Maricopa County AZ Archives Biographies.....Morford, N. A. 1844 - living in 1896
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 1, 2005, 11:44 pm

Author: McFarland & Poole

p. 463

  HON. N. A. MORFORD, proprietor of the "Phoenix Daily Herald," and ex-secretary
of the Territory. The subject of the adjoining cut was born near Greenville,
Mercer County, Pa., in 1844. His education was begun in the common schools of
his native State, continued at Greenville Academy and Allegheny College,
Meadville, where, losing his health through close application, he discontinued a
college course and started for the Pacific coast, arriving in San Francisco by
way of the Isthmus in December, 1868.

  For a time he drove a team and roughed it about the quicksilver mines of Napa
and Lake counties, California, working at whatever offered to be done till
having regained his health he entered the State Normal School, then located in
San Francisco, and having completed a course began the business of teaching.
January 1, 1873, he entered the University of California in the middle of the
freshman year, in a regular college course, and graduated well up in his class
in June, 1876; also as captain in the corps of university cadets, then a
competitive honor.

  With the exception of a year, he was at the head of the public schools of St.
Helena, California, 1876 to 1882, and for several years was chairman of the
Board of Education of Napa County, as such preparing an extended and valuable
course of study for the public schools of that county.

  In 1882 he purchased a half interest in the "Phoenix Daily Herald," Phoenix,
Arizona, removing to that place in August of that year, though he had previously
spent some time in the Territory in 1879 in a journalistic way and served a time
on the paper he now owns. In 1883 he purchased the remaining interest in the
paper and became its sole owner, making it, as a business proposition, the best
newspaper property in the Territory, and in doing so necessarily the best news
and political paper also.

  Mr. Morford has been a prominent Republican in the Territory for many years,
but refused proffered public position till in 1892 he was appointed secretary of
the Territory by President Harrison. By virtue of that office he became
ex-officio a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Arizona, etc.
He held the position of secretary of the Territory till Mr. Cleveland was
inaugurated, when his resignation was promptly tendered and accepted the
following July, and the office turned over to his successor. Since then, as
before, Mr. Morford has confined himself closely to his newspaper work and built
up not only a fine newspaper, but an extensive job printing business and an
enviable business reputation.


Additional Comments:
From:

A Historical and Biographical Record of the Territory of Arizona
Published by
McFarland & Poole, Chicago, 1896

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/az/maricopa/bios/gbs25morford.txt

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