By Cheryl Yeatts, Manager of Sedona Public Library in the Village
Sedona AZ (August 21, 2015) – If you enjoy learning about the history of Arizona, join James C.T. Pool as he makes the past come alive during an in-character presentation about the life of Charles G.W. French, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Arizona from 1876 to 1884. The program will take place Monday, August 24, at 1:30 p.m. at Sedona Winds Retirement Community, 405 Jacks Canyon Road.
Charles G.W. French, born in 1820 in a small southeastern Massachusetts town, heeded the advice, “Go West, young man.” Armed with letters of introduction from Daniel Webster and Benjamin R. Curtis, French arrived in California in 1851. Achieving recognition as a lawyer and legislator in Sacramento, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Arizona Territory by President Grant in 1876 and served in that post until 1884. This presentation explores four intertwined aspects of French’s life: his education, his career as a lawyer and judge, his ownership of the Governor’s Mansion in Prescott, and a romance spanning 40 years.
James C.T. Pool, a speaker for Arizona Humanities, holds an A.B. in mathematics from the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Iowa. Pool retired after a long career pursuing and managing research in mathematics and computer science. After he moved to Prescott, Arizona, in 2003, a visit to the Sharlot Hall Museum launched his second career, one that nurtures his ever-growing interest in Arizona history. Recently elected President of the Board of Trustees of the Sharlot Hall Museum, Pool serves as a docent at the museum and pursues research projects related to the museum and early residents of Prescott, including Judges Joseph Allyn, Henry Fleury, and Charles French.
This program, generously funded by Arizona Humanities and Friends of the Sedona Library, is free and open to the public. Donations are always welcome. For more information, please call Sedona Public Library in the Village or e-mail voc@sedonalibrary.org.
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Donations and grants allow us to continue to offer free and innovative services to residents and visitors. Your tax-deductible donation is appreciated and may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336.