A successful rancher and banker, Mariano Otero
enjoyed a short-lived career in elective office
that was emblematic of the web of business and
familial connections among the territorial political elite.
His uncle, Miguel Antonio Otero, Sr., served as New
Mexico’s Delegate to the U.S. House from 1856 to 1861.
His cousin, Miguel Antonio Otero, Jr., built a career
as a powerful state politician, eventually becoming the
only Hispanic-American governor of the New Mexico
Territory. In accepting the nomination in 1878 to run as
the Republican nominee for Territorial Delegate, Otero
wrote, “The confidence manifested by the unanimity of my
nomination arouses in me the most profound emotions of
gratitude and an earnest determination to spare no effort
and hesitate at no sacrifice of my personal convenience
to discharge worthily the duties of the position.”1 His
fleeting career at the federal level coincided with the
declining influence of the Republican Party in late 19th-century
New Mexico.
Mariano Sabino Otero was born in Peralta, Valencia
County, New Mexico, on August 28, 1844, to Juan Otero
and his wife, whose name is not known. He was educated
in private and parochial schools in New Mexico and then
studied at St. Louis University. Upon returning to New
Mexico, Otero became a sheep and cattle rancher and later
moved into banking. The Otero family dominated Valencia
County, which at one time stretched from Texas to
California. The eastern part of the county was bordered by
the San José, Rio Puerco, and Rio Grande Rivers; the west
was bordered by streams that flowed into the Zuñi River.
The sprawling county was separated by the Continental
Divide, with the Zuñi Mountains in its northwest
quadrant.2 Mariano Otero relocated to Albuquerque and
married Filomena Perea, the sister of Pedro Perea, a rising
politico who eventually served as a Delegate in Congress.
The couple had five children: Margarita; Frederick; Alfredo;
Mariano, Jr.; and Dolores.3
Otero became active in politics when he served as
probate judge in Bernalillo County from 1871 to 1879.
In 1874 state Democrats nominated him for congressional
Delegate, but he declined their offer, perhaps because of
the responsibilities of managing his business empire; he not
only achieved great success in ranching, marketing, and
commerce, but he also owned the Nuestra Señora de la Luz
de los Lagunitas Land Grant, which comprised more than
39,000 acres.4
In 1878 the state Republican Party nominated Otero
to run for the Delegate’s seat. This time Otero reluctantly
accepted the nomination. Santa Fe’s New Mexican,
a mouthpiece for the GOP, noted Otero’s “superior
qualifications for the position are well known to the entire
community and … [he] is universally recognized and
respected as a gentleman of fine ability.” The newspaper
noted that Otero “did not seek the nomination; in
fact [he] earnestly entreated the delegates to nominate
another man; but so strong was the feeling in his favor
that no heed was given to his declination … and [he]
was nominated by acclamation.”5 In his acceptance letter,
Otero thanked the committee. As “the candidate of the
Republican party,” he expressed pride in “its record and
achievements and loyal[ty] to its principles.” If elected,
Otero promised to “earnestly endeavor to fairly represent
all the people and the interests of every section of the
Territory, faithfully, honestly, and to the very best of my
ability.” Otero also indicated his desire and expectation
that his political opponents would place the welfare of
the territory above expedient political maneuvering, and
asked for “the sympathy and assistance not only of my
political friends and supporters but of all my fellow citizens
whose intelligence and patriotism impels them to regard as
paramount to all other considerations the welfare and the
prosperity and happiness of [the New Mexican] people.”6
As was often the case in New Mexican politics of this era,
the opposing political candidate was a relative. Democrat
Benito Baca was a successful entrepreneur who came from
a prominent political family in San Miguel County, in the
north-central portion of the territory, and was married to
a niece of Otero’s uncle, Miguel Antonio Otero, Sr. Baca’s
campaign was hamstrung by health issues. Suffering from
carbuncle, a bacterial skin infection that causes large boils,
Baca underwent a painful surgery but recovered to run in
the election.7
Otero traversed the territory, visiting Valencia, Socorro,
and San Miguel Counties, some of the most populated
portions of New Mexico. The editors of the Santa Fe
New Mexican predicted, “Old reliable Republican
counties will give larger republican majorities than
ever before.” They also reported dissatisfaction within
Democratic sectors: “Not only are republicans aroused
