Robert W. Groom (August 28, 1824 – January 21, 1899) was an American surveyor and politician served as a member of the California State Assembly, representing California's 1st State Assembly district from 1858 to 1859 and 1860 to 1861.[1] He was previously a miner, and used his surveying skills to help lay down the communities of Prescott and Wickenburg. The community of Groom Creek, Arizona, is named after him.[2]
Robert W. Groom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature | |
| In office December 6, 1865 – January 5, 1866 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | Daniel S. Lount |
| Constituency | Yavapai district |
| In office September 26, 1864 – November 8, 1864 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | District eliminated |
| Constituency | 3rd district |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 1st district | |
| In office January 2, 1860 – January 7, 1861 | |
| Preceded by | A. S. Ensworth |
| Succeeded by | David B. Kurtz |
| In office January 4, 1858 – January 3, 1859 | |
| Preceded by | Jeptha J. Kendrick |
| Succeeded by | A. S. Ensworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 28, 1824 Clark County, Kentucky |
| Died | January 21, 1899 (aged 74) Wickenburg, Arizona |
| Political party | Democratic |
Life and career
editGroom was born on August 28, 1824, in Clark County, Kentucky, moving to Missouri with his parents when he was three years old.[3] As an adult, he went back to Kentucky to become a surveyor, serving as the Deputy County Surveyor of Trigg County from 1845 to 1848. He later moved to California to become a miner, and became the San Diego County Surveyor from 1856 to 1959. In 1857, he was elected to the California State Assembly for the 1st district, later being re-elected for a second time in 1859. He stayed in California until the outbreak of the American Civil War, where he formed a party to go to Texas and join the Confederacy. He was captured and held in Ford Union for ten months before being released because of a letter from U.S. Senator James A. McDougall that stated his loyalty.
In 1863, he moved to the Arizona Territory and became a guide. While in Arizona, he became a mining prospector and surveyor, and was appointed by Governor John Noble Goodwin to lay down the streets of Prescott and later Wickenburg.[4] He was then elected to the 1st and 2nd Territorial Legislatures for the 3rd district and the Yavapai district.[5][6] He stayed in Wickenburg until his death on January 21, 1899.[2]
References
edit- ^ Black, Samuel T. (1913). San Diego and Imperial Counties, California: A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement. S.J. Clarke Publishing Company.
- ^ a b "Hall of fame". The Daily Courier. Jul 29, 2001. p. 9A. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ Zuchero, Evelyn Mackin (1964). Echoes of the Past – Tales of Old Yavapai. The Yavapai Cowbells Inc.
- ^ Nelson, Kitty Jo Parker (1963). "Prescott: Sketch of a Frontier Capital, 1863-1900". Arizoniana. 4 (4). Arizona Historical Society: 17–38. JSTOR 41700832.
- ^ Wilson, Roscoe G. (September 20, 1959). "The Story Of Arizona's First Law-Making Body". The Arizona Republic.
- ^ "The Third Legislature". Arizona Miner. October 13, 1866.
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