Dr. Alexander J. Chandler

Founded Chandler, Arizona in 1912

He has a third wife by the name of Rosa Bowling.

Shortly after arriving in Arizona Territory from Detroit in 1887, Alexander J. Chandler was appointed territory veterinary surgeon as a part of the newly created Territorial Livestock Sanitary Commission by Gov. C. Meyer Zulick.

In 1891, Dr. Alexander John Chandler, the first veterinary surgeon for the territory of Arizona, bought 80 acres of land from the federal government south of Mesa in the Salt River Valley. Dr. Chandler studied the relatively new science of irrigation engineering and was instrumental in building an early system of canals in what was then an arid desert.

By the turn of the century, Dr. Chandler owned an 18,000 acre ranch. The charter of the Salt River Project provided that each landowner could obtain enough water to irrigate only 160 acres. Dr. Chandler sought the help of planners and architects in subdividing his ranch and drawing up a townsite map. He then advertised nationally the sale of Chandler Ranch sites

"A J" was a good friend of Frank Lloyd Wright. They were planning on building 14 projects in Chandler but due to the depression, none of the projects were ever done. A bronze statue of both men stands 8 feet tall in downtown Chandler.

On May 17, 1912, Dr. Chandler opened the townsite office. Excursion trains on the newly completed Arizona Eastern Railroad brought 300 speculators who spent $50,000 for land that day.

The town then consisted of three wooden shacks --

A. J. married three times, but never had children of his own. Wives were Julia Pope, Charlotte Boyd and Rosa Bowling.

He is the son of Joseph Chandler of England and Mary Ann Lorimer of Scotland.