Sam Steiger
Encyclopedia
Sam Steiger is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

, political pundit, and rancher. He has served five terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, two terms in the Arizona State Senate, and one term as mayor of Prescott, Arizona
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....

. Steiger has also made an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate, served as a special assistant to Arizona Governor Evan Mecham
Evan Mecham
Evan Mecham was the 17th Governor of Arizona. A decorated veteran of World War II, Mecham earned his living as an automotive dealership owner and occasional newspaper publisher...

, and hosted political talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....

s on both radio and television. Despite these accomplishments, Steiger is best known for two incidents: The first, while he was a sitting Congressman, was the 1975 killing of two burro
Burro
The burro is a small donkey used primarily as a pack animal. In addition, significant numbers of feral burros live in the Southwestern United States, where they are protected by law, and in Mexico...

s. The second was painting a crosswalk between Prescott's courthouse and nearby Whiskey Row.

Early life

Steiger was born March 10, 1929 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to Lewis and Rebecca Steiger. He was educated in local schools before attending college. His first trip to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 occurred at age 14 when he visited a dude ranch
Dude ranch
The guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agritourism.-History:...

. Steiger attended Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

 before graduating in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 from Colorado A&M.

Following college, Steiger was commissioned into the U.S. Army. Serving during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

 as a tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

 platoon leader
Platoon leader
A platoon leader or platoon commander is the officer in command of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer — a second or first lieutenant, or an equivalent rank. The officer is usually assisted by a platoon sergeant...

, he was awarded Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

 and Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...

 for his actions. After leaving the army, Steiger settled in Prescott, Arizona
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....

.

Steiger married his first wife, Cynthia Jean Gardner, in 1954. The couple had three children: twins Lewis and Gail in April 1956, followed by Delia Rebecca in May 1959. His first marriage would end in divorce, as would Steiger's marriage to his second wife, Lynda, in January 1979.

Legislative career

In 1959, Steiger entered politics on a wager. While working as a ranch hand in Springerville, Arizona
Springerville, Arizona
Springerville is a town in Apache County, Arizona, United States within the White Mountains. Its postal ZIP code is 85938. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 1,956.Springerville sits at an elevation of 6,974 feet...

, he and several friends observed that Yavapai County had never elected a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 representative. Steiger theorized that this was because the right Republican had not yet run for office. His friends challenged him to run for office and in 1960 Steiger was elected to the Arizona State Senate. While a freshman senator he wrote a column claiming that other members of the legislature had sold their votes for money and challenged senate leaders over perceived backroom deals. Steiger also likened himself to a tiger and used a black and orange motif on his campaign signs.

After two terms in the statehouse, in 1964, Steiger ran against incumbent George F. Senner, Jr.
George F. Senner, Jr.
George Frederick Senner, Jr. was an American Democratic politician from Arizona.-Biography:Senner was born in Miami, Arizona. He graduated from Miami High School, where he played football and was president of his senior class. In May 1942, he served with the United States Marine Corps for 27...

 for Arizona's 3rd district
Arizona's 3rd congressional district
Arizona's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona and contains most of the northern portion of the city of Phoenix as well as some of its northern suburbs...

 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was endorsed by all the newspapers within the district, with the Arizona Republic saying "Sam is independent, friendly, quick-witted, very out-spoken, crazy over horses, and wears an infectious smile". Despite these endorsements, Steiger lost a close election. He then served as a correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...

 on the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

 before making a second run for the congressional seat in 1966. Steiger, benefitting from a reapportionment which had changed the district boundaries and a defection of Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 voters to other party candidates, defeated Senner in his second attempt.

As a congressman, Steiger continued his outspoken ways. During his first term he delivered a speech from the floor of the legislature claiming it is "an irrefutable fact of life that the elected official is regarded by those who elect him as capable of the most flagrant dishonor," and calling for a "code of ethics" which included "full disclosure of assets, liabilities, honorariums, etc., by members, their spouses, and staff members." Steiger would later claim a number of his colleagues were frequently drunk and that "there are members of Congress you wouldn't hire to wheel a wheelbarrow".
As a result of these comments, Interior Secretary
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...

