Arthur J. Hubbard, Sr.

Legislative Resolution

View Legislative Resolution File for Arthur J. Hubbard, Sr.

Biographical Information

Arthur J. Hubbard Sr. was born at Topawa, Pima Co., Arizona on the Tohono O’odham reservation in southern Arizona when Arizona was still a Territory.   He attended Ganado Mission elementary school at Ganado in northeastern Arizona in Apache County on the Navajo Reservation.  He graduated from Ganado Mission High School in 1930.

During World War II, as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, he trained over 200 men as Navajo Code Talkers.   The Code Talkers learned a secret code based on the Navajo language which was used in the war in the Pacific and which was never broken.   Both the Code Talkers and their code were kept secrert until 1968.

Governor Jack Williams, appointed him Director of Indian Development District of Arizona (IDDA), a non-profit agency that served as a Tribal Consortium.

In the November 7, 1972 General Election, he was the first Native American elected to the Arizona State Senate.  He continued to be reelected and served 12 years.

He was among 225 Code Talkers who received Silver Congressional Medals in November 2001 at Window Rock, Ariz. and, on November 4, 2004, he was inducted in the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame.

50th Legislature, 1st Regular Session, SR 1002 Native American legislators; recognition:  Arthur J. Hubbard, Sr., Navajo/Tohono O'odham, 1973-1984

Mr. Hubbard was born on January 23, 1912 in Topawa, Arizona into a large Native American family. He was a member of the Diné and Tohono O'odham Nation. Raised with traditional Navajo values but also with a strong belief in the Christian faith, he was taught that each individual has a responsibility to "give back" by serving his or her community.

Dedicated to his country, Mr. Hubbard ably served in the United States Marines during World War II. After the Japanese deciphered the military code that was developed by the United States for transmitting messages, the government called on Mr. Hubbard and other members of the Navajo Nation to serve as Marine Corps Radio Operators. The Navajo Marine Corps Radio Operators, who later became known as the Navajo Code Talkers, developed a code using their language to communicate military messages in the Pacific. As a trainer, it was Mr. Hubbard's job to teach this famed Navajo code to Marine candidates. Mr. Hubbard and his fellow Navajo Code Talkers were so successful that military commanders credited the Code Talkers' code with saving the lives of countless American soldiers and the successful engagements of the American forces in the battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

After the war, Governor Jack Williams appointed Mr. Hubbard to serve as Director of the Indian Development District of Arizona. In 1972, Mr. Hubbard made history when he became the first Native American to be elected to the Arizona Senate. He ably served in this capacity for 12 years, during which time he worked to improve the welfare, education and health of the Arizona Native American Tribes. A tireless advocate for the rights of the Native American people, Mr. Hubbard helped bridge the divide between Native American and non-Native American communities.

Despite the demands of his political and professional endeavors, Mr. Hubbard gave freely of his time, energy and expertise to numerous community organizations and worthy causes. He served on the Annie D. Wauneka Nursing Home's Board of Directors and as a task force member of the San Xavier Community Allottee Association. Passionate about education, he played an instrumental role in establishing Diné College.

Despite his many accomplishments, Mr. Hubbard never sought public admiration for his successes. Always displaying a quiet and dignified demeanor, his humble spirit earned him the respect of all whom he encountered.

Mr. Hubbard will be greatly missed by his family, friends and the people of the Navajo Nation.

Therefore

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:

That the Members of the Legislature sincerely regret the passing of Arthur J. Hubbard, Sr. and extend their deepest sympathies to his family, friends and the people of the Navajo Nation.

51st Legislature, Second Regular Session, HCR 2038 Arthur Hubbard, Sr.; death resolution

Military Experience

U.S. Marine Corps, World War II veteran, Code Talker; inducted in the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame November 4, 2004

Additional Information

In the November 7, 1972 General Election, he was the first Native American elected to the Arizona State Senate.

Employment

Arizona Legislative Service

Sources

Birth:  Arizona Legislative Biography sheet