Tom Bolack
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Felix Bolack (born May 18, 1918, Cowley County, Kansas; died May 20, 1998, Farmington, New Mexico) was a New Mexico businessman and politician, who served as Governor of New Mexico for 32 days in 1962-63.
Bolack was a self-educated oilman who learned geology from correspondence courses.[1] He was also a rancher and owner of the Albuquerque Dukes minor-league baseball team from 1956-63.[2]
[edit] Political career
Bolack was Mayor of Farmington, New Mexico from 1952-54 and a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 1956-58.[3] In 1957 he unsuccessfully ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives, losing soundly to Joseph Montoya.
In 1960, Bolack was elected lieutenant governor by a margin of 279 votes, becoming the first Republican lieutenant governor in New Mexico since 1928.[4] He was also the first Republican other than Bronson Cutting in 1934 to win any election above the local level in New Mexico since 1928. That Bolack, an "Anglo" (or New Mexican not of Spanish or Indian descent), was able to defeat a candidate with Spanish ancestry in state-wide elections was seen as one of several signs of the decline of the influence of long-time New Mexico senator Dennis Chavez.[5] Democrats challenged the narrow victory, on the basis that some voters on Navajo reservations should have been required to vote outside of their reservations, but the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in Bolack's favor.[6]
Governor Edwin L. Mechem was defeated in his bid for re-election and, when he resigned on November 30, 1962, Bolack become Governor, serving the remainder of Mecham's term. Bolack, in his first act as Governor, appointed Mechem to a vacant seat in the United States Senate. Bolack served as Governor until newly-elected Governor Jack M. Campbell was sworn in on January 1, 1963. [7]
[edit] Later life
In 1976, Bolack co-chaired a bipartisan group that aimed to reform New Mexico's election legislation, after the state was included on a list of several states with unfair elections. In addition to lobbying for reform, the group offered $1,000 to anyone providing information leading to the arrest of an election-law violator.[8]
Bolack suffered a stroke in 1985 and was confined to a wheelchair until his death in 1998. In line with his last request, his body was cremated and his ashes were scattered over his Farmington ranch using 16 specially-made fireworks.[9] The ranch is now the site of the Bolack Museum of Fish and Wildlife, which displays over 4,000 stuffed animals including many of rare species. Bolack, an accomplished big-game hunter and recipient of Safari Club International's Fourth Pinnacle of Achievement Award,[10] shot most of the animals in the collection himself.[11]
The Tom Bolack Urban Forest Park in Albuquerque is named in honor of Bolack.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ Interview of George L. McColm, Harry S. Truman Library, May 20-21, 1991
- ^ index
- ^ National Governors Association profile
- ^ Frederick C. Irion, "The 1960 Election in New Mexico", Western Political Quarterly, March 1961
- ^ "NEW MEXICO SEES A BLOW TO CHAVEZ; Defeat of Primary Entrants Backed by Senator Viewed as Sign of Voter Shift", New York Times, 1960-05-22.
- ^ Irion, Frederick C. (June 1963). "The 1962 Election in New Mexico". 'The Western Political Quarterly' 16.
- ^ "Pius Three", TIME magazine, Dec. 7, 1962
- ^ "New Mexicans Form Unit To Uphold Election Law", New York Times, 1976-10-31.
- ^ In Case You Missed This...(7/2/99)
- ^ http://www.safariclub.org/docs/pinnacleofacheivement.pdf
- ^ Joseph Skibell, "Eccentric Monuments and Monumental Eccentricities", New York Times Sophisticated Traveler, winter 1999
- ^ Park Locations - City of Albuquerque
| Preceded by Edwin L. Mechem |
Governor of New Mexico 1962-1963 |
Succeeded by Jack M. Campbell |
|
||||||||||
