BREEN, Col. Fred Sylvester

Wickenburg (AZ) Graphic Friday, February 26, 1932, p 1, c 2&5 Noted Arizona Publisher Dies Col. Fred S. Breen, 62 years old, long a figure in publishing and political circles of Arizona, died at 2:08pm Wednesday at the Loma Linda hospital, which he entered a week ago, suffering from a general breakdown in his physical condition. At the bedside were his sister, Mrs Jean Switzer of Flagstaff, Del Strong, business manager of Colonel Breen's newspaper, the Coconino Sun, published at Flagstaff; Judge C B Wilson and Dr M G Fronske, both of Flagstaff, and Thad S Long of Kingman, long-time friends of the publisher. Colonel Breen was born in Manteno, Kankakee county, Ill., March 20, 1869, and was the son of John D and Lydora Malvina (Gilmore) Breen. His father was a native Kentuckian while his mother was born in Ohio. His father died at Manteno in 1890 and his mother in Flagstaff in 1928. Colonel Breen received his education in the Manteno schools. He began his assiociation with newspapers when he was 23 years old, becoming the owner of the Manteno Independent, a weekly publication, in 1892. He published the Independent for several years, relinquishing it to become business manager of the Eastern Illinois Hospital for the Insane. In 1896 he became secretary to the speaker of the Illinois house of representatives. Appointment as a United States forest supervisor in charge of all the national forests of importance in Northern Arizona took Colonel Breen to Arizona in 1898 and he had been a resident of Flagstaff since. He served as forest supervisor for 10 years, resigning in 1908 to take over the publication of the Coconino Sun which he had purchased. Through his long years of newspaper work in Coconino county Colonel Breen kept his publication well edited and his ability to obtain and publish news while it was news made his efforts outstanding in newspaper annals of the state. While serving as forest supervisor Colonel Breen first had charge of the Prescott forest reserve and the San Francisco mountains forest reserve. Later he had charge of the Grand Canyon forest reserve. In his capacity as supervisor he laid the basis for the rules and regulations mainly governing the forest reserves of the United States. Colonel Breen had long been actively interested in public and military affairs of the state, having been a member of the last territorial council and the senate of the first state legisture. As a member of the latter body he had an active part in much of the legislation incidental to the organization of the new state. He was for 10 years a lieutenant-colonel of the First regiment, Arizona National guard. During the World War he served as disbursing officer and agent for Arizona, being in charge of the selective draft as de facto adjutant-general. Colonel Breen was widely known for his fraternal affiliation. He was a member of the Flagstaff lodge, F. and A. M.; Winslow chapter, No 8, R. A. M.; Prescott commandry, No 2, K. T.; Arizona consistory, No 1, A. A. S. R., at Tucson; El Zaribah temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., at Phoenix; the Flagstaff Rotary club, and a past president of the Arizona Press club. As a member of the Methodist Episcopal church he was a liberal contributor and active in all of its worthy and benevolent causes. A man of high ideals, he had personally and editorially stood for those things which contribute to the well-being of society and the advancement of the material interest of his community.