Wikimedia Commons/Marine 69-71
Whitelaw Reid’s Desert Recovery at Phoenix’s Rosson House
When North Africa failed to fix his lungs in 1894, Whitelaw Reid turned to Phoenix. The New York Tribune owner and former Vice Presidential candidate needed warm, dry air.
Mayor Rosson’s Victorian mansion fit the bill perfectly. Reid and his wealthy wife Elisabeth moved in for the winter of 1895, bringing just a few staff.
From this desert outpost, he ran his newspaper empire through telegrams and typed letters while following doctors’ orders to stay outdoors. The Reids liked Phoenix so much they came back the next winter with their kids…