Governor William C. McDonald Papers,
Collection
Identifier: 1959-094
Scope and Content
Collection consists of official and personal papers of Governor McDonald. The bulk of the collection consists of McDonalds official papers (1912-1916). Legislative papers contain vetoes, messages, and documentation of the Governors Contingent Fund. Petitions involve the use of convict labor, construction of a dike on the Rio Grande, a right-of-way for the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad, and conditions at the Sugarite Mining Camp in Colfax County. Reports are from various state agencies and private organizations including the Sisters of Loretto. Special reports and investigations contain several investigations of individual government employees, illegal practices of the Santa Fe County Commission, the failure of the First National Bank of Las Cruces, the election of Albert B. Fall, and the Mexican Embassys complaint of alleged trespassing on the Mexican border. Penal papers contain pardons, paroles, extraditions, and records of some Villistas involved in the raid on Columbus, New Mexico. Personal papers include McDonalds correspondence, campaign materials, and political documents; correspondence of FrancesMcDonald (wife); miscellaneous awards, letters, and certificates of Frances McDonald (daughter); a copy of T.A. Spencer Jr.s 1968 study of the papers of his great grandfather William C. McDonald; and documents concerning the Johnson-Flynn prize fight at Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1912.
Dates
- 1880-1968 (bulk, 1912-1916)
Language of Materials
English.
Access Restrictions
None
Copy Restrictions
Limited duplication allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Biographical Note
William C. McDonald was born at Jordanville, New York on July 25, 1858, the son of John and Lydia Marshall McDonald. He was admitted to the bar at Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1880. During 1880 McDonald moved to White Oaks, New Mexico and engaged in civil and mining engineering. He served as deputy mineral surveyor from 1881 to1890, when he became manager of the Carrizozo Cattle Ranch Company. McDonald also held the positions of Lincoln County Assessor (1885-1897), Representative in the Territorial House of Representatives (1891), and Chairman of the Democratic Territorial Central Committee (1910-1911). He married Francis McCourt at Las Vegas, New Mexico on August 31, 1891. McDonald was elected the first Governor of the State of New Mexico on November 7, 1911, and served a four year term from 1912-1916. McDonald died on April 11, 1918.
Extent
24 linear feet, Oversize: 13 v.
Organization
Collection is organized into ten series:
- I. Correspondence
- II. Oaths
- III. Appointments, resignations, proclamations, and executive orders
- IV. Legislative documents
- V. Petitions
- VI. Reports to the Governor
- VII. Boards and commissions
- VIII. Special reports and investigations
- IX. Pardons and penal papers
- X. Personal papers
Separated Material
Photographs received with the collection are housed and cataloged separately.
General
Contact Information
- New Mexico State Records Center and Archives
- Archives and Historical Services Division
- 1205 Camino Carlos Rey
- Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
- Phone: 505-476-7908
- Fax: 505-476-7909
- Email: archives@rain.state.nm.us
- URL: http://www.state.nm.us/cpr/ahsd_top.htm
- Addresses
- Administrative agencies -- New Mexico
- Annual reports
- Boxing matches--New Mexico--East Las Vegas
- Columbus (N.M.) -- History
- Convict labor--New Mexico--Raton
- El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Company
- Extradition -- New Mexico
- Fall, Albert B. (Albert Bacon), 1861-1944
- Family papers
- Governors--New Mexico
- Natural resources--New Mexico
- New Mexico -- Officials and employees
- New Mexico -- Politics and government -- 1848-1950
- Pardon--New Mexico
- Proclamations
- Real estate development--New Mexico
- Rio Grande
- State government records
- Title
- Inventory of the Governor William C. McDonald Papers, 1880-1968 (bulk, 1912-1916)
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Author
- Processed by Staff
- Date
- ©2000
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is in English
Revision Statements
- June 28, 2004: PUBLIC "-//New Mexico State Records Center and Archives//TEXT (US::Nm-Ar::1959-094::Governor William C. McDonald Papers)//EN" "nmar1959-094.sgml" converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (sy2003-10-15).
- Monday, 20210524: Attribute normal is missing or blank.
Repository Details
Part of the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives Repository