Former resident elected Arizona senate president

Former Quay County resident and New Mexico native Steven B. Yarbrough was unanimously elected on Jan. 9 to serve as the president of the Arizona State Senate, according to Arizona state officials.

Yarbrough has served 14 years in the Arizona Legislature and was speaker pro tempore of the House and majority leader of the Senate before being elected senate president.

Yarbrough earned his bachelor’s and juris doctor degrees from Arizona State University. He works as an attorney and CEO of a large charitable organization, the Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization.

Yarbrough lived in House, Quay and Tucumcari from 1947-63. He attended Tucumcari Municipal Schools for grades 1-10 before his family re-located to Arizona.

In 2015, he spoke at the Rattler Reunion Banquet.

He resides in Chandler, Arizona, with his wife, Linda, but has multiple family members still living in Quay County.