John H. Willis (politician)

Willis lived in Snowflake, Arizona, and in 1892 was nominated by the Republicans for probate judge of Apache County, Snowflake's was part at that time.[2] He was a cattle rancher.[3] Willis married Carrie Haynes on November 26, 1891.[4]

In 1894, Willis was elected to the Apache County Board of Supervisors.[5] After Navajo County was split from Apache County in 1895, Willis was appointed to serve on the Board of Supervisors of the newly created county.[6] In 1896, when the first election was held, Willis was nominated by the Republicans to serve on the board of supervisors of the new county.[7] The following year, he was selected to serve as the president of that body.[8] In November 1897, Willis resigned from the board of supervisors in order to go on his two-year LDS mission to the Southern States.[9][10]

Upon return from his mission in 1900, the Republicans nominated Willis once again for the board of supervisors.[11] In the November general election he came in second, slightly in front of Democrat John Hunt, 259–254, giving him one of the two supervisor positions.[12] He was again nominated by the Republicans in 1902 for the board of supervisors,[13] however in the general election he came in third, behind Democrat R. C. Creswell, and his fellow Republican F. F. Flickinger. Creswell received 326 votes, Flickinger 305, and Willis 287.[14] In 1908 he won the Republican nomination to run for the territorial house of representatives, but lost in the general election to Democrat Joseph Peterson, 445–238.[15][16]

1911 saw Willis nominated for the house of representatives by the Republicans, but this was for the state, not territorial house.[17] Unlike the 1908 election, Willis defeated his Democratic opponent, William Morgan, 398–327.[18] Willis did not run for re-election in 1914.[19]