Video directed and written by Chris Wooley. Director of photography: Wayne Dickmann. Produced by Historical League, Inc. Narrated by Pat McMahon. Made possible by a financial grant from Dr. Edward B. Diethrich.
Edwynne C. “Polly” Rosenbaum, known as the protector of our state’s heritage, devoted the majority of her life to furthering the interests of her beloved Arizona. Born Edwynne Cutler in Ollie, Iowa, on September 4, 1899, Polly was reared and educated in Colorado. As a young woman, she accepted a position to teach typing, shorthand, and Arizona constitution at the high school in the Arizona mining camp of Hayden.
There she met her husband-to-be, William “Rosey” Rosenbaum. In 1939, she accepted a job as secretary for the Appropriations Committee in the Arizona House of Representatives, where Mr. Rosenbaum, a former House Speaker was floor leader. The Rosenbaums were married in 1939, and Polly continued to work diligently at Rosey's side in the Legislature. Upon his sudden death in 1949, Mrs. Rosenbaum was appointed to Rosey's seat in the House and to his chairmanship of the House Administration Committee, a position she held for 16 years.
Miss Polly, as she liked to be called, represented Globe and District Four for 45 years in the House of Representatives, serving with 12 governors and 15 house speakers. As a legislator, she fiercely guarded the state coffers, and fought abuses of taxpayer money, earning her the nickname, “Peppery Polly.” During her tenure, she was credited with many innovations, including the employment of university students as House of Representative pages, offering the legislature strong, eager, reliable, and economical workers. Another landmark innovation, which avoided the passage of a constitutional amendment, came in 1968, when Miss Polly and seven female colleagues searched the state constitution and eliminated the word “male” as a requirement for an elective state office.
Not only was Polly Rosenbaum’s knowledge of Arizona history significant, she was also on the forefront of many projects to preserve it. She was instrumental in several restoration projects, including the Capitol Museum, where she gave the last speech in the old House Chambers before its move to the new House Wing in 1960. Other restoration projects included the Evans House, the old Carnegie Library (now the Arizona Hall of Fame Museum), and the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum, located in the old Shriner’s Auditorium (now named the E.C. “Polly” Rosenbaum Building).
Polly Rosenbaum also played a vital role in establishing the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame in 1981. She was always a staunch supporter of educational programs, and she worked to approve the community college system for the state. Although she had no children of her own, Polly claimed all the children of Arizona as hers. In 1982, the Arizona House of Representatives unanimously honored Mrs. Rosenbaum with the title, “First Lady of the Arizona Legislature.” She received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Northern Arizona University, the University of Phoenix, and Arizona State University.
Historymaker Edynne “Polly” Cutler Rosenbaum biography published in 1997
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