), a list of visitors taken to Florence Prison
1913-16, and 1914 and 1916 election results compiled by county and
then by precinct. The "Misc. Government/Personal" notebook (Box
10, Folder 6) contains information on distribution of pheasants,
turkey propagation and a register of plants (1919-24) probably
acquired for the Hunt residence. The notebooks housed in Boxes
11-12 relate to a wide variety of personal and political topics.
The notebooks described as "Personal Matter" contain private
correspondence and public speeches mostly relating to Arizona
politics and government. Many of these notebooks were indexed, and
the indexes have been reproduced in the Appendix to provide
additional access to this material. Of particular interest is the
1914 letter from Hunt to Wiley E. Jones (Arizona Attorney General)
deferring the executions of Eduardo Perez, N.B. Chavez and
Francisco Rodriquez (Box 12, Folder 2, pp.133-135). A letter from
Hunt to Newton D. Baker (US Secretary of War) concerns the need for
federal troops in the Globe-Miami, Ray and Ajo mining districts
(Box 12, Folder 5).
The Newsclippings and Scrapbooks in this series are almost
entirely associated with Hunt's political career. Scrapbooks
identified with "OV" next to the folder number are in oversize
archival containers. The "Constitutional Convention" scrapbook is
comprised of printed petitions and propositions to the convention
with some brief holograph notes. The 1882-1905 ledger (Box 16,
Folder 3) consists of personal accounts and some Globe Hospital
Association records. The Globe Hospital Association Record Book
lists patients admitted and released and elected officers.
Miscellaneous Publications consist of political pamphlets
and printed editions of various speeches and statements concerning
the Colorado River controversy, capital punishment and prison
reform. Of particular interest is a copy of the Standing Rules of
the Arizona Constitutional Convention (Box 17, Folder 2), and a
copy of J.J. Sanders pamphlet Prisoner's Mail (Box 19, Folder 1A).
The President's Mediation Commission Testimony is a
transcript of the testimony of various witnesses on the mining
strike at Globe in 1917. The "Compiled Messages of the ...
Governors of Arizona" is a two-volume set of typescripts and
published documents compiled by Henry S. McCluskey.
The Hunt DIARIES include the original
volumes produced by Hunt and transcripts of the material. Access
to the original volumes has been restricted in order to preserve
the material. Transcripts are available for diaries written
between 1913-1934. The diaries provide a glimpse of Hunt's daily
activities and insight into Hunt's character. His personal views
on political events and acquaintances are recorded in brief and
candid statements. Diaries written while Hunt served in Siam
generally concern Hunt's work as US Consul, and provide little
information on political affairs in Arizona during his absence.
MEMORABILIA comprises empty
notebooks, wallets, pins
and buttons, a desk calendar (1932), a wooden curio box and
business cards.
Boes, Charles Peter, The Biography of George W. P. Hunt, Tempe,
Arizona State University, 1960.
Goff, John S., George W. P. Hunt and His Arizona, Pasadena,
California, Socio Technical Publications, [1973].
Hunt-LeFebvre Presentation Album. Photographs. (HU 2.1 - 2.49/A)
Johnson, Alan Vernon, Governor George W. P. Hunt and Organized
Labor, Tucson, University of Arizona MA Thesis, 1964.
McCluskey, Henry Stanley. Papers, 1908-1963. (MSS-54)
Osburn, Charles R.,"Through the Papago Country", Presentation Album
w/ Photographs. (HU 13/A)
Stuart, William Plato. Stuart Family Papers, 1903-1963. (MSS-77)
Warren, Collette. Photographs. (SPC-99)
Photographs removed from this collection and other photographs
relating to Hunt are available. Consult the Arizona and Southwest
Collections Index for further information.
A number of published speeches by Hunt are available at the ASU
Libraries. Consult the General Catalog for further information.
Additional George W. P. Hunt Papers are located at the Arizona
Department of Library, Archives and Public
Records, the Arizona
HIstorical Foundation, the Arizona Historical
Society, Tucson, and
the Department of Special Collections, University of
Arizona.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RELATED COLLECTIONS
Arizona Supreme Court, The Decision of the Supreme Court in the
Hunt-Campbell Contest, Phoenix, s.n., 1917?
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Last updated: June 30th, 1998
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