Early Life
Born on a farm near Earlsboro, Oklahoma, on October 9, 1894. McFarland attended rural schools and graduated from East Central State Teachers' College, Ada, Oklahoma, in 1914 and from the University of Oklahoma at Norman, in 1917.
During World War I, he served in the United States Navy and nearly died of a bronchial infection. Following surgery by Navy surgeons, he was discharged in 1919 and sent to live in a drier climate. Thus, after the war McFarland moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and was employed as a clerk in a bank. He gathered enough money to pay for tuition and graduated with a law and political science degree from Stanford University in 1921. He moved back to Arizona, passed the bar exam, and commenced practice in Casa Grande. He soon developed an expertise in agricultural and water-use legislation, which would suit Arizona well in the future.
Read more about this topic: Ernest McFarland
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