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Rose MoffordAmerican politician
Date of Birth: 08.08.1922
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Rose Mofford: First Female Governor of Arizona
- State Government Career
- Political Career
- Later Life and Legacy
- Personal Life
Rose Mofford: First Female Governor of Arizona
Early Life and EducationRose Mofford (née Perica) was born on June 10, 1922, in Globe, Arizona. The youngest of six children of Austrian-Hungarian immigrants, she excelled in academia and athletics. Mofford was the first female class president in Globe High School's history and played on the All-American softball team. Despite her basketball prowess and an offer to join the All American Red Heads Team, she opted to focus on her education.
State Government Career
After graduating high school, Mofford worked as a secretary for State Treasurer Joe Hunt. She followed Hunt to the Arizona Tax Commission and later became the business manager for Arizona Highways magazine. In 1947, she returned to the Tax Commission as executive secretary. In 1960, she was dismissed when the newly elected Commissioner Ted Moore stated, "We feel it would be better for a man to hold the job."
Undeterred, Mofford held various other positions within the state government, including executive secretary to Secretary of State Wesley Bolin. In 1975, she became deputy director of the Department of Revenue (formerly the Tax Commission).
Political Career
In 1978, Governor Raul Hector Castro resigned to become Ambassador to Argentina. Secretary of State Bolin assumed the governorship, and Mofford was appointed to fill his unexpired term as secretary. After Bolin's sudden death in March 1978, Mofford became acting governor. However, as she was not elected to the position, she could not legally serve as governor.
Mofford was elected Secretary of State three times, in 1978, 1982, and 1986. From 1982 to 1983, she was also president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. In February 1988, Governor Evan Mecham was impeached, suspending his powers and making Mofford acting governor. On April 4, 1988, she was sworn in as the first female governor of Arizona.
Later Life and Legacy
After retiring from politics in 1991, Mofford dedicated herself to civic and charitable work. In 1997, the Rose Mofford Scholarship Foundation was established. She was inducted into the Arizona Softball Hall of Fame, and softball fields in Butler and Phoenix were named in her honor.
In 2010, Mofford served as a campaign manager for gubernatorial candidate Terry Goddard. She passed away on December 15, 2016, at the age of 94.
Personal Life
In 1957, Mofford married Phoenix Police Captain T.R. "Lefty" Mofford. They divorced ten years later but remained friends until his death in 1983. They had no children.
