Ralph Henry Cameron (October 21, 1863 – February 12, 1953) was an American businessman, prospector and politician who served as both Arizona Territory's delegate to Congress and as a United States senator for Arizona. As a territorial delegate, he saw Arizona achieve statehood in 1912. Cameron's greatest achievement in the US Senate was the authorization for the Coolidge Dam.
On the business front, Cameron was active early in efforts to develop the Grand Canyon in what is now viewed as a classic example of rent-seeking. Toward this end, he often used his political influence to help his business interests. Popular among residents of northern Arizona for much of his political career, his fortunes changed after he reached the U.S. Senate and voters began to view his actions as self-serving.
Background Cameron was born on October 21, 1863, to Henry and Abigail Ann (Jones) Cameron in Southport, Maine. He attended public schools until the age of thirteen when he left home for the fishing fleet working the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Cameron would later claim that much of his knowledge came from the "School of Hard Knocks". After five years employment as a fisherman, Cameron moved to Boston where he became a store clerk.
After reading John Wesley Powell's account of his 1869 exploration of the Colorado River, Cameron wanted to learn more about the American Southwest. This prompted him to quit his job and take a train to Flagstaff, Arizona Territory in 1883. He initially worked at a sawmill but shortly thereafter joined his brother, Niles, in operating a mercantile store. Two months after his arrival, Cameron visited the Grand Canyon. He explored the area for nine days on his first visit and returned a year later with Edward E. Ayer to investigate lumbering opportunities along the South Rim. The brothers eventually sold their store and focused on mining in the Grand Canyon.
In 1890, Cameron assisted Peter Berry and his brother Niles in prospecting around the Grand Canyon. The trio established the Last Chance Mine. To improve access to the mine, Berry constructed a trail and a log cabin hotel in 1892 and 1893.
Recognizing the Grand Canyon's potential for tourism, Cameron and his brother built a hotel at the head of the Bright Angel Trail and began charging a toll for use of the trail. The trail, which probably began as a game trail, had been improved by Berry, Niel Cameron, and others (the level of Ralph Cameron's involvement is unclear). Berry filed paperwork to establish it as a private toll road in February 1891. The trail saw little traffic and fell into disrepair by 1897. In either 1901 or 1902, Cameron obtained Berry's rights to the trail. Cameron received a five-year extension to the original ten year right to collect tolls, extending his franchise on the trail til 1906. He also began filing strategically placed mining claims, owning 39 such claims by 1907. Among the claims were the Wizard, which was located at the point where the trail reached the Colorado River, the Alder and Willow mill sites which controlled Indian Garden along with a nearby spring, the Magician claim which contained the trail's most demanding section, the Devil's Corkscrew, and Gold Eagle and Cape Horn claims at the top of the South Rim and containing Cameron's hotel along with the trail head.
The Grand Canyon Railway was completed in 1901. The railroad had an arrangement with a competing hotel which prevented Cameron from soliciting visitors at the railroad station, a practice that limited customers to his hotel. At the same time, Cameron angered a number of people by charging for use of the Bright Angel Trail. Tensions increased to the point where employees of both hotels began wearing firearms. Cameron closed his hotel after the El Tovar Hotel was opened.
Coconino County In 1889, Cameron became a leader in the efforts to create Coconino County from northern Yavapai County after becoming upset about having to travel to Prescott for jury duty and only receiving $2/day for the time and effort. When the new county was formed in 1891, Governor John N. Irwin appointed Cameron as the county's first sheriff. He served in the position for three terms, winning reelection in 1894 and 1896. He was a McKinley delegate during the 1896 Republican National Convention. Cameron married Ida May Spaulding in Flagstaff on November 25, 1895. The couple had two children: Ralph Jr. and Catherine.
When Cameron attempted to obtain patents for several of his mining claims, the Santa Fe Railroad contested the claims and sued to block the patents on the basis the claims did not have any valuable minerals. The Gold Eagle and Cape Horn also partially overlapped the railroad station grounds. As the 1898 Congressional grant authorizing the railroad station predated Cameron's 1902 claim application, the railroad maintained control of its grounds and right of way but in 1906, Judge Richard E. Sloan found sufficient evidence of mineral deposits for Cameron to keep his mining claim after adjusting its boundaries.
As the 1906 expiration of his franchise on the Bright Angel trail approached, Cameron began looking for new ways to extend his control of the trail. He was elected to the Coconino County Board of supervisors in 1904. A year later he became the board's chairman. When the 24th Arizona Territorial Legislature convened, he lobbied the session to pass the "Cameron bill" which required counties to give preference to the prior owner of a toll road when awarding the operating contract after a franchise on a road expired. Interior Secretary Ethan A. Hitchcock sent a telegram protesting the bill, prompting Governor Joseph H. Kibbey to veto the legislation. The legislature overrode the veto and passed the bill on March 18, 1907. When Cameron's franchise expired, the Santa Fe railroad offered to pay 70% of all collected tolls to the county in exchange for the contract to operate the Bright Angel trail. The county board rejected the railroad's offer and awarded a five-year contract to Cameron in 1907.
