List of Socorro County Republican delegates, 1906

Prior to statehood, and a couple of decades afterwards, Republicans held the majority in New Mexico. Most of delegates to the 1911 New Mexico Constitutional Convention were Republican; all of Hispanic delegates were Republican. It wouldn't be until Dennis Chavez was elected to the U.S. Senate, Franklin Roosevelt became president, and the New Deal began to affect New Mexico that the majority of voters in New Mexico switched from Republican to Democrat.

Socorro County, like many counties in New Mexico, was dominated by the Republican Party. Many Hispanics were in the leadership of the Socorro County Republican Party, including my second great-grandfather Jose Epitacio Torres. The 15 September 1906 issue of "The Socorro Chieftain listed Jose E. Torres as the county's Chairman of the Republican Central Committee.

The image below is a list a delegates to the Socorro County Convention. The delegates include the following men:

Jose E. Torres
Lorenzo M. Vigil
Jose E. Montoya
Jose D. Carrillo
Abran Baca
Serafin Lucero
Jose M. Lopez
Rafael Mendoza
Thos.(Thomas) F. Cooney
F. H. Gregg
William Gardiner
A.B. Baca
Pablo Trujillo
Chas. (Charles) Eaton
Domingo Baca
David Giron
Al Strozzi
W.E. Manning
George P. Williams
Telesfor Gabaldon
Pablo Y. Trujillo
Manuel Gabaldon
C.T. Brown
Julian Montoya
Edward Tafoya
Serobabel Chavez
Alejo (Alejandro) Gurule
C.H. Ehmendorf
Rafael Lopez
Pablo Armijo
Manuel S. Pino
Luciano Tafoya
J.K.P. May
Wm. (William) H. Antrim
Estevan Contreras
B. C. Raynolds
D.B. Sorrels
J. Peralta y Cisneros
Genovevo Padilla
Juan Silva
Donaciano Gabaldon
Jose Baca y Sedillo
Henry Martin
A.A. Sedillo

These delegates were to attend the Socorro convention, and elect 11 delegates who were attend the state convention in Las Vegas, New Mexico, on 29 September.

The results of the Socorro County Republican Convention can be read on the Chronicling America website here (click on link.) The convention favored joint statehood. Joint statehood was an idea of annexing New Mexico and Arizona into the United States as one state. Obviously, that did not happen, but statehood had eluded New Mexicans for over 50 years by this point and many believed that this was the only way that New Mexico could achieve statehood.


Sources:
"Call for Republican Convention: Socorro County, New Mexico", The Socorro chieftain. (Socorro, N.M.), 15 Sept. 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86090503/1906-09-15/ed-1/seq-1/>. Accessed 8 April 2017

"Republicans Convene", The Socorro chieftain. (Socorro, N.M.), 29 Sept. 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86090503/1906-09-29/ed-1/seq-1/>. Accessed 8 April 2017.

"New Mexico's Statehood: 100 Years of Enchantment", New Mexico Office of State Historian website, https://newmexicohistory.org/centennial/Statehood/Timeline.html. Accessed 8 April 2017.

Official Election Results - from 1912 - Socorro County, New Mexico

In honor of Election Day, I decided to post these official voting returns for Socorro County - from 1912. This election happened a few days after New Mexico became a state. A number of these men were descendants of Socorro founders, or married to said descendants.

Official Election Returns on County Officers

Socorro County - County Commissioners. First District: J. S. Baca 1888; Emil Kiehne 1591; Second District: Leandro Baca 1747; Leopoldo Contreras 1723; Third District: Benito Belarde 1803; Harvey Richards 1697.

Probate Judge: Misaias Baca 1945; John Greenwald 1548.

County Clerk: Edward Fortune 1816; E.H. Sweet 1655.

Sheriff: Emil James 1720; Henry Dreyfus 1674; John Martin 102; Jose L. Baca 1.

Assessor: A.B. Baca 1813; George E. Cook 1680.

Treasurer: Max H. Montoya 1893; Jose E. Torres 1570.

Superintendent of Schools: Benjamin Sanchez 1845; C.B. Sedillo 1637.

Surveyor - George King 1952; Rolla Russell 1553.

Source: "Official Election Returns on County Officers," announcement, Santa Fe New Mexico, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 22 January 1912, election results for Socorro County offices; online archives (http://0-access.newspaperarchive.com.albuq.cabq.gov/us/new-mexico/santa-fe/santa-fe-new-mexican : accessed 8 November 2016); Newspaper Archive website.