Frost Leland Benham (1892-1931)

From the composite portrait of the 10th Arizona legislature. 

   Two-term Arizona state legislator Frost Leland Benham's time on the Arizona political stage was brief, as he lost his life in a car accident in 1931, aged just 39. During his residency in Arizona Benham not only succeeded in politics but also civic affairs, being a utility company executive in the city of Jerome. A native Hoosier, Frost Leland "Frosty" Benham was born on April 1, 1892, in Valparaiso, Indiana, the son of Frost and Tillie Benham. 

  Benham removed with his family from Indiana to Dayton, Ohio at an unknown date, and from 1911-13 attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree. In 1914 Benham relocated to Arizona and following his resettlement in Jerome (located in Yavapai County), entered into employment with the United Verde Public Utilities Company, serving as its chief clerk. He would later advance to the post of manager of that company and served in that capacity until his death. 

   "Frosty" Benham married in Tempe in July 1923 to Adah L. Turner (1898-1970), to whom he was wed until his death. The couple's brief union saw the births of two children, Marian Lee (born 1927) and Janet Ray (born 1930). In addition to his business dealings in Jerome Benham was active in the fraternal life of his community, being an Elks Lodge member, a member of the Rotary Club, and for a four-year period served as treasurer of the Associated Charities of Jerome. 

  In 1924 Benham began his political career at the local level when he was elected to the Jerome city council. He would serve on that body's license, finance, and sanitation committee, and in November 1928 was elected as one of two Yavapai representatives to the Arizona state legislature. His service in the 1929-31 session saw him named to the committees on Accounting and Business Methods; Mines and Mining; and Public Lands. He would win a second term in November 1930 and in January 1931 was named to four new committees, those being Appropriations; Corporations; Public Health and Statistics; and Ways and Means.

  In June 1931 Frosty Benham undertook a trip to Prescott, Arizona and on June 14th attended a "Smoki" ceremonial presentation in that city. This gathering, which comprised white citizens acting out Hopi Indian rituals and customs, was followed by a dance, which Benham also attended. After returning to his car Benham began the drive back to Jerome but would lose control of his vehicle "after it struck a soft shoulder on the highway". The car then flipped over, with Benham suffering internal injuries and "a fractured right shoulder and hip." He was later transported to the United Verde Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on June 16, 1931, aged 39.

  Following funeral services, Frost Leland Benham was interred at the Valley View Cemetery in Clarksdale, Arizona. He was survived by his two children and wife Adah, who, following her husband's death, remarried in 1934 to George MacTavish. The couple were later residents of California. Adah Benham MacTavish died there in October 1970, aged 72, and was interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress.

Mamon Augusta Gray (1889-1984)

From the 1939-40 Arizona legislative composite.

                                                                                                        
   Three-term Arizona state representative Mamon Augusta Gray was a native of Mississippi and a resident of Texas prior to his relocation to Cochise County, Arizona in the early 1920s. Despite serving multiple terms in his state's legislature and living to age 95, Gray's life is so obscure that his Arizona legislative database biography consists of just two lines. With such minimal information available, Gray's biography here will be brief, and this author is amazed that considering his overall obscurity, a photograph of him has come to light. 
  The son of John Tidwell and Harriett Lou Dow (Gafford) Gray, Mamon Augusta Gray was born in Union County, Mississippi on October 9, 1889. The origins behind the unusual names Mamon Augusta remain unknown at this time, and Gray himself looks to have preferred the initials "M.A.", as the majority of period legislative documents record him under just his initials. His education extended through grammar and high school and by the 1910s was residing in Port Arthur, Texas. Gray married in that town in January 1915 to Annie Shaw (birthdate unknown) and later had four children, Mamon Augusta Jr. (died in infancy in 1915), Billy G., Mark, and Eleanor.
  Mamon A. Gray and his family removed from Texas to Arizona at an unknown date, and in the 1920 census are recorded as residents of Douglas in Cochise County. He would reside here for a number of years afterward and is remarked as being a barber, as per his legislative biography. Remarked as being a "champion of organized labor",  Gray was elected as a representative from Cochise County in the Arizona legislature in late 1934 and began his first term in January of the following year. This term saw him chair the committee on Labor and serve on the committee on Public Health, and he would win a second term in 1936. 
  The 1937-38 session saw Gray again chair the committee on Labor and was a member of the committee on County and County Affairs, and Public Health. In August 1937, while still an incumbent representative, Gray was appointed by Governor Rawghlie Clement Stanford as one of three members on the State Board of Barber Examiners. His total length of service on that board remains undetermined, though notice has been found as to his being a board member again from 1947-51.
  Gray won a third house term in 1938 and from 1939-40 sat on three new committees, those being the Judiciary; Petitions and Memorials; and Suffrages and Elections. Gray would resign from the house in September 1940 and in the years following his resignation was a resident of Yuma, Arizona. The remaining four decades of Gray's life largely remain unknown, with an exception being a 1975 newspaper notice regarding his involvement in a car-motorcycle accident in Yuma. Gray later resided in Prescott in Yavapai County and celebrated his 90th birthday in 1979. He died in Prescott on October 12, 1984, just three days following his 95th birthday and was interred at the Arizona Pioneer Home Cemetery in that city.

