Ernest McFarland
Ernest William McFarland (
1894 -
1984), an
American politician and the "Father of the
G.I. Bill", is the only Arizonan to serve in the highest office in all three branches of Arizona government--two at the state level, one at the federal level. He was a
Democratic Senator from
Arizona from
1941 to
1953 (
Majority Leader from
1951 to
1953) before serving as the
Governor of Arizona from
1955 to
1959. Finally McFarland sat as Chief Justice on the
Arizona Supreme Court from
1968 to
1970.
Born on a farm near
Earlsboro, Oklahoma on
October 9,
1894. McFarland attended rural schools and graduated from East Central State Teachers' College,
Ada, Oklahoma, in
1914 and from the
University of Oklahoma at
Norman, in
1917.
During the
First World War he served in the
United States Navy and nearly died of a
bronchial infection. Following
surgery by navy surgeons he was discharged in
1919 and sent to live in a drier climate. Thus, after the war McFarland moved to
Phoenix, Arizona and was employed as a clerk in a bank. He gathered enough money to pay for tuition and graduated with a
law and
political science degree from
Stanford University in
1921. He moved back to Arizona, passed the
bar exam, and commenced practice in
Casa Grande. He soon developed an expertise in agricultural and water-use
legislation which would suit Arizona well in the future.
After serving as the
assistant attorney general of Arizona
1923-
1924, county attorney of Pinal County
1925-
1930, and
judge of the superior court of Pinal County
1934-
1940, McFarland entered the Senate race in 1940. The twenty-eight-year Democratic incumbent,
Henry F. Ashurst, appeared to be unbeatable and did not launch an aggressive campaign to retain his seat. While Ashurst remained in
Washington, McFarland canvassed the state, giving speeches on water issues and
the war in
Europe. By a three-to-one margin, he defeated Ashurst in the
primary and went on to win the general election.
Senator McFarland along with
Senator Hayden lobbied for the
Central Arizona Project aimed at providing Arizona's share of the
Colorado River to the state. His efforts failed while he was a senator, however, they laid a critical foundation for the eventual passage of the CAP in the late 1960s.
Not forgetting his veteran roots, McFarland became interested in legislation to benefit
veterans returning from
World War II. He outlined his proposals before the
American Legion in a speech in
1943 and worked to create support for his
G.I. Bill with veteran's organizations and members of
Congress.
By unanimous votes, the
Senate and the
House approved the legislation in March and May, respectively and, on
June 22,
1944, President
Franklin Roosevelt signed the
G.I. Bill into law.
McFarland was easily reelected Senator in
1946 and served as chairman of a
Commerce subcommittee where he helped plan a post-war role for the U.S. in
international communications and rewrote the
Communications Act of 1934. After Democratic
Majority Leader Scott W. Lucas was defeated in
1950 due to his link with Truman's administration, McFarland's Democratic colleagues chose him as majority leader. He served as Majority Leader for two years. In
1952 he was defeated by
Barry Goldwater in the national Republican landslide that year led by
Dwight D. Eisenhower.
McFarland was elected governor of Arizona in
1954 and reelected in
1956. He worked with members of the Bureau of Reclamation to pick a location for the
Glen Canyon Dam and emphasized education during his two terms in office.
Shortly after he returned from the Senate, he and several friends formed the Arizona Television Company to start a
television station in Phoenix. McFarland had long been intrigued by the still-new medium. In
1955, shortly after he became governor, he opened
KTVK, Phoenix's third television station. He chose the call letters "because TV would be our middle name." KTVK was the
ABC affiliate for much of Arizona until
1995, and then became one of the nation's most successful independent stations. It remained in his family's hands until
1999.
McFarland tried unsuccessfully to unseat Goldwater in
1958. After serving as governor he returned to his law practice and was elected associate justice of the Arizona Supreme Court in
1964. He took part in
Miranda v. Arizona and became Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court in
1968 till
1970 thus completing a political "grand slam."
In his mid-seventies he served as the director of
Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and president of the
Arizona Television Company before dying in Phoenix on
June 8,
1984.
There is now a monument at the
Arizona State Capitol honoring him as the "Father of the G.I. Bill." Also, the
McFarland State Historic Park in
Florence, Arizona contains a preserved
courthouse and other buildings from when Arizona was just a territory in
1878 that McFarland purchased and donated to the
Arizona State Parks Board.
*
McFarland State Historic Park*
Arizona State Capitol Monument*
Congress Biography*
Biography from the Senate*Also see McFarland biography by historian James Elton McMillian, Jr., published by Sharlot Hall Museum Press, Prescott, Arizona.
