Evening star., 1949-05-27
Letters to The Star
Impressions Of Marvin Hunt hattie
or Twenty Three Years Age

Impressions OF AArvin- Hunt Rattle
OF Twenty Three Years Age
To sAs Eesaes e. II. ssas
President Caoyd Heck Marvin O. George
Washington University here in the Nations
Capital believes Il he had Arizona ate
Gov. George Wiley Paul Hunt to d-al ~ish
again he could handle him.
President Marvin was quoted thus in .
lengthy feature story about his sdmlnistra-
ton OF George Washington University in
The Sunday Star o. May -.
But Arizonans in Washington consider
President Marvtns ls&s view Of q memorable
Sunset State row that took place circa 1857
as being something In the nature o! speeu-
iating whether Jack Dempsey could hex
John l. Sullivan
Nobody wants TO Be quoted quite natural
~, but those who saw the two paragraphs
in the heart OF The Star story admitted
they had their memories stirred
Here's what the paragraphs said Any
university he headed would become a great
university or there would be an explosion
He had just resigned as president OF the
University Of Arizona after q terrific row
with the Governor
That was due TO the ahsoluteness Of
youth. he feels today. II he had that Gov
ernor to deal with now he could handle him.
Handling people in DR. Marvins lexicon
means winning them over"
Well as TO winning over Governor Hunt.
. Ahem. say the AriEonans In Wash
ington.
Hunt was seven times Governor of Ari-
zona. He was elected to the sosernorship
more times than any other American Gov
ernor. though Albert Cabell Richie OF Mary
land served longer because Richie had four
four-year terms TO Hunts seven two-year
terms.
The Governor Was q Power
Even when Hunt wasn't Governor, he con-
trolied the major part OF the Arizona gov
ernment He did 1t from the time he first
emerged to prominence In territorial days.
around 1900. until shortly before his death
In 1884. He did 1t while he was Woodrow
Wilson's Ambassador TO Siam. and q Re-
publican technically held Arizona's governor
ship. Hunt had to be beaten twice hand
running. in Democratic primaries before
folks really would believe he was counted
out. There Is = story extant that Federal
patronage was distributed largely through
Hunts home on East Mcdowell road in
Phoenix for almost two years from the
time the New Deal took over until that sec
ond beating Hunt experienced in the fall of
1884 Just because his legend was so strong.
That was the guy Cloyd Heck Marvin.
young and brilliant and--say some-a bit
brash. tangled with when he took over the
presidency Of Arizona's university.
Marvin was fresh from California, and
that might have been a reason why Hunt
didn't like him. Hunt hated with a vigor-
Gus, purple, passionate hatred everything
that California implied. because OF the fight
over the waters Of the Colorado River.
Regardless. 1t did not take long for Hunt
and Marvin to mix 1t up. In the ensuing
shambles Chancellor Everett E. Ellinwood
tnow dead Of the Board OF Regents and
three OF his fellow regents resigned in pro-
test at Hunts attitude toward Marvin FL
linwood later ran for Governor against Hunt.
and was defeated. In the Democratic pri-
mary, of course. Only rarely does Arizona
tap a Republican for office of any sort. and
the State has had only two Republican Gov
ernors. both elected In national landslide
years.
University President Got Bigger Job
The Hunt Marvin fight embittered a town
the little college community Of Tucson.
where the university is located-and split
the educational personality of the State.
Others than Hunt, Marvin, Ellinwood. and
the other regents became involved; staff
members. college deans.
Arizonans don't like to bring up too many
names. Most of the participants In the bitter
.fratricidal feud now are dead. Cloyd Heck
Marvin was very young to be a college presi-
dent and so he is still alive and still COM
paratively young for q college president,
Hunt, Ellinwood. many of the others have
gone to where greater judgment prevails.
One Of those still alive. though. is former
Arizona Representative Richard F. Hairless.
His friends remember the night Arizonas
big basket ball gymnasium was dedicated.
In the early spring of 1927. President Mar
vim had forbidden any speeches because he
knew speechmakers would be dynamite.
Young Dick Hairless, fire In his blood
and oratory on his brain. broke from the
crowd at the halftime intermission. ran onto
the floor. and delivered a brief but impas-
stoned speech asking that President Marvin
be ouSted.
There are AriZonans in Washington who
say that Dick showed his first talents for
politics that night. and that he has been
going long ways on that initial buildup
of steam. Be that as 1t may. the incident
was typical of the Hunt Marvin feud
Finally. Marvin resigned. His enemies
said 1t was because his situation was hope
less. His friends said 1t was because he
wanted to save the university from further
rowing. And besides. his friends pointed
out, look at the big job he got! President
Of George Washington University. In the
Nations Capital DAVE BuNEGAR.