Daniel E. Garvey Photographs

Daniel Edward Garvey, eighth governor of Arizona, was born to Andrew F. and Johanna H. Garvey on June 19, 1886 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He attended St. Aloysius College and worked briefly worked as a clerk for the Yazoo and Mississippi Railroad after graduation. He moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1909, where he worked as a clerk on the Espes Randolph Line.

In 1912 Garvey married Thirza Jeanette Vail (1891-1951). The couple had three children, Thirza Annette (1913-1937), Dorothy Vail (Garvey) Smith (1917-1993), and Daniel Edward (1933-). The family initially settled in Globe, where Garvey worked as an accountant for the Arizona Eastern Railroad. This job necessitated Garvey's return to Tucson, where he joined the Tucson City Council. He went on to serve as chief deputy assessor for Pima County and as chief deputy county treasurer before being elected Pima County Treasurer in 1934. Garvey resigned that post in 1938 to become Tucson city treasurer.

In 1939, Garvey was appointed assistant secretary of state and in 1944 Governor Sidney P. Osborn appointed him secretary of state, filling the vacancy left by the sudden death of Harry M. Moore. Garvey became acting Governor of Arizona in May of 1948 after Sidney P. Osborn's death and was elected governor in November of the same year. Garvey's term as governor was notable for achievements in water issues. He initiated the signing of the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact and worked with such individuals as Carl T. Hayden and John R. Murdock in securing the Senate Interior Committee's approval of the Central Arizona Water Project Authorization bill.

Garvey lost the 1949 Democratic primary election but in 1950 was appointed Arizona administrator of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. In 1955, he was appointed state examiner by governor Ernest McFarland, a position he maintained until his retirement in 1969. Garvey died on February 6, 1974.