Whereas: Stories from the People’s House

Edition for Educators—New Mexico

Since the 1850s, New Mexico has accounted for an outsized number of the Hispanic-American Members who have served in Congress. Acquired by the United States at the conclusion of the U.S.-Mexico War, Congress admitted New Mexico as a territory via the Compromise of 1850, a political settlement that formally admitted much of what is now the southwestern portion of the United States. Since José Manuel Gallegos won election to the House as its second Territorial Delegate in 1853, a total of 21 Hispanic Americans have represented New Mexico in Congress.

Throughout the nineteenth century, New Mexico’s push for statehood grew in fits and starts. Originally promoted as a necessity to stave off Texan encroachment on the territory’s eastern lands, statehood remained elusive because of opposition in the national capital and New Mexicans’ ambivalence. Slavery in the territory was a central issue. Congress initially postponed statehood for New Mexico because its admission as a free state would have upset the balance between the number of free states and slave states in the 1850s. In the absence of consensus on the slavery question, New Mexico’s Delegates, such as Miguel Antonio Otero, focused on developing the territory’s economy. For instance, Otero appealed to Congress for help with expanding mail service to California through New Mexico. He also supported a transcontinental railway that would bring settlers and businesses through the territory to spur economic development.

After acquiring statehood in 1912, a new generation of Hispanic-American politicians such as Néstor Montoya and Dennis Chavez successfully ran for local, state, and federal offices for much of the next half-century. As they gained seniority, these members held more prestigious committee assignments than their nineteenth-century predecessors. These assignments also reflected the broad legislative agendas of their constituencies. For western representatives like Montoya and Chavez, serving on the House’s Indian Affairs and Public Lands Committees was important because the state had large tracts of federal land and numerous American Indian reservations. Although New Mexico had an abundance of natural resources, a Member’s ability to direct federal funding to constituents was critical for expanding the state’s transportation infrastructure, attracting business investors, and providing basic public services.

Between the election of José Manuel Gallegos as New Mexico’s first Delegate in 1853 and 1898, more than half of the 16 Territorial Delegates that represented New Mexico in Washington were Hispanic-American men. Since New Mexico acquired statehood in 1912, it has sent 12 more Hispanic-American lawmakers to Congress. The four Members that are featured below represent two distinct eras of New Mexico’s relationship with the House. Two are Territorial Delegates and two are Representatives who served the state during two World Wars.

Featured People

Francisco Manzanares
An accomplished entrepreneur, Francisco Manzanares was a reluctant candidate for New Mexico Territorial Delegate in the U.S. House. Urged on by friends and political supporters, Manzanares accepted the Democratic nomination and won a seat to the 48th Congress (1883–1885). “I have been reluctant to accept the nomination, but the urgent solicitation of many of my fellow citizens . . . constrains me to forgo my personal preferences,” Manzanares said at the start of his campaign. During his brief, one-term tenure, Manzanares sought funding for public resources such as hospitals and schools. After returning home, Manzanares resumed his business activities and remained engaged in local politics.

Mariano Otero
A successful rancher and banker, Mariano Otero served as a probate judge before running for the Territorial Delegate’s seat in 1878. After serving for a single term in the 46th Congress (1879–1881), Otero initially returned to his business pursuits but later ran unsuccessfully in 1888 and 1890. Otero’s family had a long history of public service. Mariano’s uncle, Miguel Antonio Otero Sr., was a three-term Delegate in Washington during the late 1850s; his brother-in-law, Pedro Perea, served for a single term in the 56th Congress (1899–1901).

Benigno Cárdenas Hernández
Elected in 1914, two years after New Mexico was admitted as a state, Benigno Hernández was the first Hispanic American from New Mexico who served a U.S. Representative. A business owner, Hernández turned to politics while serving as a local official and county sheriff. Hernández served two non-consecutive terms in the 64th (1915–1917) and 66th (1919–1921) Congresses. During his terms of service, Hernández sought funding to build roads throughout his state and supported the National Defense Act of 1916, which helped the U.S. Army to prepare for possible involvement in World War I. Between 1917 and 1919, Hernández served on a state council that coordinated with federal officials to mobilize state resources for the war.

Antonio Fernández
As New Mexico’s longest-serving Representative in the mid-20th century, Antonio M. Fernández concentrated on issues affecting the military and American Indians. After serving in the state legislature and at various levels of state government, Fernández won election to the House in 1942. With U.S. involvement in World War II accelerating rapidly, Fernández supported servicemembers by seeking federal funding to improve local military facilities. He championed what became known as the GI Bill, which included tuition benefits for college-bound veterans and low-interest home mortgage loans. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Fernández advocated for directing federal funds to build new schools and improve facilities for Hispanic and American Indian constituents in his state.

Featured Exhibition

Overview of New Mexico Politics, 1848–1898
Notably, the story of the nineteenth-century Hispanic-American Members of Congress derives largely from the history of the Hispanic-American elites and their interactions with U.S. governing officials. Throughout this era, New Mexico’s politics revolved around the question of statehood and federal funding for territorial improvements. Before the Civil War, New Mexico’s status was complicated due to questions over slavery and sectional tensions between Northern and Southern Members in Congress. After the Civil War, New Mexico’s admission was further stymied by some Members’ longstanding prejudices against the territory’s Spanish-speaking, Roman Catholic majority, and political gridlock within Congress during the Reconstruction era. New Mexico struggled for over 60 years—the longest of any contiguous state—to achieve statehood.

This essay from Hispanic Americans in Congress elaborates on that long journey from a territory to a state. Read more on the unique political experience of New Mexico’s Hispanic-American Representatives.

Featured Records

1848 Map of Western Territories
On December 5, 1848, President James K. Polk transmitted his annual message to Congress. He used this map as an exhibit to illustrate his desired plan for the land acquired through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the U.S.-Mexico War earlier in the year. The land included the present-day states of California, Nevada, and Utah, as well as parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

1853 New Mexico Contested Election Document
This Spanish-language document verifies the votes of Valencia, a New Mexico county, for the Territorial Delegate to the 33rd Congress (1853–1855). In Valencia, José Manuel Gallegos received 453 votes and William Carr Lane received 765. Although Lane prevailed in Valencia, he lost the territory-wide race by a margin of 445 votes. Such voting tally sheets would become evidence when Lane challenged Gallegos's election in the House on charges of election fraud. That challenge was unsuccessful, however, and Gallegos became the first Hispanic American to represent New Mexico in Congress.

This is part of a series of blog posts for educators highlighting the resources available on History, Art & Archives of the U.S. House of Representatives. For lesson plans, fact sheets, glossaries, and other materials for the classroom, see the website's Education section.