Paul Fannin

PAUL FANNIN GOVERNOR OF ARIZONA

"Paul Fannin may not be a politician, but he sure knows how to make folks like him!"

That's how a cotton farmer in Pinal County described Arizona's new governor after watching him in action during last fall's intensely fought election campaign And the sentiment was obviously shared by thousands of others in the Grand Canyon State because, in winning his first bid for public office, Fannin not only triumphed over formidable political precedent by becoming the fourth Republican governor in Arizona's forty-seven years of statehood, but also stemmed a tide that was running strongly against his party in other states.

Born fifty-two years ago in Ashland, Kentucky, Paul Fannin is unable to claim the rare distinction of being an Arizona "native." His parents moved to Phoenix when he was only ten months old, however, and his life since then has been richly flavored with the rugged individualism and dogged determination to succeed that is so characteristic of this frontier state.

Thomas Fannin, the governor's father, typified the thousands of Americans who, in ever-increasing numbers, have moved their families to Arizona in search of a healthier, happier, more bountiful way of life. But the hardships which were encountered by the pioneering Fannins of Kentucky no longer beset the new Arizona citizen. Because such men of vision and faith dared to meet the challenges of an undeveloped territory, Arizonans now enjoy the blessings of unparalleled opportunity and prosperity.

Today, Governor Fannin's most absorbing vocational and avocational interest is the building of Arizona. And, in great measure, it was this desire to contribute to the fullest possible realization of the state's economic and social potential which was responsible for his decision to seek political office.

"As a very young man," Fannin often reflects, "I discovered Arizona's magnificent heritage, and saw for myself the first glimmerings of its promised expansion. Through the opportunities and incentives provided here, I was able to go into business and, by hard work and determination, to make that business succeed. And I've watched my children grow proudly in the wholesome atmosphere of this state.

"So I feel a deep obligation for the chance in life which Arizona has given me. And because I know that the decisions and actions of government will determine whether or not that same climate of opportunity and achievement will prevail for my children and my grandchildren, I want to do all that I possibly can to see to itthat those decisions and actions are the right ones."

Such a desire on Fannin's part no doubt harks back to the days of his boyhood when, each morning before going to school, he hauled milk to the creamery from his family's five-acre dairy ranch-located at what is now considered downtown Phoenix, just a few blocks from the Westward Ho Hotel. Later, expanding his youthful business enterprise with the purchase of an old truck, he spent his summers hauling cantaloupes to the packing sheds on a contract basis.

Following his graduation from Phoenix Union High School, Paul Fannin attended the University of Arizona for two years, and then transferred to Stanford Uni-versity, where, as an economics major, he was graduated in 1930 with a degree in business administration.

The first Fannin business was a vehicle and harness shop located at the present site of the Adams Hotel Parking Garage in Phoenix. The "vehicle" part of the business, of course, referred to wagons and buggies. The operation was later moved to the west side of town, and was subsequently expanded to include farm equipment, hardware, and general merchandise. Paul was a working member of the family business during his summer vacations and, upon completing his education, he felt the impact of severe economic crisis as a result of the depres-sion With his customary determination and perseverance, however, Paul worked along with his brother, Ernest, to surmount the threat of total disaster. By prevailing upon their customers to keep the equipment they had sold them, making payments as they could, the Fannin brothers held on to their business. Later, they diversified their efforts by taking on bottled gas and appliances; and, when the expense of shipping the emptied gas bottles to California to be refilled proved unreasonable, Paul and Ernest installed their own butane plant, with the result that costs to their customers were reduced by more than fifty per cent.

The ultimate success of such ingenuity and skill was not achieved without considerable privation and many setbacks. Present and former Fannin employees remember well that the Fannin brothers often went without their own personal necessities in order to meet their payrolls. But the bills were paid and customer service was maintained at a high level.

Fannin's Gas and Equipment Company grew into an operation which served, primarily on a retail basis, all fourteen counties of Arizona. Still later, Paul and his brother expanded into the commercial fertilizer business, and competent management techniques in the administration of state affairs. And, since he is a businessman by training, he chose to seek elective office on the strength of that capacity.

The Fannin theory of efficient business practice is far from an impersonal, dollars and cents approach, however. He advocates the compassionate regard for people and their basic human rights in the formulation of every administrative decision. Relating this attitude to Arizona, he points out that, while the migration of new citizens is of great significance to the state, it is children who constitute Arizona's real future. Statistics seem to lend credence to his thinking. In 1957, Arizona's population increased by 50,000. There were 31,000 births and only 8,000 deaths, indicating that the "baby crop" constituted about one half of that increase. "Our obligation," the governor declares, "is to see that jobs and opportunities are available here for those children when they reach adulthood. Only in this way can we provide a real and enduring answer to the challenge of building Arizona's future."

