NMCentennialBlueBook

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served from October 1848 to May 1849 and Munroe served from May 1849 to March
1851.
5. At the time the civil and military roles were combined, Vigil was reappointed secretary of
the territory, and served in that capacity until March 1851.
6. Vigil, with the exception of the four months Bent served as governor, was the highest
ranking American civilian official in the NM Pre-Territorial period (September 1846
-March 1851).
NEW MEXICO TERRITORIAL GOVERNORS
(1851-1912)
The following historical chronology of New Mexico’s territorial governors was researched
and compiled by Dan D. Chávez, Ph.D., UNM Professor Emeritus.
DATES 1 GOVERNORS P APPOINTING PRESIDENTS P
1851-1852 James S.Calhoun Whig Millard Fillmore Whig
1852-1853 William Carr Lane Whig Millard Fillmore Whig
1853-1857 David Meriweather D Franklin Pierce D
1857-1861 Abraham Rencher D James Buchanan D
1861-1866 Henry Connelly D Abraham Lincoln R
1866-1869 Robert B. Mitchell D Andrew Johnson D
1869-1871 William A. Pile R Ulysses S. Grant R
1871-1875 Marsh Giddings R Ulysses S. Grant R
1875-1878 Samuel B. Axtell R Ulysses S. Grant R
1878-1881 Lewis Wallace R Rutherford B. Hayes R
1881-1885 Lionel A. Sheldon R James A. Garfield R
1885-1889 Edmund G. Ross D Grover Cleveland D
1889-1893 L. Bradford Prince R Benjamin Harrison R
1893-1897 William T. Thornton D Grover Cleveland D
1897-1906 2 Miguel A. Otero (II) R William McKinley R
1906-1907 Herbert J. Hagerman R Theodore Roosevelt R
1907-1910 George Curry R Theodore Roosevelt R
1910-1912 William J. Mills R William H. Taft R
NOTES
1. The two highest civilian territorial officials—the Governor and the Secretary of the
Territory–were appointed by the President of the United States to four-year terms.
The territorial secretary served as acting governor when the territorial governor was
out of New Mexico, died, resigned or was removed from office. But, unlike today’s
state lieutenant governor, the territorial secretary did not succeed to the governorship
upon the death, resignation, or removal of the territorial governor.
2. Otero (II) is not to be confused with his father, Otero (I), who served as a NM
Delegate to the Congress; nor is Otero (II) to be confused with his son, Otero (III),
who was elected to two NM state offices: state auditor and attorney general.