Our Campaigns - AZ Governor Race

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AZ Governor

RACE DETAILS

Parents

> United States > Arizona > Governor

Office

Governor

Honorific

Governor - Abbr: Gov.

Type

General Election

Filing Deadline

June 01, 1994 - 12:00pm Central

Polls Open

November 08, 1994 - 06:00am Central

Polls Close

November 08, 1994 - 11:00pm Central

Term Start

January 03, 1995 - 12:00pm

Term End

September 05, 1997 - 12:00pm

Contributor

JR725

Last Modified

RBH May 19, 2011 04:09pm

Data Sources

[Link]

Description

Republican J. Fife Symington became governor in 1989, but he also encountered legal problems. In 1994 Symington reached a settlement in a lawsuit with the government over charges that as a director of a savings and loan association he had engaged in actions that violated conflict-of-interest laws. Symington paid no money under the settlement and maintained his innocence. Symington was indicted again by a federal grand jury in June 1996 on multiple counts of fraud and extortion. In September 1997 a federal jury convicted Symington on seven felony counts for repeatedly misstating his net worth to financial institutions to obtain loans. By Arizona state law he was forced to resign his position as governor because of the felony convictions. He was succeeded in office by Arizona's secretary of state, Republican Jane Dee Hull. Symington was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and five years' probation, but remained free pending the outcome of an appeal. In 1999 Symington's convictions were overturned by a federal appeals court because a juror had been improperly dismissed during his trial.