Rose Mofford

Rose Mofford served as the governor of Arizona from 1988-1991, the first female governor of Arizona. Mofford had a 51-year career in state government, from her first position as a secretary to her term as governor.

Mofford was born in Globe, Arizona, on June 10, 1922. After high school, she worked as a secretary, first in the Arizona state treasurer's office and then the Tax Commission, and then was the business manager for Arizona Highways magazine for several years. She became assistant secretary of state in 1953, a position she held until 1975 when she became assistant director of the State Revenue Department, formerly the Tax Commission.

In 1977, Mofford was appointed Arizona secretary of state, the first to hold that position in the state. She was elected secretary of state in 1978 and served until becoming acting governor in 1988 when Governor Evan Mecham was impeached. Mofford declined to run for a full term in 1990.

Mofford died on September 15, 2016.

Sources:

State of Arizona. (n.d.). Rose Mofford. Retrieved on June 3, 2020 from https://azsos.gov/about-office/secretaries-since-statehood/rose-mofford.

National Governors Association. (n.d.). Gov. Rose Mofford. Retrieved on June 3, 2020, from https://www.nga.org/governor/rose-mofford/.