Harry R. Jeffords (January 25, 1855 – April 3, 1891) was a lawyer and politician who served as a United States Attorney from 1889 until his death. He also served in the Mississippi Senate.

Biography

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Jeffords was born in Dayton, Ohio on January 25, 1855.[1] The son of Elza Jeffords, his father moved the family to Mississippi following the American Civil War.[2] The younger Jeffords grew up in Natchez, Mississippi[1] and was educated in Natchez's schools.[2] He received his legal education at Columbia College's (now Columbia University) law school.[1] He became the cotton register for Issaquena County, Mississippi in 1873, and then advanced to become Cotton Tax Collector for the county.[1]

Jeffords was admitted to the Mississippi bar in December 1874.[1] After obtaining his law license, he practiced law with his father, Elza Jeffords.[1] He was elected to represent Issaquena, Sharkey, and Washington counties in the Mississippi State Senate in 1881.[1] During his two year term, Jeffords served as chairman of the judiciary committee.[2]

Jeffords moved to the Arizona Territory in 1884 for health reasons,[3] and was elected Pima County district attorney in 1886.[3] He was appointed United States Attorney for Arizona on May 24, 1889.[4]

Jeffords contracted Mountain fever in July 1890. The illness triggered a relapse of his previous health issues.[3] He died of Bright's Disease on April 3, 1891,[3] leaving his wife and 3 children,[3] including two daughters and one son.[1]

References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Obituary". Arizona Weekly Citizen. April 11, 1891. p. 4.
  2. ^ a b c Goff 1988, p. 89.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Death of H. R. Jeffords". Arizona Republican. April 4, 1891. p. 1.
  4. ^ "From Washington". Los Angeles Daily Herald. May 25, 1889. p. 5.

Bibliography

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  • Goff, John S. (1988). Arizona Territorial Officials Volume VI: The Secretaries, United States Attorneys, Marshals, Surveyors General, and Superintendents of Indian Affairs, 1863-1912. Cave Creek, Arizona: Black Mountain Press. OCLC 20054492.
  • McClintock, James H. (1916). Arizona: Prehistoric—Aboriginal—Pioneer—Modern. Vol. II. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. OCLC 5398889.
  • Upton, Larry T.; Ball, Larry D. (Summer 1997). "Who Robbed Major Wham? Facts and Folklore behind Arizona's Great Paymaster Robbery". The Journal of Arizona History. 38 (2). Arizona Historical Society: 99–134. JSTOR 41696339.