In both governmental philosophy and physical appearance, Paul Fannin may be described as a "Lincoln-esque" figure. His height and leanness were accentuated after seven months of campaigning, during which he lost over thirty pounds. He neither smokes nor drinks, and his seemingly boundless energies depend almost entirely upon daily "malt breaks" and large quantities of fresh fruit juice for between-meal nourishment. His sharp features easily radiate warm good humor or serious contemplation, depending upon his concentration at the moment. People who work closely with him find his enthusiasm for any job almost overpowering, so intensely and rapidly does he think, speak, and act.

Always an aggressive and thorough worker, Fannin's principal source of relaxation is golf, which he now confesses with little concern has been practically forgotten since he entered the political arena. Both he and his family have always been sports-minded, though, and Paul played baseball in high school and, later, was one of the pitchers on two state championship softball teams which played in the national championships in Chicago.

When not engaged actively in his own business, Paul has found ample time over the years to participate in practically every worthwhile civic and charitable effort in Phoenix and Arizona. He is a past president of the Maricopa County Better Business Bureau, a former employer member of the Employment Security Commission's Appeal Tribunal, and a past chairman of the Industrial Development Committee of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. An active church member he is a Methodist - Fannin is also a Rotarian, and a member of the B.P.O. Elks, the Phoenix Executives Club, and the Thunderbirds.

Paul Fannin was married in 1934 to the former Elma Addington, a Phoenician and member of a pioneer Arizona family. Together with their four children, the Fannins have always been a closely knit family, so when the head of the household began his campaign for governor it became sort of a "team" project. In addition to her normal duties as a wife and mother, Mrs. Fannin found herself operating something tantamount to a campaign headquarters annex in her own home.

The governor's oldest son, Tom, a Phoenix real estate salesman, is married and has two daughters. Bob Fannin is a second lieutenant in the Air Force, now stationed with his wife and two children in Japan. A third son, Bill, is a freshman at the University of Arizona; and Linda, the Fannins' only daughter, is a sophomore at Scottsdale High School.

Despite his undisputed qualification to administer Arizona's governmental affairs, and his keen understanding of state problems, Paul Fannin has no illusions with respect to the magnitude of the responsibility that rests upon his shoulders. Like his father, who passed away in 1945, Governor Fannin has a passionate belief in the limitless potential of his state. But he knows that the achievement of the objectives of expanded economic development and personal opportunities depends upon the talents, the skills, and the energies of many people-hence, he is not averse to seeking the best possible advice and assistance from all sources in carrying forward his programs of government.

He knows, too, that the world of politics is rampant with problems and considerations which are, even yet, somewhat mystifying to him. And, while he has great respect for this institution by which Americans express their views on the issues and philosophies of government offered by opposing parties and candidates, his devotion to the job of helping to build Arizona is such that he flatly refuses to compromise that objective in order to satisfy the partisan purposes of one group or another.

Fannin recalls countless experiences during the campaign which demonstrated to him the pointlessness of "politics for politics' sake." Once, in Tucson, where he was walking the streets shaking hands, he went up to one gentleman, extended his hand, and announced, "My name is Paul Fannin. I'm running for governor." And the startled stranger, looking at him with blank indifference, responded, "Why?"

"I think that's the essential question which must precede all public service," Fannin says. "The glory of politics, if it comes at all, is short-lived. Its real rewards can come only from the successful accomplishment of a basic purpose designed to benefit the people all the people who, after all, are the ones being served. If a man who engages in politics, serves in public office, doesn't seek to advance principles in which he devoutly believes, he has no business imposing upon the people's time and trust."

In Paul Fannin's case, those principles revolve around the economic and industrial development of Arizona, the state which has given him a lifetime of opportunity, crowned by its highest elective office. He respects the traditions of self-reliance and individual resourcefulness upon which Arizona has grown to its present stage of development. And he is pledged to the active pursuit of a climate of government in which new economic opportunities may be opened to all citizens.

His door will always be open to that Pinal County cotton farmer, to the Tucson businessman, to the Cochise County cattleman, to the miner from Globe, to the manufacturer from Phoenix, and to the thousands of just plain people who make up the ever-growing population that is rapidly turning this once sparse desert state into a teeming oasis of opportunity for people everywhere.

And if, by chance, a citizen who comes to call on the governor in his office finds the high-backed leather chair temporarily vacant, he can safely assume that Paul Fannin is just out talking to the people-finding out how they can do the best possible job for Arizona.