George Purdy Bullard (April 14, 1869 – July 25, 1924) was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician. Bullard was the first Attorney General of Arizona after it gained statehood.

George Purdy Bullard
1st Arizona Attorney General
In office
1912–1915
GovernorGeorge W. P. Hunt
Succeeded byWiley E. Jones[1]
Personal details
BornApril 14, 1869
Portland, Oregon
DiedJuly 25, 1924(1924-07-25) (aged 55)
Phoenix, Arizona
Political partyDemocratic
SpousePearl McHenry
ProfessionAttorney

Life and career

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George Purdy Bullard was born in 1869 in Portland, Oregon. His family moved to San Francisco, California during his childhood.

He studied law, was admitted to the bar in California and started practicing law at the age of 21. In 1899 he moved to the Arizona Territory and settled there in Phoenix, where he lived for the next 25 years. Bullard served as Maricopa County Attorney for five years. In 1911 he was elected Attorney General of Arizona . Bullard was the first person to hold this post after Arizona became a state. His term ended in 1915,[2][3] after which he returned to practicing law.

He was president of the first automobile club founded in Arizona and participated in car racing. After the death of Eugene S. Ives (1859–1917), he was appointed Chief Counsel in Arizona by the railway company Southern Pacific Lines. He also worked as an attorney for the Arizona Power Company.

At the time of his death in 1924, Bullard was in Los Angeles because of the planned merger between Southern Pacific Lines and El Paso and Southwestern Lines . Bullard was buried at the Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona.

He was married to Pearl S. McHenry (1879–1943).

Notes

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  1. ^ Arizona Former Attorneys General, National Association of Attorneys General]
  2. ^ Opinions of the Attorney General, State of Arizona, Department of Law, 1956
  3. ^ Opinions and Report of the Attorney General, Department of Law, 1971

References

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  • George Purdy Bullard Dies In Angel City, Prescott Evening Courier, 25. July 1924, S. 1
  • Portrait and biographical record of Arizona, Chapman Publishing, ISBN 9785880705672, S. 357
  • Bullard, George Purdy : Attorney General for the State of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, Chicago : International News Service, 1913, OCLC: 173688986
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George Purdy Bullard at Find a Grave