Rose Mofford

Rose Mofford (née Perica; June 10, 1922 – September 15, 2016) was an American civil servant and politician of the Democratic Party who served as governor of Arizona from 1988 to 1991.

Mofford was born Rose Perica in Globe, Arizona, on June 10, 1922, the youngest of six children.

Her parents, Frances (Oberstar) and John Perica, had immigrated to the United States from Croatia, then part of Austria-Hungary.

The first female class president in the history of Globe High School, she had success in both academics and athletics.

She played basketball and was an All-American softball player.

She graduated in 1939 as class valedictorian and, based upon her father's advice, turned down an opportunity to play professional basketball with the All American Red Heads.

Following high school, Mofford began her career as an administrative assistant for State Treasurer Joe Hunt.

She was eighteen when she started working for him, and earned a salary of $125 a month.

Two years later, when Hunt was promoted to the Arizona Tax Commission, Mofford followed her boss to the new position.

In 1945, she left the Tax Commission and became business manager for Arizona Highways, a state magazine.

Mofford returned to the Tax Commission in 1947 as executive secretary.

Following Hunt's retirement in 1960, new commissioner Thad Moore fired Mofford, saying "we felt it was better to have a man in that job."

Following her dismissal from the Tax Commission, Mofford was hired as an executive secretary by Secretary of State Wesley Bolin.

She remained in the Secretary of State's office until 1975, when she became assistant director of the State Revenue Department (formerly the Tax Commission).

When Governor Raúl Castro announced his resignation to become Ambassador to Argentina, Secretary Bolin ascended to the governorship.

Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor; the secretary of state stands first in the line of succession to the governorship if retaining office by election.

Bolin in turn appointed Mofford to serve the remainder of his term as Secretary of State.

Her career in state government spanned 51 years, beginning as a secretary and working her way up the ranks to become the state's first female secretary of state, serving from 1977 to 1988, and the state's first female governor.

Bolin died in office on March 4, 1978.

Although Mofford was Secretary of State, she held that post by appointment, so she could not ascend to the governorship; instead, Attorney General Bruce Babbitt became governor.

At the end of the term she ran for a full term as Secretary of State and won.

She was reelected in 1982 and 1986.

In 1982 she won the election by nearly a 2–1 ratio, and won unopposed in 1986.

Mofford became known in the state capital as the friendly woman with a beehive hairdo, and her office gained a reputation as an efficient operation.

She was punctual, answering her own phone and replying directly to her mail.

In addition to her state position, she served from 1982 until 1983 as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

In traditionally Republican Arizona, Democrat Mofford was well-liked by members of both parties.

She was a bipartisan leader who often reached across the political aisle.

Governor Evan Mecham was impeached on February 8, 1988.

Per the Arizona Constitution, his powers were suspended and Mofford became acting governor.

While most observers complimented her on the job she performed, Mecham objected to Mofford replacing the one state department head that he had appointed.

Mecham was convicted on two of four articles in the impeachment trial and removed from office on April 4, 1988.

Mofford was sworn in as Governor for the balance of Mecham's term, despite the fact that Article V, Section 2, of the Arizona Constitution, then provided that all state office holders must be male persons.

In an election held on November 8, 1988, Arizona voters adopted Proposition 103, eliminating the gender-specific qualification for office.

Mofford was thought to have had a rocky transition to the governorship at first, as she faced a collapse of the real-estate market and a high deficit left over from the previous administration.

Mofford's primary goal as governor was to return stability to Arizona.

She was called "the healing governor", and some thought it was her duty as governor to repair the state.

Mofford also received this nickname due to her ability to ease racial division in Arizona, which some considered a problem under Mecham.

Her efforts were widely held as providing a calming effect following the tumultuous impeachment and recall proceedings of her predecessor.

State Senate Democratic leader Alfredo Gutierrez said of her actions, "What she did was reinvest the system with dignity and honor."