Goodwin's party to the newly formed territory. McCormick took his oath of office on December 29, 1863, as part of the Navajo Springs ceremony that officially established Arizona Territory. As part of his official duties, he designed the territory's first official seal. Outside his official duties, McCormick began the Arizona Miner with a Ramage press he had brought with him. The newspaper's first edition was printed on March 9, 1864, at Fort Whipple and began regular operations in Prescott on June 22, 1864. McCormick's control of the newspaper aided his political career by ensuring he could always receive favorable press coverage. The paper also provided a forum for McCormick to share his thoughts with the people of Arizona. In 1868, following the territorial capital's move to Tucson, McCormick sold his property in Prescott and purchased an interest in the Weekly Arizonian. His association with the Arizonian continued till October 1, 1870, when the paper's editor withdrew support for McCormick. McCormick's response was to repossess the paper's printing press and begin a new newspaper, the Arizona Citizen, on October 15, 1870. During his service within the territory, and later as territorial delegate, McCormick was a leader in Arizona Territory's "Federal Ring". This group was a coalition of territorial officials and leading citizens that worked in a non-partisan fashion to protect the lives and property of the territory's American population, establish law and order, and develop Arizona's economic potential. To achieve their goals, the clique crossed traditional political divides of the day, with Northern Republican governors appointing Southern Democrats and Hispanics to governmental positions. The "Federal Ring" dominated territorial politics between 1863 and 1877 and, while labeled a self-perpetuating oligarchy by critics, succeeded in providing a territorial government that was generally free of corruption and dishonesty. After Governor Goodwin was elected territorial delegate and left for Washington in late 1865, Secretary McCormick became acting governor of Arizona Territory. He was officially appointed as governor on March 14, 1866. Among the chief issues McCormick faced were hostilities from Apache and other tribes. To deal with this threat he called for an increase in U.S. Army troops and a reorganization of small forts located throughout the territory into larger installations to maximize the number of soldiers available for action. Instead of the policy of extermination advocated by many within the territory, McCormick supported the creation of Indian reservations. Economically, McCormick envisioned Arizona developing a