Wikipedia

Elias Hedrick

Elias Hedrick (1862-1949) was an American politician from Arizona. He served a single term in the Arizona State Senate during the 5th Arizona State Legislature, holding the seat from Pima County.[1] Prior to his senate term, Hedrick served a single term in the Arizona House of Representatives during the 4th Arizona State Legislature. He was known as a philanthropist, particularly to the Methodist Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona. Outside of politics he was a highly successful real-estate man.

Elias Hedrick
Hedrick, c. 1918
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the Pima County district
In office
January 1921 – December 1922
Preceded byA. R. Buehman
Succeeded byPat Hayhurst
Harry A. Drachman
Personal details
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
ProfessionPolitician

Biography

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Hedricks was born in Alfordsville, Indiana, in 1862, although he always considered Washington, Indiana, his home town.[2][3][4][5] In the 1890s, Hedrick worked as the superintendent of the Live Poultry Transportation Company in Chicago, Illinois. The Hedricks moved to Tucson in 1900 from Chicago, due to health of Ada Hedrick.[2] After his arrival in Tucson in 1900, Hedrick was employed by the Southern Pacific Railroad, as a general platform manager.[2][6][7] While working for the Southern Pacific, Hedrick was also involved in real estate development and construction in Tucson.[8][9] By 1905, Hedrick was on the board of trustees of the First Methodist Episcopal Church. That same year, they erected a new church building.[10][11] In 1911 he was employed by the Southern Arizona Bank and Trust Company, as manager of their real estate department. In 1912, he resigned so that he could focus on his own real estate projects.[12][13] He continued in the real estate business throughout the 1910s.[14][15]

In 1917, Hedrick, a Republican, ran as part of a "Fusion Ticket", along with a Progressive and a Democrat, for the Tucson City Council. The group was in favor of a new charter for the city, which would re-vamp the city government.[16] Two of the three Fusion candidates won in the December election, Hedrick, and Democrat J. Breck Richardson. The Progressive, J. C. Clancy, lost a tight race with incumbent Al Bernard.[17] In 1918, a new charter for the city of Tucson was put up to vote. It had been discussed for months, and in February five citizens were nominated to become the city commissioners under the new charter in the event of its passage. Hedrick was one of the five nominated.[18] However, in March 1918 the new charter was soundly defeated.[19] In September 1918, Hedrick ran for one of the three seats from Pima County to the Arizona House of Representatives. Only three Republicans ran in the primary, guaranteeing that all three would be the Republican nominees.[20] In the November election, all three Republicans defeated their Democrat opponents, with Hedrick being the overall top vote-getter.[21] In 1919, Hedrick declined to run for re-election to the Tucson City Council.[22]

In 1920, he became one of three Republicans seeking one of the two nominations for state senator from Pima County.[23][24] Hedrick and incumbent F. O. Goodell won the primary.[25] Both Hedrick and Goodell won in November's general election.[26] In 1920, Hedrick developed the section of Tucson called, "Hedrick Acres". It included the street still named "Hedrick Drive".[27] In 1922, Hedrick ran for re-election, however he was narrowly defeated by 33 votes in the general election by Democrat Pat Hayhurst.[28][29] He ran again for the State Senate in 1926, losing in the general election by an even narrower margin of 28 to William C. Joyner.[30][31][32]

