Joseph Sexton Hopley
Arizona, The Youngest State, 1913

Joseph Sexton Hopley was born in Ireland October 24, 1851.  
He came to America at the age of fourteen and lived in 
Philadelphia until he was eighteen.  In December 1869 he 
enlisted in the U.s. regular army and was assigned to the 
Fourth United States Cavalry and in the following year he 
was sent to Texas.  He served in various parts of the country 
for fifteen years under Colonel R.S. McKenzie and rose to the 
rank of first sergeant of his troop.  He took part in Indian 
wars throughout the west and became familiar with frontier 
life in this section where he often rode for two hundred 
without seeing a single habitation.  In 1880 Mr. Hopley's 
duties brought him to Arizona and four years later he made 
a permanent location in the state.  He received his honorable 
discharge from the army in 1885 at Fort Lowell and he began 
his business career as a dairy farmer operating a farm near 
that place.  He later ranched in Pantano, thirty miles east 
of Tucson, where he was interested in cattle ranching and 
for eight years he also carried the mail between Pantano 
and Greaterville operating a mail stage and express line.

In 1898 Mr. Hopley abandoned stock raising by reason of 
drought and he lost nearly five hundred head of cattle.  
He then came to Tucson where from 1899 to 1900 he served 
as deputy sheriff under Mr. Wakefield.  He was afterward 
for eight years a member of the city police department and 
during that time was elected for four terms to the office 
of city marshal.  In 1908 he became under sheriff with John 
Nelson and served six years.  He is now serving as chief 
probation officer of Pima County.

Mr. Hopley married Mrs. Clara H. Thayer and to them has 
been born one daughter, Lucy May who is now attending 
high school.






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