George M. Willing
George M. Willing | |
|---|---|
| In office 1859–Unknown | |
George Maurice "Doc" Willing, Jr. (c. 1829 – March 12 or 13, 1874) was an American
Biography
Willing was born to an affluent Philadelphia family. Educated as a physician, he married the daughter of successful merchant, Mary Ann.[1] The young medical practitioner got into trouble by performing abortions, and to escape potential legal problems moved to California in the early 1850s.[2]
By the late 1850s, Willing had resettled in
While working as a delegate, Willing claimed to have created the name "Idaho." While there is no definitive proof to either confirm or refute this claim, the earliest known usage of the name was within a Congressional committee during 1860.[4]
Earliest published account of his claim was in a December 11, 1875
Willing returned to Denver in August 1860.
To assist in development of his land grant, in 1871 Willing sought the aid of James Reavis, a St. Louis real estate agent with forgery skills. The two began meeting with William W. Gitt, a man known as the "Old Spanish Land Title Lawyer" following a series of questionable land transactions, on a regular basis to study Willing's papers.[8] Willing and Reavis eventually decided to form a partnership and Willing left for Arizona Territory in January 1874.[9] He filed his deed in the Yavapai County Courthouse upon his arrival in Prescott and was found dead the next morning.[10] No official investigation as to the cause of Willing's death was ever performed.[11] Suggested causes include poison,[12] "exposure and privation",[11] or simply "strange and unwitnessed circumstances".[13]
References
- ^ Cookridge 1972, p. 48.
- ^ Cookridge 1972, pp. 48–49.
- ^ JSTOR 1891626.
- ^ JSTOR 1496073.
- ^ Powell 1960, p. 16.
- ^ Powell 1960, p. 17.
- ^ Powell 1960, p. 18.
- ^ Powell 1960, p. 10.
- ^ Cookridge 1972, pp. 53–54.
- ^ Powell 1960, pp. 20–21.
- ^ a b Wagoner 1970, p. 272.
- ^ John Myers, Myers (August 1956). "The Prince of Swindlers". American Heritage. 7 (5): 28–31+. Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ^ Ruffner, Budge (September 10, 1982). "'Baron Of Arizona' Had Quite A Scheme". The Courier. Prescott, Arizona. p. 8.
- Cookridge, E. H. (1972) [©1967]. The Baron of Arizona. New York: Ballantine Books. OCLC 32333347.
- Powell, Donald M (1960). The Peralta grant; James Addison Reavis and the Barony of Arizona. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. OCLC 1533625.
- Wagoner, Jay J. (1970). Arizona Territory 1863–1912: A Political history. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0-8165-0176-9.