Paul Jones Fannin (January 29, 1907January 13, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. A Republican, he served as a U.S. senator from Arizona from 1965 to 1977. He previously served as the 11th governor of Arizona from 1959 to 1965.
Early life and career
Paul Fannin was born in Ashland, Kentucky, to Thomas Newton and Rhoda Catherine (née Davis) Fannin. His father worked as a dairy farmer and also owned a harness shop. He received his early education at Kenilworth Elementary School, and graduated from Phoenix Union High School in 1925.
Fannin attended the University of Arizona for two years before transferring to Stanford University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration in 1930. He then returned to Phoenix, where he joined his family's hardware business.
Governor of Arizona
A conservative Republican, Fannin was elected Governor of Arizona in 1958, defeating Attorney General Robert Morrison by nearly 30,000 votes. He was re-elected in 1960 and again in 1962. but did not vote on the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court. He voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
During part of his tenure in the Senate, Fannin sat at the candy desk. He continued to live in Phoenix, Arizona, until he died of a stroke on January 13, 2002. He is buried at Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery in Phoenix.