Edwin L. Mechem

Edwin L. Mechem

Edwin Leard Mechem (born July 2, 1912 in Alamogordo , New Mexico ; † November 27, 2002 in Albuquerque , New Mexico) was an American politician and multiple governor of New Mexico from 1951 to 1962 . He also represented this state in the US Senate .

Early years

Edwin Mechem attended local schools in his homeland. He then studied at New Mexico State University . In 1939, he graduated from the University of Arkansas with a law degree. In the meantime he had worked in land surveying for a federal agency in Las Cruces from 1932 to 1935 . After his admission to the bar, he practiced first in Las Cruces and later in Albuquerque. Between 1942 and 1945 he worked for the FBI as an investigator.

Political advancement and governor of New Mexico

Edwin Mechem was a member of the Republican Party . Between 1947 and 1948 he was a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives . On November 7, 1950, Mechem was elected governor of his state for the first time, where he prevailed with 53.7 percent of the vote against the Democrat John E. Miles . He served a total of four terms in office with interruptions. His first two terms between 1951 and 1955 were contiguous. His third term began - after defeating incumbent John F. Simms - on January 1, 1957 and ended two years later in January 1959. His fourth and final term began on January 1, 1961 and ended with his resignation on November 30, 1962 His terms in office were determined by the party-political conflict between a Democratic majority in the New Mexico Legislature and the Republican governor. The attempt of Mechems to implement Republican goals in New Mexico therefore met with resistance in Parliament. So his terms of office remained without any particular success. Finally he resigned from office in November 1962 to join the US Senate.

Another résumé

Between 1962 and 1964 Edwin Mechem represented his state in Congress . It is noteworthy that he voted against the civil rights law at the time . After an unsuccessful attempt to be re-elected to this office, he returned to practice as a lawyer. He also became a member of a commission concerned with reforming the New Mexico government structure and served on his state's police committee. In 1970 he was appointed a judge in the federal district court for the New Mexico District. He held this office until his death. Edwin Mechem died in November 2002 at the age of 90. He was married to Dorothy Ellen, with whom he had four children. He was the nephew of Merritt C. Mechem , who had also been governor of New Mexico between 1921 and 1923.

Web links

• Edwin L. Mechem in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Edwin Mechem in the National Governors Association (English)
• Edwin L. Mechem in the database of Find a Grave (English)