List of Governors of New Mexico

Number of Governors of New Mexico by party affiliation[1]
Party Governors
Democratic 17
Republican 10
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
New Mexico

The following is a list of the Governors of the state of New Mexico and New Mexico Territory.

Twenty-seven 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 officeholder is Susana Martinez, who took office on January 1, 2011, as the first elected female governor of the state. Governors are limited to two consecutive terms but a former governor is eligible for re-election after an intervening governor's term expires.

Governors

Governors under U.S. military rule

For the governors of Nuevo México under Mexican and Spanish rule prior to the U.S. invasion, see Mexican governors of New Mexico and Spanish governors of New Mexico.

In 1846 the U.S. Army under Stephen W. Kearny invaded and occupied New Mexico. Military governors at times were assisted by civilian governors. The military governors were:

Governor Took office Left office Notes
General Stephen W. Kearny August 1846 September 1847 Military
Colonel Sterling Price September 1847 October 1848 Military
Lieutenant Colonel John M. Washington October 1848 October 1849 Military and civilian.[2]
Colonel John Munroe October 1849 March 1851 Military and civilian[3]

Civilian governors were:

Governor Took office Left office Notes
Charles Bent September 1846 January 1847 Assassinated in Taos on January 19, 1847.[4]
Donaciano Vigil January 1847 October 1848 Acting to December 1847[5]
Henry Connelly June 1850 September 1850 Elected under the "State" constitution, which was nullified by the Compromise of 1850.
Prevented from assuming power by John Munroe.

Governors of the Territory of New Mexico

In 1850 New Mexico was organized as a Territory, and James S. Calhoun was appointed the first governor.

Parties

      Democratic       Whig       Republican

# Picture Governor Took office Left office Party Appointing President Notes
1 James S. Calhoun 1851 1852 Whig Millard Fillmore [note 1]
2 William Carr Lane 1852 1853 Whig Millard Fillmore
3 David Meriwether 1853 1855 Democratic Franklin Pierce
4 Abraham Rencher 1857 1861 Democratic James Buchanan
5 Henry Connelly 1861 1866 Democratic Abraham Lincoln [note 2]
6 Robert Byington Mitchell 1866 1869 Democratic Andrew Johnson
7 William Anderson Pile 1869 1871 Republican Ulysses S. Grant
8 Marsh Giddings 1871 1875 Republican Ulysses S. Grant
9 Samuel Beach Axtell 1875 1878 Republican Ulysses S. Grant [note 3]
10 Lewis Wallace 1878 1881 Republican Rutherford B. Hayes
11 Lionel Allen Sheldon 1881 1885 Republican James A. Garfield
12 Edmund G. Ross 1885 1889 Democratic Grover Cleveland
13 L. Bradford Prince 1889 1893 Republican Benjamin Harrison
14 William Taylor Thornton 1893 1897 Democratic Grover Cleveland
15 Miguel A. Otero 1897 1906 Republican William McKinley
16 Herbert James Hagerman 1906 1907 Republican Theodore Roosevelt
17 George Curry 1907 1910 Republican Theodore Roosevelt [note 4]
18 William J. Mills 1910 1912 Republican William H. Taft
Source:[6]

