Earl Platt
St. Johns - Apache County
Inducted in 2026
Earl, the son of a self-made cattle ranching father, was born in St. Johns, Arizona. His father, E.J., divided his ranch between his three sons and Earl continued to grow his ranch holdings throughout his lifetime establishing the second largest private ranch in Arizona. Earl received a law degree from the University of Southern California and became a top lawyer in Arizona while building his ranch. He was president of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association in 1959 and was named Arizona Outstanding Commercial Hereford Cattleman of the Year in1984 by the Arizona Hereford Association. Earl’s knowledge of land values gave him expertise as a condemnation lawyer (eminent domain) and he represented many ranchers across northern Arizona whose lands were condemned to build interstates 40 and 17. Earl served as Apache County Attorney and was elected to two terms in the Arizona State Senate.