 Stewart Udall
Stewart Udall
Stewart Lee Udall was an American politician. After serving three terms as a congressman from Arizona, he served as Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969, under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B...

, previously an Arizona congressman, labeled Steiger as "a bomb thrower".

Steiger's actions in the House were staunchly conservative, earning him, in 1974, a zero rating Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action is an American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA works for social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research and supporting progressive candidates.-History:...

 and a 100% rating from Americans for Constitutional Action. Additionally, the congressman won a Distinguished Service Award from Americans for Constitutional Action for his "devotion to those fundamental principles of good government which serve to promote individual rights and responsibilities, a sound dollar, a growing economy, and a desire for victory over communist aggression." His opposition to legislation favored by conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...

s earned him membership to the League of Conservation Voters
League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters is a political advocacy organization founded in 1969 by American environmentalist David Brower in the early years of the environmental movement. LCV's mission is to "advocate for sound environmental policies and to elect pro-environmental candidates who will adopt...

's "Dirty Dozen" list. These efforts included Steiger's opposition to controls on strip mining and support of coal companies.

Burro shooting

A defining moment for Steiger came in 1975. A herd of about 150 burro
Burro
The burro is a small donkey used primarily as a pack animal. In addition, significant numbers of feral burros live in the Southwestern United States, where they are protected by law, and in Mexico...

s had been running loose near Paulden, Arizona
Paulden, Arizona
Paulden is a census-designated place in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 3,420 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Paulden is located at ....

, scaring children at bus stops and causing the Congressman to receive numerous complaints. On August 9, 1975, Steiger went to investigate the complaints and found a group of 14 burros that had been placed in an enclosure along a highway, until their owner could come to claim them. Entering the enclosure with a .30 caliber
.30 Carbine
The .30 Carbine is the cartridge used in the M1 Carbine introduced in the 1940s. It is an intermediate round designed to be fired from the M1 carbine's 18-inch barrel.-History:...

 carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....

, the Congressman went to check the animals' brands
Livestock branding
Livestock branding is a technique for marking livestock so as to identify the owner. Originally, livestock branding only referred to a hot brand for large stock, though the term is now also used to refer to other alternative techniques such as freeze branding...

 to determine who owned them. In a report to the local sheriff, Steiger later claimed the burros charged him and he shot the two lead animals in self defense. The incident was forwarded to the county attorney
County attorney
A county attorney in many areas of the United States is the chief legal officer for a county or local judicial district. It is usually an elected position...

's office for consideration before the burros' owner brought a pair of civil suits against Steiger.

In addition to the official investigation of the incident, Steiger suffered other repercussions. Children picketed outside Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

's federal building, carrying signs reading "Steiger joins the murderers of innocent animals", and the once political tiger was re-branded "the jackass killer". The Congressman later observed, "I could find a cure for cancer and they'd remember me as the guy who shot the burros."

U.S. Senate run

In 1976, Steiger decided to run for the U.S. Senate seat freed by Paul Fannin
Paul Fannin
Paul Jones Fannin was the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Arizona from 1959 to 1965 and subsequently a U.S. Senator from Arizona. He was a Republican.- Biography :...

's retirement. His opponent during the Republican primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....

 was fellow congressman John Bertrand Conlan
John Bertrand Conlan
John Bertrand Conlan is a retired U.S. lawyer and Republican politician. He served as a State Senator from 1965 to 1972 and as a United States Representative from Arizona from 1973 to 1977. In Congress, he was known as a strong and outspoken conservative...

. The campaign between the two congressmen became ugly with Conlan saying "We are both conservatives, but our style is different. He uses a meat ax and I use a scalpel" and asking voters if they desired "a Jew from New York telling Arizona what to do". Steiger countered with "John thinks of himself as a scalpel. I prefer to think of him as a Roto-Rooter," and claiming "Godzilla would make a better Senator than John Conlan."

Steiger defeated Conlan in a tight race, but the effects of the primary left his campaign damaged in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...