The Santa Fe railroad appealed the decision on Cameron's mining claims to United States General Land Office Commissioner Richard A. Ballinger. Following a common pattern where local land office officials who had ruled in Cameron's favor were overruled by their Washington superiors, Ballinger rejected Cameron's patent applications. Cameron then appealed to Interior Secretary James R. Garfield. Garfield initially found some pertinent information had not been included in the initial investigation and in August 1907 ordered a new investigation into Cameron's claims. Garfield issued a decision in February 1909 which found the disputed claims did not "possess such mineral character and values as to justify the land department in awarding the desired patent".
Territorial Delegate During the election of 1908, there was a widespread feeling throughout the territory that a Republican could have better results achieving statehood in a Republican controlled Congress than had been achieved by Arizona Territory's Democratic delegate, Mark Smith. Smith had accumulated a number of political enemies during his many years in office and spent time campaigning for William Jennings Bryan instead of working for his own re-election. Cameron received his party's nomination for the position on August 22. During the general election, he defeated Smith by a vote of 12,435 to 11,727 with all other candidates receiving 2,205 votes combined.
Cameron took office on March 4, 1909. He was assigned to the House committees on Territories, Post Office and Post Roads, Mines and Mining, and Indian Affairs. Cameron submitted several bills during his first session, including a statehood bill, but did not speak from the House floor until the second session. When his statehood bill came up for debate before the House, Arizona's delegate argued, "It is a matter of history that Arizona has been knocking at the doors of Congress for many, many years, and its just claims to recognition and inclusion in the Sisterhood of States have met with scant consideration, notwithstanding the numerous promises and pledges of the two dominant parties." Cameron went on to point out that Arizona contained 37,000 qualified voters who were being denied the opportunity to have a say in the election of Presidents and other national leaders. The House passed the Arizona statehood bill on January 17 with President Taft signing the enabling act on June 20, 1910. Instead of facing reelection in 1910, Cameron's term was extended by presidential proclamation as part of process granting Arizona statehood.
As early as 1898 there was talk of the Grand Canyon becoming a national park. Most residents of northern Arizona Territory believed that mining was vital to the economic development of the area and opposed any efforts to give the canyon park status. Cameron felt that Washington tended to favor big business over the interests of local government and individuals. Despite the local opposition, President Roosevelt established Grand Canyon National Monument on January 22, 1908. In 1908 Cameron proposed creation of the Grand Canyon Scenic Railroad Company to build a scenic rail line along the south rim of the canyon and submitted a bill to gain Congressional approval for a right of way the next year. The Agriculture and Interior departments opposed the territorial delegate's plan but granted a permit to a Santa Fe railroad subsidiary authorizing construction of a road to the Grand Canyon the next year. The permit included a clause authorizing the subsidiary to "maintain as a free public highway the trail known as the Bright Angel Trail." Agriculture Secretary James Wilson blocked the Forest Service from action related to the Bright Angel, citing a 1909 decision by the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court which found the trail had been established prior to Grand Canyon National Forest and its rights had been "fixed permanently". Wilson did authorize construction of the road and it was completed in 1914.
As early as 1907, potential investors looked to partner with Cameron to develop the Grand Canyon. Warner, Tucker & Company of Boston purchased options for Cameron's mining claims when it looked into building a hydroelectric dam in the canyon. Other investors with plans for other dams, funiculars, mining projects, and a pipeline to pump water from Indian Gardens to the South Rim followed but nothing ever came of these proposals as Cameron was unable to establish clear title on his claims. The adverse decision by the Interior Department did not halt Cameron in his efforts to find investors as he continued to claim his mining claims were valid.
Arizona's constitutional convention met from October 10 till December 9, 1910, and was composed of 11 Republicans and 41 Democrats. The resulting document contained a number of Progressive Era reforms including provisions for recall, referendum, and initiative. Cameron was not a supporter of the proposed constitution. He joined with Governor Richard E. Sloan in claiming the proposed constitution would cause a postponement of Arizona statehood. Final Congressional approval for Arizona statehood occurred on August 10, 1911. President Taft vetoed the statehood bill, citing his opposition to the recall of judges. The same day as the veto, a bill was introduced in Congress to admit Arizona provided the proposed constitution had the provision allowing recall of judges removed. The new bill was signed by President Taft on August 21, 1911. Arizona voters approved the required change and Arizona became a state on February 14, 1912.
Out of office