I've been in a lot of "how 'bout that Governor of yours" conversations lately, and I can't help but giggle, because right now I'm deep in some historical research, and it seems that for about 400 years now New Mexico's governors have been getting into one kind of scrape or another.
Not to say Richardson hasn't sort of painted himself into a corner here, and won't do the right thing for fear of joining the swelling ranks of the jobless, but put into context.... well, there have been some great governors of New Mexico, and some governors who have done some decent things, but it's not the GREATEST job in the world (especially in the years of smallpox and Comanche raids), but there has always been some money to be made somewhere, and a populace fairly immune to gubanatorial scandal, so overall, it's a real rogue's gallery.
Some of my favorites, in order:
Juan de Oñate (1598 – 1608)
The first, and in some ways, still the most unforgiven. Here's a guy, who settles a wild frontier at his own expense, solely for glory of God and King (and possible ownership of any gold mines that there might be), and he ends up hauled up in court, disgraced, and impoverished. All for the minor infraction of the laws against cruelty, which he violated when he ordered the right foot of all adult males at Acoma pueblo to be cut off, and for a sizeable segment of the population placed in servitude for seven years.
It's worth noting, that when the Quatrocentenario (400th anniversary) committee erected a statue of Oñate, some people hacked off the right foot and left a note that they (the foot-hackers) were going to melt it down and sell it as trinkets for tourists. There's some wit, there.
Francisco de la Mora y Ceballos, 1632–1635
Beat the charges against him for racketeering and for using his position for his personal enrichment, and went on to become mayor of Aculpulco. Nice!
Luis de Rosas (assassinated 1641)
The church (represented by the Franciscans) and the state were constantly fighting throughout the first few hundred years, using the pueblos as pawns. In order to improve the compliance of the pueblos in paying their taxes governors would turn a blind eye to charges brought against them for idolatry, concubinage, and heresy. More than one governor was prosecuted by the Inquisistion. Governor de Rosas was also accused of accepting bribes for his lenience toward his corrupt predecessor, and of using his office to enrich himself through unscrupulous trading practices. Luis de Rosas was assassinated by a group of men led by Nicolás Ortiz to avenge the seduction of Ortiz’s wife, María de Bustillos, by Rosas.
Antonio de Otermin (1679 – 1680, titular governor until 1682)
This one was the first to lose New Mexico, to its original inhabitants, the Pueblo tribes, who rose up in revolt and drove the settlers below the pueblos, where they founded present-day El Paso, while Otermín wrote Sternly Worded Letters and fretted for eleven years (he did go partway back to Santa Fe at one point, but got scared and hurried back to El Paso), but with no understanding of how his own administration could have contributed to the Pueblos' shift from being welcoming and accomodating, to burning churches and killing Spaniards.
Diego de Vargas (titular 1688 – 1692, effective 1692 – 1696)
The fearless leader of the Reconquest of New Mexico, was rewarded for his hard work subduing the rebellion, with charges of embezzlement of money, provoking the hostilities of 1694-1696, and was even charged with bringing on the famine of 1695-1696, because of his administrations' mismanagement in distributing the remaining portion of the food supply among the colonists. De Vargas was found guilty and was fined four thousand pesos as costs of the suit, all of his property was confiscated and he was confined to prison for nearly three years, while his political enemy...
Pedro Rodríguez Cubero (1696 – 1703)
was governor. When DeVargas got out of prison and started heading north, Cubero told everyone he was off to fight the Indians, and fled the state, leaving the field open for de Vargas to become governor again. We love those bad boys!
Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollon (1712 – 1715)
Governor Mogollon, whose memory lives on in several geographical features, was accused of malfeasance in office and either rode out his term or resigned "for health reasons," depending on who you believe. By the time his trial rolled around, and a verdict found against him, he had disappeared.
Felix Martínez (acting, 1715 – 1716)
So Mogollon is out, and Felix Martínez is named acting gov. But he uses the office to good advantage. He and his brother raid the Utes on the government's peso, and then become rich selling the captured Utes into slavery, in the silver mines down south.
Juan Domingo de Bustamente (1723 – 1731)
Since the colonial powers were forced to mimic European politics, the French were perceived as a great danger to New Mexico, and to the integrity of the Spanish Crown. French traders floating around the borders of Louisiana (present day Kansas) were selling arms to the Comanches, but also selling all sorts of other trade goods. New Mexicans were strictly prohibited from trading with any nation besides Spain, and Governor Bustamente piously issued decrees against trading with the dastardly French. All that piousness evaporated in 1731, when it was discovered he couldn't resist that Parisian lingerie, and had been running a black market smuggling ring. To quote eminent New Mexico historian, Ralph Emerson Twitchell,
The rule of Governor Bustamante closed in the year 1731. He was tried on charges of illegal trade, found guilty, and forced to pay the costs of his trial. All in all, Governor Bustamante's administration was very successful.
Colonel Francisco de la Rocha (appointed 1747)
Notable because he was appointed but refused to serve, fearing that a governorship of New Mexico would ruin his good name. Smart man!!
Albino Pérez (1835 – 1837)
Actually did what he was supposed to do, and raised taxes on the New Mexicans, which made them revolt, and when he tried to restore order, he was "savagely put to death," and his head used as a football. The head of the rebellion, a Taos man named Jose Gonzales, briefly assumed the governorship.
Manuel Armijo (1827 – 1829) (1838 – April 1844) (March 1845 – August 1846)
No one really represents New Mexico Governor-ness in all its glory like Manuel Armijo, the last Mexican governor. Scuttlebutt suggests his rags to riches story was possible because as a young shepherd he stole his employers' sheep, but his tenure is vivid enough without embellishment. He rose to prominence in Albuquerque politics. At Perez' death, hurt that he hadn't been asked to be governor, he came upon the clever idea of representing himself as a loyal citizen ready to put down the uprising that killed poor Gov Perez. So he writes for troops, and rides to triumphant victory with the Spanish military behind him. Governor Gonzales is killed in the fray, so Armijo graciously steps in.
Armijo's big bugaboo were the Texans, and while they were having their rebellion against Mexico, they thought to ask their neighbors to join them. Armijo had their party captured, tortured, and forcibly marched down to Chihuahua in chains, where they were thrown into prison for spying. A journalist named George Kendall accompanied this party, and wrote a scathing (and libelous) book about it, which hardened the United States against the New Mexican government.
When it came time for war, Armijo apparently accepted a big payoff from some Texan merchants to "throw the fight," which he dutifully did, arguing his troops off the battlefield even as the American army approached to seize the capitol. He fled down to Mexico for a while, and successfully bucked charges of cowardice and desertion, but later returned, and died a prosperous and well-loved citizen.
There! Those are my favorites, and while Governor Richardson may one day make the list, he's still got some work to do to top slavery, adultery, and heresy. While I DO wish he had kept his fucking hands clean because he's fucking up everyone's lives around here, I still have to appreciate the proud tradition.