Osborn, Sidney Preston, 1884-1948

Sidney Preston Osborn was born May 17, 1884 in Phoenix, Arizona. He graduated from Phoenix Union High School in 1903 and attended Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., where he developed an interest in politics. From 1903 to 1905 he was a delegate to the U.S. Congress, and in 1910 was a member of the Arizona Constitutional Convention. Osborn also served as Arizona's Secretary of State from 1912 to 1919 and Arizona's Collector of Internal Revenue from 1933 to 1934. He made three unsuccessful bids for the governor's office before finally succeeding on November 5, 1940. Osborn is the only governor of Arizona to serve four consecutive two-year terms (governors of Arizona now serve 4-year terms, with a limit of two terms). During his terms as governor the state of Arizona recovered from the Great Depression, saw a large growth in population, and an economic boom of World War II. Osborn often relied on radio broadcasts to win popular support for his political measures, but frequently was at odds with the state legislature due to his no-nonsense governing style. During his fourth term, Osborn suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease and died while in office on May 25, 1948.