Sam Steiger
A brash Arizona maverick whose congressional career was forever overshadowed by a bizarre incident involving two burros.
1929–2012 (age 83)·American politician and media personality·Birthday: March 10·The Silent Generation
Biography
Sam Steiger’s political journey was that of a sharp-witted, outspoken Republican who never quite fit the mold. A five-term U.S. Congressman from Arizona, he cultivated an image as a fiscal conservative and a defender of Western interests, with a flair for the dramatic that played well on television. His career, however, is inextricably linked to a single, strange night in 1975 when, as a sitting congressman, he shot and killed two burros he claimed were trespassing on his property. The incident, tried and ultimately dismissed, became a national punchline and a defining, if tragicomic, emblem of his confrontational style. After leaving Congress, Steiger remained in the public eye as a radio and TV talk show host, his voice a familiar blend of insight and provocation in Arizona media. He later served as mayor of Prescott and in the state senate, but the shadow of the burros never fully lifted. Steiger’s story is a political cautionary tale about how a single moment of poor judgment can eclipse decades of public service, cementing a legacy far more complex than any legislative record.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Sam was born in 1929, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Sam Was Born
The biggest hits of 1929
#1 Movie
The Broadway Melody
Best Picture
The Broadway Melody
Sam's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1929Born
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1934Started school
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1942Became a teenager
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1945Could drive
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1947Could vote
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1950Turned 21
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1959Turned 30
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 40
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 50
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 60
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 70
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 80
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2012Died at 83
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- Served five consecutive terms as a U.S. Representative for Arizona's 3rd congressional district from 1967 to 1977.
- Elected Mayor of Prescott, Arizona in 2007, after a long career in state and federal politics.
- Hosted political talk shows on Phoenix television and radio, becoming a well-known media personality in Arizona.
- Served two terms in the Arizona State Senate in the late 1970s after his congressional career ended.
Did You Know?
He was a decorated U.S. Army veteran, serving as a tank commander during the Korean War.
In a separate infamous incident, he painted a crosswalk on a Prescott street himself to protest the city's inaction on pedestrian safety.
He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1976, losing the Republican primary to a candidate who later lost to Democrat Dennis DeConcini.
“If you want to get anything done in Congress, you sometimes have to rattle a few cages.”
