Russell Pearce Obituary

Russell Pearce was a Republican (GOP) member of the Arizona State Senate. Russell Pearce, died on January 5, 2023 after falling ill. He was 75.

Russell Pearce was born on June 23, 1947. During the Vietnam War, Pearce was a member of the Arizona National Guard.

Pearce joined the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and worked as a sheriff’s deputy for twenty-three years, including a stint as Chief Deputy Sheriff under Joe Arpaio.

After being shot in the chest and continuing to pursue several gang members, he received a Medal of Valor from the Department.

Pearce was elected to the Arizona Senate in 2008 after serving in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009 and working in law enforcement for over twenty years.

He rose to national prominence as the primary sponsor of Arizona SB1070, a contentious anti-illegal immigration bill that was signed into law in 2010.

Russell Pearce served as Vice-Chair of the Arizona Republican Party, but resigned in September 2014 following a backlash over a eugenicist remark about forced sterilisation of poor women on Medicaid.