Joseph Henry Kibbey

Joseph Henry Kibbey
Joseph H. Kibbey (c. 1913)
16th Territorial Governor of Arizona
In office March 7, 1905 – May 1, 1909
Nominated by	Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	Alexander Oswald Brodie
Succeeded by	Richard Elihu Sloan
Associate Justice, Arizona Territorial Supreme Court
In office August 1889 – May 2, 1893
Nominated by	Benjamin Harrison
Preceded by	William Wood Porter
Succeeded by	Owen Thomas Rouse
Personal details
Born	March 4, 1853 Centerville, Indiana
Died	June 14, 1924(1924-06-14) (aged 71) Phoenix, Arizona
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Nora Burbank
Alma mater	Earlham College
Profession	Attorney

Joseph Henry Kibbey (March 4, 1853 – June 14, 1924) was an American attorney who served as Associate Justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court from 1889 to 1893 and Governor of Arizona Territory from 1905 to 1909. His legal career is most remembered for his efforts in the area of water law,^[1] his key legal contributions being the "Kibbey Decision", a legal ruling establishing the principle that "water belongs to the land", and creation of the legal framework for the Salt River Valley Water User's Association, a model for federal water projects in the American West. As governor, Kibbey was a leader in the effort to prevent Arizona and New Mexico territories from being combined into a single U.S. state.