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William Eugene Brooks Letters 1897-1915

MSS-23

Biographical Note

William Eugene Brooks was born August 4, 1874, the son of Lyman Eugene and Anna Parker Merriam Brooks of Columbus, Georgia. The family moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, where William attended Worcester Academy and the Mount Hermon School for Boys. Brooks graduated from the Yale Law School, receiving his terminal degree in 1898. He served in the 22nd New York Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish American War.

Brooks came to the Arizona Territory and was admitted to the state bar in 1904. He was elected Representative to the First State Legislature in 1912 and was elected Speaker for the Second State Legislature in 1915. He maintained his private practice in Globe and Miami for over forty years, specializing in corporate, mining and property law. Brooks died unmarried at Colton, California on July 7, 1958.

Scope and Content Note

The William Eugene Brooks Letters, 1897-1915 are comprised of personal and professional correspondence from 1897-1915. Although the bulk of the collection is personal correspondence from 1902-1907, there is also a small body of correspondence from Brooks' term as Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives during 1915.

The Personal Correspondence in this collection is almost entirely comprised of letters from Brooks to his mother Anna P. Brooks of Worcester, Massachusetts. William Brooks's letters describe his observations and activities in some detail. Letters dated from August 1903 to December 1904 provide substantive information on daily life and proceedings at the Graham County Courthouse at Solomonsville, Arizona. Letters written from Clifton, Metcalf and Globe contain some information on mining activities at those cities.

The correspondence written while Brooks was serving as Speaker of the House contains incoming and outgoing letters regarding a number of issues facing the Arizona State Legislature in 1915.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

Arizona State University does not own the copyright to this collection. We recognize that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.

Access Terms

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], William Eugene Brooks Letters, MSS-23, Arizona State University Library.

Provenance

The William E. Brooks Letters were donated to the Arizona Collection in 1974 by Brooks' sister, Caroline A. Edwards.

Other Finding Aid

A calendar and index to this correspondence is available in the Luhrs Reading Room.

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