A Presidential History of Chandler

Owned by Chandler Museum
Jun 13, 2022
2 min read

Theodore Roosevelt spent time in Mesa and Tempe for the dedication of the Roosevelt Dam. Louise Chandler caught a picture of Roosevelt striding past her on the way to deliver his speech at the Dam. President Roosevelt’s nephew attended the Evans School, a dude ranch school for wealthy East Coast boys located halfway between Mesa and Chandler.

William Jennings Bryan, the Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson and a three-time presidential candidate, stopped in Mesa during one of his campaigns. While there, he spent some time with the Chandler family and posed with them for a photograph. 

Former Illinois Governor Frank O. Lowden ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for President in 1920 and 1928. Starting in 1923, he spent his winters at the San Marcos Hotel. He announced his 1928 presidential campaign at the San Marcos.

Herbert Hoover spent a night at the San Marcos Hotel in Chandler on March 23, 1934, two years after he lost his re-election to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. President Hoover and several high level Republican operatives spent time planning for a new Republican party at the San Marcos.

John F. Kennedy met his college girlfriend, Harriet "Flip" Price (Dr. Chandler's grand-neice), while studying at Stanford University in California. While they were dating, Kennedy made at least one trip to the Arizona desert with Harriet. 

On January 25, 2012, President Barack Obama became the first sitting President to visit Chandler. He visited the construction site for the new Intel plant to talk about proposed policies for bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.

In recent years as Arizona moved towards swing-state status it has become a popular campaign stop for presidential hopefuls. Several candidates have made campaign stops in Chandler, including John McCain and Mitt Romney, who outlined his tax plan in a campaign stop in Chandler on February 22, 2012. President Donald Trump’s children made campaign stops in Chandler on his behalf during the 2020 presidential election.