Russell Pearce
Russell Keith Pearce (June 23, 1947 – January 5, 2023) was an American far-right politician who was a Republican (GOP) member of the Arizona State Senate. He rose to national prominence as the primary sponsor of Arizona SB1070, a controversial anti-illegal immigrant measure that was signed into law in 2010. He was elected President of the Arizona Senate when the Senate began its January 2011 term but then suffered a dramatic reversal of fortune when he was ousted in a November 2011 recall election, the first legislator in Arizona history to be so removed from office. He served as Vice-Chair of the Arizona GOP, but he resigned the position in September 2014 after controversy over a eugenicist comment about forced sterilization of poor women on Medicaid.
Russell Pearce | |
|---|---|
| President of the Arizona State Senate | |
| In office January 10, 2011 – November 8, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Burns |
| Succeeded by | Steve Pierce |
| Member of the Arizona Senate from the 18th district | |
| In office January 12, 2008 – November 21, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Karen Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Jerry Lewis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Russell Keith Pearce June 23, 1947 Mesa, Arizona, U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 2023 (aged 75) Mesa, Arizona, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | LuAnne Pearce |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | University of Phoenix (BA) |
| Website | Official website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1965–1972 |
| Unit | Arizona National Guard |
Prior to his election to the Arizona Senate in 2008, Pearce served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, and worked in law enforcement for more than twenty years.