Evan Mecham served 15 months as governor before being impeached and convicted, but the fallout from his time in office reverberated in the state’s politics for decades.

PHOENIX — Evan Mecham, the only Arizona governor to be impeached, tried and ejected from office, died late Thursday at the Arizona State Veteran Home after a lengthy illness.

Evan Mecham served 15 months as governor before being impeached and convicted, but the fallout from his time in office reverberated in the state’s politics for decades.

When Gov. Evan Mecham took office in January 1987, one of his first actions was to rescind Babbitt's MLK Day order, which he said hadn't been legally enacted.

PHOENIX — Former House Speaker Joe Lane, whose political career was cut short in the wake of the impeachment of Gov. Evan Mecham, died Thursday in Tucson.

On Jan. 12, 1987, Mecham rescinded a 1986 executive order by previous Gov. Bruce Babbitt to create the holiday after the Legislature failed to pass by one vote.

A far-right governor is impeached, extremist sheriffs take root and the Arizona desert nurtures the Oklahoma City federal building bomber.

Listen to the full season| What is going on in Arizona? | The Goldwater era The podcast series "Rediscovering: The Roots of Radicalism" looks at Arizona history and Arizona extremists dating to the ...