Fletcher Morris Doan (July 21, 1846October 28, 1924) was an

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who served as an Associate Justice on the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court from 1897 until

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

gained statehood in 1912.

Biography

Doan was born to John and Maria Doan on July 21, 1846 in

Circleville, Ohio Circleville is a city in Pickaway County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The city is situated along the Scioto River 25 miles (40 km) south of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 13,927 at the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

. He was raised on a farm and attended public schools. Doan graduated from

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (abbrevriated OWU) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Ohio Valley, Centra ...

with a

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in 1868. He obtained his law degree from

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

in 1869. Following law school, Doan established his practice in

Pike County, Missouri Pike County is a County (United States), county on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Missouri, bounded by the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,587. Its county seat is Bowling Green ...

despite having been admitted to the New York Bar. He remained there for a decade before moving his practice to

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. He earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from

in 1872. Doan married Anna Murray, the daughter of Judge Samuel F. Murray, on December 25, 1869. The couple had three sons who lived to maturity. Moving to Yuma, Arizona Territory in January 1888, Doan spent the next few years working on irrigation projects. The projects proved economically unsuccessful and he and his partners eventually abandoned their efforts. Doan joined the Arizona territorial bar in 1894 and was elected to a two-year term as

Pinal County Pinal County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was est ...

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

the same year. Nominated to the territorial supreme court on June 26, 1897, and took his oath of office on July 20, 1897. He was reappointed in December 1901, again on March 21, 1906, and again in January 1910. He was assigned to district two, which initially consisted of Gila,

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, and Pima counties. In 1903, Gila county was removed from the district and replaced with

Cochise county Cochise County ( ) is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after Cochise, a Chiricahua Apache who was a key war leader during the Apache Wars. The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The county ...

. In 1905 the district was reduced to just Cochise and Santa Cruz counties. He authored almost 100 opinions while serving on the territorial supreme court. Decisions authored by Doan were appealed to the

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sixteen times. Twelve of the decisions were upheld, three reversed, and in the case of '' Sherman and Penny v. Goodwin'', 12 Arizona 42 (1908), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction and dismissed the issue. Notable opinions included: *''Alvin Johns v. James Wilson'', 6 Arizona 125, (1898) *''Consolidated Canal Company v. Mesa Canal Company'', 6 Arizona 135 *''Clinton Wiser v. John Lawler'', 7 ''Arizona'' 163 (1900) He was a Republican candidate for a seat on the Arizona Supreme Court in 1911, but did not win election to the seat. After leaving the bench, he practiced law in

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, moving

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several months later to form a law partnership with his son. The firm of Doan & Doan was dissolved in 1921, with the elder Doan joining the new firm of Doan & Stephenson. Doan's wife died November 16, 1916. Doan died at his home in Douglas on October 28, 1924, and was buried in Tucson's Evergreen Cemetery.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doan, Fletcher Morris 1846 births 1924 deaths People from Circleville, Ohio People from Pike County, Missouri Ohio Wesleyan University alumni Albany Law School alumni Justices of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court