Governors of the State of New Mexico

Parties

      Democratic       Republican

#ImageGovernorTook officeLeft officePartyNotes
1 William C. McDonald January 6, 1912 January 1, 1917 Democratic
2 Ezequiel C. de Baca January 1, 1917 February 28, 1917 Democratic [note 5]
3 Washington E. Lindsey February 28, 1917 January 1, 1919 Republican [note 6]
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 [note 5]
10 Andrew W. Hockenhull September 25, 1933 January 1, 1935 Democratic [note 6]
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 (1912-2002) January 1, 1951 January 1, 1955 Republican
16 John F. Simms January 1, 1955 January 1, 1957 Democratic
17 Edwin L. Mechem (1912-2002) January 1, 1957 January 1, 1959 Republican
18 John Burroughs January 1, 1959 January 1, 1961 Democratic
19 Edwin L. Mechem (1912-2002) January 1, 1961 November 30, 1962 Republican [note 7]
20 Tom Bolack (1919-1998) November 30, 1962 January 1, 1963 Republican [note 6]
21 Jack M. Campbell (1916-1999) January 1, 1963 January 1, 1967 Democratic
22 David Cargo (1929-2013) January 1, 1967 January 1, 1971 Republican
23 Bruce King (1924-2009) January 1, 1971 January 1, 1975 Democratic
24 Jerry Apodaca (1934-) January 1, 1975 January 1, 1979 Democratic
25 Bruce King (1924-2009) January 1, 1979 January 1, 1983 Democratic
26 Toney Anaya (1941- ) January 1, 1983 January 1, 1987 Democratic
27 Garrey Carruthers (1939- ) January 1, 1987 January 1, 1991 Republican
28 Bruce King (1924-2009) January 1, 1991 January 1, 1995 Democratic
29 Gary Johnson (1953- ) January 1, 1995 January 1, 2003 Republican
30 Bill Richardson (1947- ) January 1, 2003 January 1, 2011 Democratic
31 Susana Martínez (1959- ) January 1, 2011 Incumbent Republican [note 8]
[note 9]
Source:[7]

Notes

  1. ↑ James Calhoun resigned in 1852 to return to his native state of Georgia
  2. ↑ 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))
  3. ↑ Samuel Axtell was suspended by the Secretary of the Interior for misconduct in 1878.
  4. ↑ George Curry resigned in 1910 to be a framer in the New Mexico Constitutional Convention.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Died in office.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term.
  7. ↑ Resigned to be appointed to the United States Senate by his successor.
  8. ↑ Governor Susana Martínez's second term expires on January 1, 2019; she is term limited.
  9. ↑ Governor Susana Martínez is the first elected female governor of the state.

Other high 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.

GovernorGubernatorial termHigher 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 2003–2011 U.S. Representative, U.S. Secretary of Energy, Ambassador to the United Nations

Living former governors

As of May 2015, five former governors were alive, the oldest being Jerry Apodaca (1975–1979, born 1934). The most recent governor to die was David Cargo (1967–1971), who died on July 5, 2013. The most recently serving governor to die was Bruce King (1971–1975, 1979–1983, 1991–1995), who died on November 13, 2009.

GovernorGubernatorial termDate of birth
Jerry Apodaca 1975–1979 October 3, 1934
Toney Anaya 1983–1987 April 29, 1941
Garrey Carruthers 1987–1991 August 29, 1939
Gary Johnson 1995–2003 January 1, 1953
Bill Richardson 2003–2011 November 15, 1947

References

  1. ↑ Table only includes state governors; 26 people have served as governor, two thrice; the table includes these non-consecutive terms as well.
  2. ↑ Simmons, Marc (November 25, 2011). "Colonel left little mark as governorTrail Dust". The New Mexican. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  3. ↑ Clay, Henry; Hay, Melba Porter (1991-03-14). The Papers of Henry Clay. Volume 10: Candidate, Compromiser, Elder Statesman, January 1, 1844-June 29, 1852. University Press of Kentucky. p. 730. ISBN 978-0-8131-0060-9. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  4. ↑ Wroth, Wiliam H. (2012). "Bent, Charles". New Mexico State Record Center and Archives. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  5. ↑ Weber, David J. (2012). "Vigil, Donaciano". New Mexico State Record Center and Archives. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  6. ↑ State of New Mexico (July 2012). Kathryn A. Flynn, ed. 2012 Centennial Blue Book (PDF). Diana J. Duran. Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State. p. 210.
  7. ↑ State of New Mexico (July 2012). Kathryn A. Flynn, ed. 2012 Centennial Blue Book (PDF). Diana J. Duran. Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State. pp. 211–212.