. Conlan's supporters abandoned their party's candidate and instead supported Democratic candidate Dennis DeConcini
Dennis DeConcini
Dennis Webster DeConcini is a former Democratic U.S. Senator from Arizona. Son of former Arizona Supreme Court Judge Evo Anton DeConcini, he represented Arizona in the United States Senate from 1977 until 1995....

. Steiger lost to DeConcini.

Crosswalk caper

Following his unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate, Steiger attempted to return to the Arizona State Senate in 1978. This was followed in 1982 with him running for governor as a member of the Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...

. His goal during the campaign was to obtain five percent of the vote and establish ballot access
Ballot access
Ballot access rules, called nomination rules outside the United States, regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is either entitled to stand for election or to appear on voters' ballots...

 for the Libertarian party. During this time, Steiger saw a steady erosion of his approval. As Prescott Councilman Ken Bennett explained, Steiger was popular in his hometown as a "brash young congressman out in Washington telling people what to do. But they liked him less when he came back here and started telling our people what to do. Sam was the kiss of death in Prescott for a while. His popularity was at an all-time low. But he was back to being a hero with that crosswalk."

In 1986, the Prescott city council decided to eliminate a crosswalk as part of a road resurfacing project. The crosswalk connected the local courthouse with an adjacent line of saloons known as Whiskey Row. Public resentment over the removal soon developed and Steiger decided to take matters into his own hands. According to local legend he used a paint brush to replace the crosswalk at night after visiting the nearby bars. In fact, he performed the action with a parking lot striping machine during the day. As a result of the May 2, 1986 incident, Steiger was arrested and charged with criminal damage and disorderly conduct, The disorderly conduct count was dropped but the criminal damage charge went to trial. Steiger defended himself, arguing "it wasn't criminal damage, it was historic preservation". He was acquitted by the jury after they had deliberated for 25 minutes.

Governor's assistant

In 1987, Governor Evan Mecham
Evan Mecham
Evan Mecham was the 17th Governor of Arizona. A decorated veteran of World War II, Mecham earned his living as an automotive dealership owner and occasional newspaper publisher...

 appointed Steiger as a special assistant overseeing thirteen state agencies. One of these agencies was the Arizona Board of Pardons and Paroles. While working as special assistant, Steiger ordered pardons board member Ron Johnson to vote against requiring the resignation of fellow board member Patricia Castillo. As part of his instructions, Steiger informed Johnson that his appointment as a justice of the peace would be revoked if he did not comply. Johnson did not vote as instructed and Steiger had Johnson's judicial appointment revoked. Johnson responded by contacting Attorney General Bob Corbin who instructed Johnson to record a follow-up conversation between Johnson and Steiger confirming what had occurred.

As a result Steiger was charged with extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...

. Claiming he had been singled out for prosecution due to past differences with Attorney General Corbin, Steiger was found guilty of the charge on April 7, 1988 and sentenced to four years probation, a fine of US$5,500, and 700 hours of community service. Prior to the sentencing over 170 letters had been sent to the court in support of the defendant. On September 21, 1989, the conviction was overturned by the Arizona Court of Appeals. In a 3-0 ruling, the court found the law Steiger was convicted under to be "unconstitutionally vague both because it provided insufficient guidance to those who make demands on others and because it permits arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement."

Later life

In 1990, Steiger changed his party affiliation back from Libertarian to Republican and made a second run for governor. The campaign was unsuccessful, with Steiger losing to Fife Symington III
Fife Symington III
John Fife Symington III is an American businessman and the former Governor of the U.S. state of Arizona from 1991 until his resignation in 1997.-Background:...

 in the Republican primary. The same year he released his book, Kill the Lawyers!, in which he discussed his various legal problems in a humorous manner.

Steiger then became a local talk show host, his show being broadcast on both radio and television. In addition he published a political newsletter, The Burro Chronicles. In 1999, Steiger ran for Mayor of Prescott, Arizona
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....

 on a slow-growth platform. Following a single term in office, he left to return to the private sector. Steiger suffered a stroke in September, 2002.

External links

from The Morris K. Udall Oral History Project, University of Arizona Library, Special Collections
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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