by the disreputable course of the democrats … but many
respectable democrats [who] are disgusted with the course
of that party, and not willing to bear any share in the
responsibilities for the vile slanders … have repudiated
the party and its candidate, and are working for Otero.”8
Otero was so popular that one political observer wrote
a “Homily in Verse” lauding his nomination and urging
readers to vote for him: “So then New Mexicans, love
your country, vote for Mariano Otero, drop Benito Baca;
taking a closer look and reflecting on the issue New Mexico
declares, Elect our champion!”9 Esteem for the two
candidates energized the bases of their parties, resulting in
a large turnout. The popular vote was split nearly down
the middle. Otero prevailed on Election Day with 9,739
votes to Benito Baca’s 9,067, translating into a narrow
52 to 48 percent margin of victory. The editors of the
New Mexican considered the 1878 election “among the
most fairly and most closely contested elections that have
transpired since the organization of the territory” and
attributed the closeness of the election to the Republicans’
disorganization early in the race and the Democrats’
efficiency rallying supporters.10
Elected to the 46th Congress (1879–1881), Otero
was sworn in on March 19, 1879.11 Under new House
Rules enacted during his tenure, he became the first
New Mexican Territorial Delegate—and only the second
Hispanic-American Member of Congress—to earn a
committee assignment, on the Committee on Coinage,
Weights, and Measures. Otero tended primarily to
constituent services by submitting pension and relief
requests for individuals in the territory as well as bills
supporting the education of Pueblo Indian children. Also,
like many of his predecessors, he sought to secure federal
appropriations for local projects.12
When it came time for the 1880 elections, Otero
declined to seek renomination after serving a single
term. He returned to New Mexico, where he pursued his
business interests and a career in state politics. By 1884
Otero had affiliated himself with powerful Republican
oligarchs like Stephen Elkins and Thomas Catron, along
with his relatives José Francisco Chaves and Miguel Otero
in the Santa Fe Ring.13 From 1884 to 1886, he served as
commissioner of Bernalillo County. He also served as a
delegate to the 1889 territorial constitutional convention.14
By the late 1880s, Otero’s connections to the Santa Fe
Ring had renewed his interest in the coveted Delegate post.
In 1888 and 1890 he ran as a Republican, but he lost both
times by narrow margins to Antonio Joseph because of the
GOP’s factionalism and Joseph’s wide popularity.15 During
the 1888 campaign, Otero was well received throughout
the territory. A newspaper account reported, “Expressions
of gratitude are being received from all over the county
[Dona Ana] about the nomination of Mariano S. Otero …
[who] is so well known in this county that there is no
need to praise him in our area.”16 A man who identified
himself as “a Mexican” appealed to Hispano constituents in
a campaign poem: “O valiant Mexican!/If you want to be
protected.…/Cast your vote and your support/For Otero,
our champion.” The poem then exhorted voters, “Be free!
Be proud!/Noble blood runs in your veins/Have Courage!
The world is yours!/Take the chains off your neck.”17 But
Joseph prevailed, with 53.5 percent of the vote to Otero’s
46.5 percent.
In the 1890 race, Joseph suffered the political
fallout from his failure the previous year to support the
proposed draft of the New Mexico state constitution.
The Republican organ, the Santa Fe Daily New Mexican,
portrayed Otero as a progressive, business-oriented
candidate who would resolve land grant issues and move
New Mexico forward.18 In fact, a major plank of Otero’s
platform was to resolve some of the outstanding land
titles that plagued New Mexico.19 In other sections of
the territory, Otero was “pushing the battle to the wall,
and … being ably seconded by local leaders and county
committees.”20 One editor wrote, Otero “represents the
party which has declared itself in favor of those measures
of public policy which are best calculated to promote
the material interests of New Mexico, and … puts those
principles into practice.”21 Nevertheless, the Democratic
incumbent won by a 53 to 47 percent margin that was
nearly identical to the one he had polled two years earlier.22
Otero’s second unsuccessful campaign effectively ended
his quest to rejuvenate his career in elective politics. During
the 1890s, he served as president of the Albuquerque Bank
of Commerce. On February 1, 1904, Otero died of a
stroke at age 59.23
View Record in the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
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