John J. Rhodes Papers

John Jacob Rhodes Jr. was born to John Jacob and Gladys (Thomas) Rhodes in Council Grove, Kansas on September 18, 1916. He earned his B.A. from Kansas State University in 1938 and his LL.D. from Harvard Law School in 1941. During World War II, Rhodes served with the United States Army Air Corps (1941-1946). He married Mary Elizabeth BettyHarvey (1919-2013) on May 24, 1942 and the couple had four children: John Jacob III (1943-2011), Thomas H., Elizabeth (Rhodes) Reich, and J. Scott.

Soon after his release from the military, Rhodes founded Rhodes, Killian, and Legg in Mesa, Arizona. He also served as a Staff Judge Advocate for the Arizona National Guard (1947-1952), as the Vice Chairman of the Arizona Board of Public Welfare (1951-1952), and as a Delegate to the Republican National Convention (1952, 1964, 1968). In 1952, Rhodes was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's first Congressional district. He served continuously until the close of the 97th Congress in 1983. During his time in office, Rhodes was a member of numerous Congressional Committees, including Appropriations, Education and Labor, and Interior and Insular Affairs.

Rhodes was closely associated with Goldwater's presidential campaign and the Nixon administration. In 1973 Rhodes' Republican colleagues unanimously elected him house minority leader, the post vacated by Gerald Ford after his appointment as vice president. Rhodes also co-authored the legislation that authorized the Central Arizona Project.

Rhodes was active in local civic affairs and fraternal organizations including the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, the Free and Accepted Masons, Scottish Rite, and the Elks, Moose, and Rotary clubs. He died in Mesa, Arizona on August 24, 2003.