Trancy Clarenton Rhodes (1899-1979)

Portrait from the Arizona legislative composite, 1964.

    A longtime resident of Maricopa, Arizona, Trancy Clarenton "Doc" Rhodes was a prominent business and political leader in that county for many years, having removed to Arizona from Texas. Known by both his initials and the nickname "Doc", Rhodes represented Maricopa County in the Arizona legislature for nearly sixteen years, and during his last term saw his son Billie (1921-1965) win election to the Arizona state senate.

   Born in North Carolina on October 13, 1899, Trancy Clarenton Rhodes was the son of Guy Colton and Mary Green Rhodes. The Rhodes family relocated to Texas when their son was a child and he would receive his early education in that state. T.C. Rhodes married in Texas in January 1919 to Lou Ella Griffith (1903-1989), to whom he was wed for sixty years. The couple's lengthy union would see the births of five children, William "Billie" Clarenton (1921-1965), Richard Samuel, Gerald Austin (1925-1927), Margie Lou, and Earl Griffith. Of these children, Billie and Earle would follow their father into politics, with Billie briefly serving in the Arizona Senate and Earl being elected as a city judge in Avondale.

   In 1924 T.C. Rhodes and his family removed to Arizona, where they would reside for the remainder of their lives. The family first settled in Glendale, but later established "a homestead near east Buckeye". Rhodes would subsequently follow a career in ranching and cotton growing in the areas of Goodyear and Avondale, and was viewed by his fellow farmers as having always been "on the cutting edge of farming techniques that led to outstanding crop yields."

   Active in the civic life of Maricopa County, T.C. Rhodes served for over three decades as a member of the Avondale school board and also was a charter member of the Tri-City Chamber of Commerce. Rhodes also attained prominence in a number of fraternal groups in the area, being active in the Kiwanis Club, the Wigwam Golf Club, and the Boy Scouts of America.

"Doc" Rhodes, as he appeared in the 1952-53 Arizona legislative composite.

   In 1950 "Doc" Rhodes was elected to his first term in the Arizona State House of Representatives. Taking his seat at the start of the 1951-53 session, Rhodes' tenure in the legislature extended fifteen years (1951-1966), and his lengthy service saw him chair the house committees on Education, State Government, and County Affairs. Sources also note that Rhodes was heavily invested in "agricultural and tax matters, and was responsible for introducing much legislation in those areas." 

   During his final term in the state house, Rhodes witnessed his eldest son Billie win election to the Arizona Senate from Maricopa County. A former president of the Maricopa County Farm Bureau and Secretary-Treasurer of the Arizona Cotton Growers, Billie Clarenton Rhodes senate term was cut short due to his sudden death at age 44 in 1965 due to a brain hemorrhage. 

  "Doc" Rhodes final legislative term concluded in 1966 and three years later celebrated his fiftieth wedding anniversary.  A resident of Litchfield Park, Arizona, in the latter period of his life, Rhodes died on June 9, 1979, at age 79. He was survived by his wife Lou Ella, who died in 1989. Both Rhodes and his wife were interred at the Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery in Phoenix.

Ova Darling Betts (1868-1950)

Ova D. Betts and his wife Mamie, from the May 19, 1940 Arizona Independent Republic.

    A one-term member of the Arizona State House of Representatives from Maricopa County, Ova Darling Betts also served as the Mayor of Glendale, Arizona during his legislative service. A Missourian by birth, Ova D. Betts was born in that state on October 4, 1868, one of five children born to Luther and Sarepta Betts. Little is known of his early life or education. Betts married in New Florence, Missouri on May 20, 1890, to Mamie Holly (1868-1950) and later had five sons: Holly Darling (1892-1963), Faye, Charlie, Carl, and William.

   For the majority of his early life Ova Betts resided in Missouri with his family, and during his residency in that state was employed as a telegraph operator by both the Chicago and Alton Railroad Company and the Rio Grande Western Railroad. In 1908 Betts and his family left Missouri for Arizona, eventually settling in Glendale. Shortly after his resettlement Betts took work as an agent with the Sante Fe Railroad and later established himself in the city's business sector, becoming the organizer and owner of the Glendale Ice Company, and remained affiliated with that company for many years. 

   While still attentive to his business activities in Glendale, Betts entered into political life in the mid-1910s when he began service as a member of the Glendale City Council. He would also serve as a member of the Glendale High School Board for many years and was a past director of the Glendale Grammar School Board. In November 1920 he was elected as one of Maricopa County's representatives to the Arizona State Legislature and would serve in the session of 1921-1923. During his legislative service, Betts would pull double duty when he was elected as Mayor of Glendale, serving that position until 1930.

