Phillip Darrell Duppa

Phillip Darrell Duppa was a pioneer in the settlement of Arizona prior to its statehood. Duppa, who also called himself Lord Darrell Duppa, was born in Kent, England in 1832. He attended Cambridge University and learned the classics and five languages before moving to Prescott, Arizona in 1863, probably related to prospecting in the region at the time. Having made friends with Jack Swilling, and realizing the value of land, drilling, and canal building, he moved to the future site of Phoenix, Arizona with Swilling in 1867. Duppa built one of the oldest homes in Phoenix in 1870. He later died in Phoenix in 1892, at the age of 60. He is buried at the small Pioneer & Military Memorial Park a few blocks from the state Capitol.

He named the city of Phoenix after the legendary bird of the same name, based on the fact that long vanished native peoples - the Hohokam - had inhabited the valley and built irrigation canals as well. These ancient peoples had set a foundation for the resurrection of the city "from the ashes" of the ancient location.

He also is credited for naming nearby Tempe after the Vale of Tempe in Greece.

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