Hedrick was married to Ada Charlotte Whyte. It was due to Mrs. Hedrick's heart issues that the Hedricks moved to Tucson from Chicago. Ada moved to Los Angeles in 1926, due to her declining health. She died on December 27, 1929, in Los Angeles from a paralytic stroke. The couple had no children.[33][34][2] In 1927, when his wife moved to Los Angeles, Hedrick donated their house to the church, and it became the parsonage. It remained the parsonage when the new church was built in 1931.[35] In 1931, a new church building was constructed. Part of the complex included the Hedrick Memorial Chapel, dedicated to Ada Hedrick. The church became known as "The Church of the Chimes", due to the gift Deagan Chimes, also given by Hedrick to the church in memory of his wife. The chimes were installed in the Memorial Tower.[36][37] Hedrick served on the board of trustees of the First Methodist Episcopal Church through 1943.[38] In 1943, Hedrick donated a new parsonage to the church, dedicating it to the memory of his wife, replacing the old parsonage, which had also been donated by Hedrick.[39] Hedrick died on May 21, 1949, in Chicago, where he had been bed-ridden for three years. He was buried in Washington, Indiana.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "History of the Arizona State Legislature 1912-1966". State of Arizona. p. 81. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Tucson Pioneer Dies In Chicago". Arizona Daily Star. May 25, 1949. p. 3. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Hoosiers In Tucson Expect To Start Off Their Club With Enrollment Over Two Hundred". The Tucson Citizen. February 1, 1920. p. 11. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Get Acquainted With Elias Hedrick". The Tucson Citizen. May 29, 1922. p. 6. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Former State Senator Dies In Washington". Arizona Daily Sun. May 25, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Evidence of Growth". Arizona Daily Star. June 26, 1906. p. 1. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Southern Pacific - Number 2". Arizona Daily Star. January 4, 1905. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "County Records". Arizona Daily Star. November 7, 1903. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Improvements In Tucson And Vicinity". Arizona Daily Star. October 18, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "First Methodist Church Of Tucson Reviews Its History". Tucson Daily Citizen. October 12, 1944. p. 12. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Corner Stone Opened After 25 Years In Church Walls". Arizona Daily Star. March 13, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Elias Hedrick Resigns To Conduct Realty Affairs". The Tucson Citizen. September 19, 1912. p. 2. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Apartment House To Be Erected". Arizona Daily Star. July 20, 1911. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "A Novel Real Estate Office". The Tucson Citizen. April 7, 1914. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Has Built Sixty-Seven Houses In Tucson". Arizona Daily Star. November 5, 1914. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Fusion Ticket Put In Field For Council; Backs Up Charter". Arizona Daily Star. November 16, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Bernard Shorn Of Power Keeps Council Seat". The Tucson Citizen. December 12, 1917. p. 5. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Five Commissioners For Tucson 'Drafted'". The Tucson Citizen. February 1, 1918. p. 3. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Decisive Majority Given Against Proposed Charter". Arizona Daily Star. March 6, 1918. p. 1. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "The Primary Election". The Tucson Citizen. September 10, 1918. p. 11. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Official Returns, General Election, Pima County, Arizona". The Tucson Citizen. November 20, 1918. p. 2. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Three Election Petitions Filed With City Clerk". The Tucson Citizen. October 19, 1919. p. 1. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Fishburn Announces For State Senator". The Tucson Citizen. August 17, 1920. p. 2. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Precinct Bodies Are Named By Central Com". The Tucson Citizen. August 20, 1920. p. 4. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Official Election Count Is Announced For Pima County". Arizona Daily Star. September 14, 1920. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Legislature Is Certain To Be Battle Ground". The Coconino Sun. November 26, 1920. p. 10. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Make the Home of Your Dreams Come True". The Tucson Citizen. November 14, 1920. p. 16. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Kimball Announces Candidacy For State Senate While Hedrick States Plan To Run Again". The Tucson Citizen. May 7, 1922. p. 4. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Newspaper Returns Confirmed By Count". The Tucson Citizen. November 21, 1922. p. 4. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Elias Hedrick". The Tucson Citizen. October 6, 1926. p. 12. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Here's County Entry List For November 2nd Classic". The Tucson Citizen. October 14, 1926. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Official Check Of Votes Finds Papers Correct". Arizona Daily Star. November 9, 1926. p. 2. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Legal Advertisement". Arizona Daily Star. February 19, 1930. p. 15. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Mrs. Hedrick Dies On Coast". Arizona Daily Star. December 28, 1929. p. 2. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "Mrs. Elias Hedrick Claimed by Death". Tucson Daily Citizen. December 28, 1929. p. 2. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ ""The Church of the Chimes" Offers Many Devotional Services". Tucson Daily Citizen. September 17, 1931. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "The First Chimes". Tucson Daily Citizen. May 6, 1931. p. 16. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ "1st Methodist Church Names New Officials". Tucson Daily Citizen. May 14, 1943. p. 3. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ "Parsonage For 1st Methodist Church Given". Tucson Daily Citizen. April 5, 1943. p. 9. Retrieved August 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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