List of Governors of New Mexico
The following is a list of the Governors of the State of New Mexico and New Mexico Territory.
Twenty-six individuals have held the office of governor of New Mexico since the state's admission to the Union in 1912, two of whom—Edwin L. Mechem and Bruce King—served three non-consecutive terms. William C. McDonald, the first governor, took office on January 6, 1912. The current governor is Bill Richardson, who took office on January 1, 2003; his term will expire in January 2011.
Governors
Governors of New Mexico Territory
Governors of New Mexico
# |
Name |
Took office |
Left office |
Party |
Notes |
1 |
William C. McDonald |
January 6, 1912 |
January 1, 1917 |
Democratic |
|
2 |
Ezequiel C. de Baca |
January 1, 1917 |
February 28, 1917 |
Democratic |
[7] |
3 |
Washington E. Lindsey |
February 28, 1917 |
January 1, 1919 |
Republican |
[8] |
4 |
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo |
January 1, 1919 |
January 1, 1921 |
Republican |
|
5 |
Merritt C. Mechem |
January 1, 1921 |
January 1, 1923 |
Republican |
|
6 |
James F. Hinkle |
January 1, 1923 |
January 1, 1925 |
Democratic |
|
7 |
Arthur T. Hannett |
January 1, 1925 |
January 1, 1927 |
Democratic |
|
8 |
Richard C. Dillon |
January 1, 1927 |
January 1, 1931 |
Republican |
|
9 |
Arthur Seligman |
January 1, 1931 |
September 25, 1933 |
Democratic |
[7] |
10 |
Andrew W. Hockenhull |
September 25, 1933 |
January 1, 1935 |
Democratic |
[8] |
11 |
Clyde Tingley |
January 1, 1935 |
January 1, 1939 |
Democratic |
|
12 |
John E. Miles |
January 1, 1939 |
January 1, 1943 |
Democratic |
|
13 |
John J. Dempsey |
January 1, 1943 |
January 1, 1947 |
Democratic |
|
14 |
Thomas J. Mabry |
January 1, 1947 |
January 1, 1951 |
Democratic |
|
15 |
Edwin L. Mechem |
January 1, 1951 |
January 1, 1955 |
Republican |
|
16 |
John F. Simms |
January 1, 1955 |
January 1, 1957 |
Democratic |
|
15 |
Edwin L. Mechem |
January 1, 1957 |
January 1, 1959 |
Republican |
|
17 |
John Burroughs |
January 1, 1959 |
January 1, 1961 |
Democratic |
|
15 |
Edwin L. Mechem |
January 1, 1961 |
November 30, 1962 |
Republican |
[9] |
18 |
Tom Bolack |
November 30, 1962 |
January 1, 1963 |
Republican |
[8] |
19 |
Jack M. Campbell |
January 1, 1963 |
January 1, 1967 |
Democratic |
|
20 |
David F. Cargo |
January 1, 1967 |
January 1, 1971 |
Republican |
|
21 |
Bruce King |
January 1, 1971 |
January 1, 1975 |
Democratic |
|
22 |
Jerry Apodaca |
January 1, 1975 |
January 1, 1979 |
Democratic |
|
21 |
Bruce King |
January 1, 1979 |
January 1, 1983 |
Democratic |
|
23 |
Toney Anaya |
January 1, 1983 |
January 1, 1987 |
Democratic |
|
24 |
Garrey Carruthers |
January 1, 1987 |
January 1, 1991 |
Republican |
|
21 |
Bruce King |
January 1, 1991 |
January 1, 1995 |
Democratic |
|
25 |
Gary E. Johnson |
January 1, 1995 |
January 1, 2003 |
Republican |
|
26 |
Bill Richardson |
January 1, 2003 |
Incumbent |
Democratic |
[10] |
Notes
- ↑ Table only includes state governors; 26 people have served as governor, two thrice; the table includes these non-consecutive terms as well.
- ↑ Stephen W. Kearny declared New Mexico a territory in 1846 and installed Charles Bent as Governor. Congress revoked Kearny's declaration in 1847, thus New Mexico had no Governor from 1847 to 1851.
- ↑ James Calhoun resigned in 1852 to return to his native state of Georgia
- ↑ The territory broke into two, and then three during Connelly's tenure due to the civil war and administrative problems (see: Arizona Territory and Arizona Territory (CSA))
- ↑ Samuel Axtell was suspended by the Secretary of the Interior for misconduct in 1878.
- ↑ George Curry resigned in 1910 to be a framer in the New Mexico Constitutional Convention.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Died in office.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term.
- ↑ Resigned to be appointed to the United States Senate by his successor.
- ↑ Governor Richardson's second term expires in 2011; he is term limited.
Higher offices held
This is a table of the higher federal offices and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators represented New Mexico. * denotes offices that the governor resigned to take.
Name |
Gubernatorial term |
Higher offices held |
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo |
1919–1921 |
U.S. Senator |
John E. Miles |
1939–1943 |
U.S. Representative |
John J. Dempsey |
1943–1947 |
U.S. Representative |
Edwin L. Mechem |
1951–1955, 1957–1959, 1961–1962 |
U.S. Senator* |
Bill Richardson |
2003–present |
U.S. Representative, U.S. Secretary of Energy, Ambassador to the United Nations |
Living former governors
As of July 2007[update], six former governors were alive, the oldest being Bruce King (1971–1975, 1979–1983, 1991–1995, born 1924). The most recent governor to die was Edwin L. Mechem (1951–1955, 1957–1959, 1961–1962), on November 27, 2002. The most recently-serving governor to die was Jack M. Campbell (1963–1967), on June 14, 1999.
Name |
Gubernatorial term |
Date of birth |
David F. Cargo |
1967–1971 |
January 13, 1929 |
Bruce King |
1971–1975, 1979–1983, 1991–1995 |
April 6, 1924 |
Jerry Apodaca |
1975–1979 |
October 3, 1934 |
Toney Anaya |
1983–1987 |
April 29, 1941 |
Garrey Carruthers |
1987–1991 |
August 29, 1939 |
Gary E. Johnson |
1995–2003 |
January 1, 1953 |
See also
- Spanish governors of New Mexico
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