Merritt C. Mechem
Encyclopedia
Merritt Cramer Mechem was a territorial Supreme Court justice and fifth Governor of New Mexico
.
Mechem was born in Ottawa
, Franklin County
, Kansas
to Homer C. Mechem and Martha (Davenport) Mechem. He graduated from public school in Kansas and attended the University of Kansas
and Ottawa University
in Ottawa, Kansas
. He was admitted to the bar in 1893.
After practicing law in Fort Smith, Arkansas for ten years, he moved his law practice to Tucumcari, New Mexico
at the age of thirty-two in 1903.
Mechem was appointed by Governor Otero
as the district attorney for Quay
and Guadalupe
Counties of New Mexico, a position he held from 1905 to 1909, being reappointed by Governor Hagerman
. He also served as a member of the New Mexico Territorial Council from 1909 to 1911. In 1909 President Taft
appointed him a justice on the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court where he served until 1911. Thereafter he served as a district judge for the Seventh Judicial District in Socorro
until1920, being twice re-elected.
On the twelfth of February, 1910, in Santa Fe, Judge Mechem was married to Miss Eleanor Frances O’Hara, a native of Chicago, Illinois.
In September 1917 in a famous attempt to silence the press Judge Mechem convicted the editor of the New Mexican of criminal contempt for publishing a story about the judge’s affidavit in a separate libel case against the newspaper. The contempt conviction was speedily reversed, but the underlying libel case was not dismissed until October 1919.
In 1920 he became the Republican candidate for governor and won by the largest percentage vote of any previous New Mexico gubernatorial election. He decided not to run for a second term.
In 1923 he opened his law practice in Albuquerque which he maintained until his death. His law offices were in the First National Bank building where he later associated with another former governor, Arthur T. Hannett
. He served a term as president of the state bar association, and was a ranking Mason
, an affiliate of the Scottish Rite
bodies and holder of the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite at Santa Fe. He was also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
, Sons of the American Revolution
, the American Bar Association
, and the Albuquerque Lawyers Club.
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Mechem was born in Ottawa
Ottawa, Kansas
Ottawa is a city situated along the Marais des Cygnes River in the central part of Franklin County, located in east-central Kansas, 50 miles southwest of Kansas City, Mo., in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,649. It is the county seat and most populous...
, Franklin County
Franklin County, Kansas
Franklin County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 25,992. Its county seat and most populous city is Ottawa...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
to Homer C. Mechem and Martha (Davenport) Mechem. He graduated from public school in Kansas and attended the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
and Ottawa University
Ottawa University
Ottawa University is a private, non-profit, faith-based liberal arts college located in Ottawa, Kansas. It was founded in 1865 and is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA...
in Ottawa, Kansas
Ottawa, Kansas
Ottawa is a city situated along the Marais des Cygnes River in the central part of Franklin County, located in east-central Kansas, 50 miles southwest of Kansas City, Mo., in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,649. It is the county seat and most populous...
. He was admitted to the bar in 1893.
After practicing law in Fort Smith, Arkansas for ten years, he moved his law practice to Tucumcari, New Mexico
Tucumcari, New Mexico
Tucumcari is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,989 at the 2000 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was founded.-History:...
at the age of thirty-two in 1903.
Mechem was appointed by Governor Otero
Miguel Antonio Otero (II)
Miguel Antonio Otero , nicknamed "Gillie," was governor of New Mexico Territory from 1897 to 1906 and in later life the author of several books on Western lore...
as the district attorney for Quay
Quay County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*86.1% White*1.1% Black*1.2% Native American*1.0% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.4% Two or more races*7.2% Other races*42.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
and Guadalupe
Guadalupe County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*70.4% White*1.7% Black*1.9% Native American*1.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.3% Two or more races*21.4% Other races*79.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
Counties of New Mexico, a position he held from 1905 to 1909, being reappointed by Governor Hagerman
Herbert James Hagerman
Herbert James Hagerman was an American attorney, was the Governor of the New Mexico Territory from 1906 to 1907....
. He also served as a member of the New Mexico Territorial Council from 1909 to 1911. In 1909 President Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
appointed him a justice on the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court where he served until 1911. Thereafter he served as a district judge for the Seventh Judicial District in Socorro
Socorro, New Mexico
Socorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It stands in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of . The population was 9,051 at the 2010 census...
until1920, being twice re-elected.
On the twelfth of February, 1910, in Santa Fe, Judge Mechem was married to Miss Eleanor Frances O’Hara, a native of Chicago, Illinois.
In September 1917 in a famous attempt to silence the press Judge Mechem convicted the editor of the New Mexican of criminal contempt for publishing a story about the judge’s affidavit in a separate libel case against the newspaper. The contempt conviction was speedily reversed, but the underlying libel case was not dismissed until October 1919.
In 1920 he became the Republican candidate for governor and won by the largest percentage vote of any previous New Mexico gubernatorial election. He decided not to run for a second term.
In 1923 he opened his law practice in Albuquerque which he maintained until his death. His law offices were in the First National Bank building where he later associated with another former governor, Arthur T. Hannett
Arthur T. Hannett
Arthur Thomas Hannett was an American politician who rose to become the seventh Governor of New Mexico....
. He served a term as president of the state bar association, and was a ranking Mason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, an affiliate of the Scottish Rite
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...
bodies and holder of the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite at Santa Fe. He was also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
, Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...
, the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, and the Albuquerque Lawyers Club.