Edwin Mechem
Edwin Leard âBig Edâ[1][2] Mechem (July 2, 1912 â November 27, 2002) was an FBI agent and Republican from New Mexico who served as the state's governor and U.S. senator, previously being a state representative. He was later appointed by President Richard Nixon to a district court in 1970.
| Edwin L. Mechem | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Former U.S. Senator from New Mexico From: November 30, 1962 â November 3, 1964 | |||
| Predecessor | Dennis Chavez | ||
| Successor | Joseph Montoya | ||
| Former Governor of New Mexico From: January 1, 1961 â November 30, 1962 | |||
| Lieutenant | Tom Bolack | ||
| Predecessor | John Burroughs | ||
| Successor | Tom Bolack | ||
| Former Governor of New Mexico From: January 1, 1957 â January 1, 1959 | |||
| Lieutenant | Joseph Montoya | ||
| Predecessor | John F. Simms | ||
| Successor | John Burroughs | ||
| Former Governor of New Mexico From: January 1, 1951 â January 1, 1955 | |||
| Lieutenant | Tibo J. Chávez | ||
| Predecessor | Thomas J. Mabry | ||
| Successor | John F. Simms | ||
| Former State Representative from New Mexico From: 1947â1948 | |||
| Predecessor | ??? | ||
| Successor | ??? | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Republican | ||
| Spouse(s) | Josephine Mechem | ||
Political career
Mechem was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in 1946 and served from 1947â48.[1]
Governor of New Mexico
Mechem successfully ran for governor in 1950,[3] and was re-elected in 1952.[4] After a failed Senate bid in 1954,[5] he was elected governor again in 1956,[6] defeating Democrat incumbent John Field Simms, Jr.[7] Very narrowly defeated for re-election in 1958,[8] he ran yet again and won in 1960.[9]
U.S. Senate
After the death of incumbent Democrat senator Dennis Chavez, Gov. Mechem appointed himself to fill the vacant seat.
Mechem was one of six Senate Republicans who voted against the final passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.[10] He ran for a full Senate term that year, losing in the general election to Joseph M. Montoya by nine percentage points.[11]
He missed 10% of all roll call votes during his short Senate tenure.[12]
References
- â 1.0 1.1 The Associated Press (November 30, 2002). Edwin Mechem, 90, a Governor of New Mexico. Associated Press via The New York Times. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â Simonich, Milan (December 24, 2011). Bill to name courthouse for Edwin Mechem. Alamogordo Daily News via Internet Archive. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â NM Governor. Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â NM Governor. Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â NM US Senate. Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â NM Governor. Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â JOHN F. SIMMS, 58, EXâGOVERNOR, DIES. The New York Times. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â NM Governor. Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â NM Governor. Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â HR. 7152. PASSAGE.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â NM US Senate. Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- â Sen. Edwin Mechem. Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 9, 2021.