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Edwin L. Mechem

American judge and politician (1912–2002)

Summary

American judge and politician (1912–2002)

Field	Value
name	Edwin Mechem
image	Edwin Mechem.jpg
office	Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
term_start	July 3, 1982
term_end	November 27, 2002
office1	Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
term_start1	October 14, 1970
term_end1	July 3, 1982
appointer1	Richard Nixon
predecessor1	Seat established by 84 Stat. 294
successor1	Bobby Baldock
jr/sr2	United States Senator
state2	New Mexico
term_start2	November 30, 1962
term_end2	November 3, 1964
appointer2	Tom Bolack
predecessor2	Dennis Chavez
successor2	Joseph Montoya
order3	15th, 17th and 19th
office3	Governor of New Mexico
term_start3	January 1, 1961
term_end3	November 30, 1962
lieutenant3	Tom Bolack
predecessor3	John Burroughs
successor3	Tom Bolack
term_start4	January 1, 1957
term_end4	January 1, 1959
lieutenant4	Joseph Montoya
vacant
predecessor4	John F. Simms
successor4	John Burroughs
term_start5	January 1, 1951
term_end5	January 1, 1955
lieutenant5	Tibo J. Chávez
predecessor5	Thomas J. Mabry
successor5	John F. Simms
office6	Member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
term_start6	1947
term_end6	1948
birth_name	Edwin Leard Mechem
birth_date
birth_place	Alamogordo, New Mexico, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
party	Republican
education	University of Arkansas (LLB)

| honorific-prefix = | honorific-suffix = | jr/sr2 = United States Senator vacant Edwin Leard Mechem (July 2, 1912 – November 27, 2002) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist from New Mexico. He served as the 15th, 17th, and 19th governor of New Mexico, the first person born in the 20th century to become the state's governor, as well as the first person born in New Mexico after statehood to ascend to the office. During his final term as governor, Mechem appointed himself as a United States Senator, pursuant to the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. During his tenure, he was one of five non-Southern Republicans in the Senate to vote against the Civil Rights Act 1964. He was defeated in his bid to keep his senate seat in the 1964 United States Senate election in New Mexico. He later served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico.

Early life and education

Born in Alamogordo, New Mexico, he attended schools in Alamogordo and Las Cruces. He attended New Mexico A&M University (now New Mexico State University) from 1930 to 1931 and 1935, where he was a member of Alpha Delta Theta fraternity. When it became a chapter of Sigma Pi fraternity Mechem was one of the first alumni to be initiated into the national organization. He worked as a land surveyor for the United States Bureau of Reclamation in Las Cruces from 1932 to 1935. He transferred his college credits to the University of Arkansas School of Law and graduated in 1939 with a Bachelor of Laws.

Career

New Mexico politics

He was admitted to the New Mexico Bar in 1939 and practiced law in Las Cruces and later Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was an FBI agent from 1942 to 1945 and a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 1947 to 1948.

He was elected Governor in 1950 and 1952, did not run in 1954, and was elected again in 1956. In 1954 he ran for the United States Senate but was defeated by sitting Senator Clinton Presba Anderson. After winning another term as governor in 1956, he was defeated for reelection again in 1958, then elected to a fourth term in 1960. A member of the Committee on Government Security from 1956 to 1957, and a member of the American Law Institute, he was again elected Governor in 1960. Mechem lost his bid for reelection on November 6, 1962. He arranged his own appointment (as was his prerogative under the Seventeenth Amendment) to the United States Senate when long-time senator Dionisio "Dennis" Chavez died later that month. In the Senate he voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He served until November 1964 and resumed his law practice after an unsuccessful run for reelection. He was a member of the New Mexico Commission on Reorganization of the Executive Branch and a member of the New Mexico State Police Commission.

Federal judicial service

Mechem was nominated by President Richard Nixon on September 3, 1970, to the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, to a new seat authorized by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 8, 1970, and received his commission on October 14, 1970. He assumed senior status on July 3, 1982. His service terminated on November 27, 2002, due to his death.

Notable ruling

As a judge, Mechem's made a ruling protecting the rights of American Indians on Indian lands from government interference.

Personal

Mechem's father, Edwin Mechem Sr., had been a respected state district judge in Las Cruces. He was the nephew of another New Mexican governor, Merritt C. Mechem. His son, Jesse Mechem, was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army, when he died in combat during the Vietnam War.

Death

Mechem died on November 27, 2002, in Albuquerque.

References

Sources

Obituary via The Associated Press

References

[https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/88-1964/s409 HR. 7152. PASSAGE.]. ''GovTrack.us''. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=29031 NM US Senate Race - Nov 03, 1964]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
(Winter 1957). "Governor of New Mexico".
{{FJC Bio. 1608
(24 December 2011). "Bill to name courthouse for Edwin Mechem". Alamogordo Daily News.
(26 May 2024). "Soldiers' stories from Vietnam evoke memories". The Santa Fe New Mexican.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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