Fred W. Wessel was a politician from Arizona who served in the 1st Arizona State Legislature.[1]

Fred W. Wessel
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the Yuma County district
In office
March 1912 – January 1915
Preceded byFirst Senator from Yuma County
Succeeded byJ. S. Garvin
Personal details
BornMississippi
DiedApril 27, 1914
Colton, California
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMary J. Petijohn
ProfessionPolitician

Wessel was born in Mississippi, and grew up in California. He came to Arizona in 1891 and was a cattleman, whose ranch was near Yuma, Arizona, in Laguna, where he also was very successful growing oranges.[2][3][4] He married Mary J. Petijohn in 1895.[4]

In the 1900s, he was the Yuma County school superintendent.[5] He won the Democrat's primary in October 1911 to run for the state senate, and then followed up with a victory in the December general election, making him the first state senator from Yuma County.[6][7]

While visiting his wife's parents in Colton, California, Wessel died of heart failure on April 27, 1914. He had moved to Colton from Yuma in 1913, prior to the second and third special sessions of the state legislature, and had to return to Phoenix to attend those session.[4][8]

References

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  1. ^ "History of the Arizona State Legislature 1912–1966". State of Arizona. pp. 7–8. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Colorado River Yuma–Salton". Arizona Daily Star. October 25, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Desert Land, Final Proof–Notice for Publication". The Arizona Sentinel. April 4, 1906. p. 4. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ a b c "Senator Fred Wessel Dead". The Coconino Sun. May 1, 1914. p. 4. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "Teachers Examination". Yuma Examiner. September 8, 1909. p. 1. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  6. ^ "Election Returns". Arizona Sentinel and Yuma Weekly Examiner. October 26, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  7. ^ "Legislature May Convene Early In Month Of March". Bisbee Daily Review. December 20, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  8. ^ "Senator F. W. Wessel Of Yuma Dies". The Arizona Republican. April 28, 1914. p. 3. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.