   Following his time in politics Betts would return to his earlier business activities and in 1940 he and his wife Mamie celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The couple would later reside in Del Norte, California, and celebrated their 60th anniversary on May 20, 1950. Mamie Holly Betts died five days later at age 82 and Ova survived her by only three months, dying on August 26th at age 81. Both he and his wife were later interred at the Glendale Memorial Park Cemetery.

Ova D. Betts from the 1921 Arizona Legislative Assembly group portrait.

Vernettie Oscar Ivy (1876-1967)

   Joining New Hampshire's Zatae Longsdorff Straw and Utah's Sunday Cardall Anderson, multi-term Arizona state representative Vernettie Oscar Ivy becomes the third oddly named female political figure to receive a biography here on the site. Due to the distinct lack of interestingly named women who made a career in politics, only the aforementioned trio have had online profiles posted detailing their respective careers. 
  Vernettie O. Ivy was born Vernettie Oscar Greene in Blackburn, Saline County, Missouri on January 1, 1876. She removed to Arizona in 1895 when she was nineteen and later attended the Tempe Normal School. She married on August 4, 1897, to James Pleasant Ivy (1864-1939, an Arizona territorial representative) and later had one daughter, Elizabeth Ivy McCreight (born June 1901). 
  Prominent in many Arizona women's clubs, Vernettie Ivy became president of the Rebekah Assembly of Arizona in the late 1900s and later served as President of the Central Arizona District Federation of Women's Clubs and chairwoman of the State Child Welfare Board. In November 1922 Ivy was elected as one of Maricopa County's representatives in the Arizona General Assembly, taking her seat in 1923. During her time in the legislature, Ivy took great strides to help usher through legislation that would be beneficial to both women and children. She and fellow Arizona representative Louise Boehlinger co-sponsored a bill aimed at developing a child state welfare law, and their legislation eventually passed and "mandated state money" to be used for county welfare boards that had been developed to aid widowed women with young children. 
  Her six years in state government saw Ivy serve as chairwoman of the Public Welfare and Public Health and Statistics committee and in 1924 served as part of the Arizona delegation to the Democratic National Convention in New York City. After leaving the legislature in 1929 Ivy continued to be active in many women's organizations for the remainder of her life, holding memberships in the Phoenix Women's Club, the Fowler Women's Club, and was a past matron of the Order of the Eastern Star Lodge. She died at age 91 on July 15, 1967, in Phoenix and was later interred alongside her husband James at the Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery in Phoenix.

From the Arizona Republic, July 16, 1967.

Garvious Oresal Biles (1907-1973)

   The last profile for October takes us to Arizona and one of that state's more interestingly named public officials, Garvious Oresal Biles of Greenlee County. Biles served nearly two decades in the Arizona State House of Representatives from 1955 until 1971, and was also active in that state's mining industry, serving as a mine foreman for a number of years.

  Garvious Oresal Biles was born in Nolanville, Texas on March 18, 1907, the son of John Henry Biles (1861-1965, lived to age 103) and his second wife Linia Elizabeth Bryant. Nicknamed "Sonny", little could be found on Garvious's early life or education. He went on to marry Ms. Lillian Pinckney (1908-1994), with whom he had two children, Donald Kenneth and Jean Evelyn. The Arizona Memory Project (which gives a substantial overview of most of Arizona's past legislators) notes that Biles moved from Texas to Rosedale, New Mexico before finally settling in the Morenci, Arizona area around 1936.

   After establishing his roots in the Greenlee County area, Biles became a mine foreman for the Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation, a mining company headquartered in Phoenix. This company was in existence for over 170 years before finally being bought out in 2007. Biles was employed as a foreman at this organization for eighteen years, this according to his obituary in the Scottsdale Daily Progress. 

   Biles was elected to the Arizona State House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1954, officially taking his seat at the beginning of the following year. His service in the house extended for nearly two decades, and during that time Biles earned a reputation as one of Arizona's "most powerful legislators." During his lengthy term of service, Biles held a seat on numerous legislative committees, including the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, chairman of the Fish and Game Committee, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Indian Affairs, and vice chairman of the Tourist and Industry Development committee. 

  In addition to serving as a chairman or vice-chairman, Biles was named to numerous other House committees, including those on Labor, Livestock and Public Lands, Public Health, Education, Judiciary, Rules, Municipalities, Transportation, Ways and Means, Highway Fact Finding, and lastly, Commerce and Industry. 

   

                      Another picture of Garvious O. Biles, taken early in his tenure in the legislature.

  Biles continued to serve in the legislature until 1971 and declined to run for reelection in 1972 because of health concerns. In that year the Scottsdale Daily Progress noted that he underwent surgery for lung cancer, but continued to be a familiar face in the legislature in the months before his death, "acting as a lobbyist for the mines."

  Garvious Oresal Biles died at age 66 on May 24, 1973, at the Scottsdale Memorial Hospital. Shortly after his death he was interred at the Green Acres Memorial Park in Scottsdale and was survived by both his children as well as his wife Lillian, who died in 1994 at age 86 and was also interred at the Green Acres Memorial Park. 

                                              From the May 25, 1973 edition of the Scottsdale Daily Progress.