James Addison Reavis (May 10, 1843 â€" November 27, 1914), later using
the name James Addison Peralta-Reavis, the so-called Baron of
Arizona,[Note 2] was an American forger and fraudster. He is best
known in association with the Peralta land grant, also known as the
Barony of Arizona, a pair of fraudulent land claims which, if
certified, would have granted him ownership over 18,600 square miles
(48,200 km2) of land in central Arizona Territory and western New
Mexico Territory. During the course of the fraud, Reavis collected an
estimated US$5.3 million in cash and promissory notes ($163 million in
present-day terms) through the sale of quitclaims and proposed
investment plans.Under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
and the Gadsden Purchase, the United States was required to recognize
and honor existing land grants made by either the Spanish or Mexican
governments. Reavis utilized this provision by manufacturing a
fictional claim and then generating a collection of documents
demonstrating how the claim came into his possession. The documents
were then covertly inserted into various records archives. In his
initial claim, Reavis claimed title to the grant via a series of
conveyances. When serious challenges to this claim developed, Reavis
developed a second claim by marrying the purported last surviving
lineal descendant of the original claim recipient.During the course of
his deception, Reavis convinced prominent people to support his
efforts. He obtained legal and political support from Roscoe Conkling,
Robert G. Ingersoll and James Broadhead. Business leaders such as
Charles Crocker and John W. Mackay in turn provided financial support.
Initial exposure of the fraud occurred when an unfavorable Surveyor
General report caused the claim to be summarily dismissed. In response
to this action, Reavis sued the U.S. government for US$11 million in
damages ($338 million in present-day terms). The suit in turn prompted
the U.S. government to perform a detailed investigation that fully
exposed the forgeries Reavis had planted in a variety of locations. James Reavis Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter