Popular Pinal politician became ‘Mac’ in Florence
by Mark Cowling | Tri-Valley Dispatch
Ernest W. McFarland — U.S. senator, governor and state Supreme Court chief justice — was a popular Arizona politician in the latter half of the 20th century. A new book makes a case that his years in Florence as a young lawyer, prosecutor and judge were essential preparation for his achievements later in life.
“Call Him Mac: Ernest W. McFarland, the Arizona Years,” by Phoenix lawyer, law professor and author Gary L. Stuart, debuts this week.
When McFarland, at age 30, moved to Florence in late 1924 as the newly elected county attorney, it was the beginning of a relationship with the Pinal County seat that would last for 60 years, the rest of McFarland’s life. Florence was a town of only about 1,500 people at the time. Earlier, he homesteaded near Casa Grande and practiced law there for a short time.
