Fife Symington, Date of Birth, Place of Birth

    

Fife Symington

American politician

Date of Birth: 12-Aug-1945

Place of Birth: New York City, New York, United States

Profession: businessperson, politician

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Leo


Show Famous Birthdays Today, United States

👉 Worldwide Celebrity Birthdays Today

About Fife Symington

  • John Fife Symington III ( (listen); born August 12, 1945) is an American businessman and politician.
  • In 1990, he was elected to serve the first of two consecutive terms as the 19th governor of Arizona.
  • During his second term, Symington resigned from the office of governor, following a conviction on charges of extortion and bank fraud – a conviction which was later overturned.
  • Prior to his entry into politics, Symington served in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Luke Air Force Base near Glendale, Arizona.
  • He is a member of the Republican Party. A native of Maryland, Symington attended the Gilman School in Baltimore, and subsequently graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Dutch art history.
  • Symington comes from a political family; his father, J.
  • Fife Symington Jr.
  • was U.S.
  • Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, and his cousin Stuart Symington was a U.S.
  • Senator from Missouri.
  • After joining the Air Force in 1967 and achieving the rank of Captain, Symington was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service, and was honorably discharged in 1971.
  • He remained in Arizona, and became a real estate developer, founding his own company, the Symington Company, in 1976. Symington was elected Governor in 1990 over Mayor of Phoenix Terry Goddard, following a close campaign that resulted in a runoff election.
  • During his first term, Symington established charter schools in Arizona by signing sweeping education reform legislation, with the first charter schools opening in the state in 1995.
  • The following year, during his second term, Symington signed legislation to establish the Arizona Water Bank Authority as a separate agency, allowing excess water to be acquired from the Central Arizona Project and banked in Arizona for future necessity.
  • His term in office also oversaw the first temporary closure of Grand Canyon National Park during the federal government shutdown in November 1995.
  • In 1997, Symington was convicted on seven counts of bank fraud, and resigned from office, but the convictions were later overturned.
  • Before the government could retry him, Symington was pardoned in January 2001 by President Bill Clinton, whom he once saved from a rip tide off of Connecticut during his youth. After his term as governor, Symington left public service and pursued a career as a chef, later co-founding the Arizona Culinary Institute with his business partners Jerry Moyes, Darren Leite and chef Robert E.
  • Wilson.
  • He has been speculated as a possible candidate for another term as Governor of Arizona, as well as considered running for the United States Senate, but has only endorsed candidates since leaving the Governor's office.
  • Symington is also known as a witness to the infamous Phoenix Lights, a mass UFO sighting which occurred in Phoenix, Arizona on March 13, 1997.

Read more at Wikipedia

See Also