Rose Mofford | Former Ariz. governor, 94

Rose Mofford, 94, Arizona's first female governor and a shepherd for the state during a period of political turbulence, died Thursday at a hospice she went to last month after being injured in a fall, former spokeswoman and longtime friend Athia Hardt said.

Ms. Mofford was governor from 1988 to 1991. She was the elected secretary of state when she took over for Republican Gov. Evan Mecham, who was impeached and removed from office by the GOP-led Legislature. Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor.

She did not run for her own term in 1990. She was succeeded by Fife Symington, who resigned amid a real estate scandal in 1997. His fraud conviction was later overturned.

Though she was a Democrat in a traditionally Republican state, she was revered by members of both parties.

"Rising through the ranks of state government to our state's top office, she shattered a once-thought unbreakable glass ceiling and served as an unparalleled role model to many," said Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who ordered that flags be lowered to half-staff in her honor. - AP