James John Hagerman Family papers
Collection
Identifier: Ms-0104
Scope and Content
The James John Hagerman Family Papers span the years from 1848 to 1937, with the bulk falling in the years 1881-1907. The collection is organized in four sub-groups: James Parrot Hagerman, James John Hagerman, Percy Hagerman, and Herbert James Hagerman; the main emphasis is on James John and Herbert James.
JAMES JOHN HAGERMAN The papers of James John Hagerman consist of the personal and business correspondence, memoirs and family business history of a wealthy, mining and railroad developer. Hagerman was instrumental in the development of the Pecos Valley from 1889-1931, and lost a considerable fortune in the process. These papers cover the years 1881-1931 (bulk 1881-1908).
J. J. Hagerman's correspondence consists of letters he sent to his brother-in-law, George Graves, while convalescing in Europe, 1881-1884, and copies of letters sent from his new home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1884-1890. Correspondence includes letters to Jerome B. Wheeler, Charles Otis, T. M. Davis and J. R. Busk.
The business correspondence consists of fragmentary records which survived accidentally. Percy Hagerman destroyed almost all of his father's business records when the family's Pecos Valley ranch folded in the 1930s. However, some of the correspondence concerning the development of the Colorado Midland Railway Company survived. Fragmentary correspondence, most of it in J. J. Hagerman's handwriting, details the development and sale of the railroad (1886-1892). There are also some legal papers and a list of stockholders of the Colorado Midland per the Secretary's record, December 31, 1889.
Other business related fragments are: two land patents; a pamphlet entitled "Statement of Facts: Jerome B. Wheeler vs. James J. Hagerman," and a brochure advertising the sale of the Southspring Ranch land (1908).
Also included here is a family history of the Hagermans' business interests in the Pecos Valley entitled "The Great Illusion: Notes on the Hagerman Experience in the Pecos Valley," written by Percy Hagerman at Colorado Springs in May 1934. This item includes much vital information about Hagerman's financial affairs after he became interested in and invested in Pecos Valley irrigation projects. Eventually he also became deeply involved in railroad and land development. The Hagerman involvement in a project to bring Swiss immigrants to the Pecos Valley is included in this history. Attached to Percy Hagerman's history is a three page paper written by J. J. Hagerman, shortly before his death, on the same incidents.
In 1908 James Hagerman wrote his memoirs entitled "James John Hagerman, Memoirs of his Life." Written a year before his death, this paper describes in detail Hagerman's life from his birth in 1838 until 1881 when he went to Europe to regain his health.
HERBERT JAMES HAGERMAN The papers of Herbert J. Hagerman consist of fragments which document several important events in the life of this wealthy, well-educated man. Spanning the years 1898-1935, the bulk of these papers are for the years when Hagerman was Second Secretary at the United States Embassy in Imperial Russia (1898-1901) and for the years when Hagerman was Territorial Governor of New Mexico (1906-1907).
H. J. Hagerman's correspondence relates primarily to his term as Territorial Governor of New Mexico, 1906-1907. Most of the letters support his position in the various disputes in which he was involved as Governor. Significant correspondents are:
Most of the documentation of his years in Russia is contained in scrapbooks which contain such memorabilia as calling cards, invitations, letters received, programs, broadsides, list of the diplomatic corps, postcards, menus, death notices and newspapers clippings. One scrapbook also serves as a photograph album; family photos and 35 mm copy negatives complete the Photograph series.
J. J. Hagerman's correspondence consists of letters he sent to his brother-in-law, George Graves, while convalescing in Europe, 1881-1884, and copies of letters sent from his new home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1884-1890. Correspondence includes letters to Jerome B. Wheeler, Charles Otis, T. M. Davis and J. R. Busk.
The business correspondence consists of fragmentary records which survived accidentally. Percy Hagerman destroyed almost all of his father's business records when the family's Pecos Valley ranch folded in the 1930s. However, some of the correspondence concerning the development of the Colorado Midland Railway Company survived. Fragmentary correspondence, most of it in J. J. Hagerman's handwriting, details the development and sale of the railroad (1886-1892). There are also some legal papers and a list of stockholders of the Colorado Midland per the Secretary's record, December 31, 1889.
Other business related fragments are: two land patents; a pamphlet entitled "Statement of Facts: Jerome B. Wheeler vs. James J. Hagerman," and a brochure advertising the sale of the Southspring Ranch land (1908).
Also included here is a family history of the Hagermans' business interests in the Pecos Valley entitled "The Great Illusion: Notes on the Hagerman Experience in the Pecos Valley," written by Percy Hagerman at Colorado Springs in May 1934. This item includes much vital information about Hagerman's financial affairs after he became interested in and invested in Pecos Valley irrigation projects. Eventually he also became deeply involved in railroad and land development. The Hagerman involvement in a project to bring Swiss immigrants to the Pecos Valley is included in this history. Attached to Percy Hagerman's history is a three page paper written by J. J. Hagerman, shortly before his death, on the same incidents.
In 1908 James Hagerman wrote his memoirs entitled "James John Hagerman, Memoirs of his Life." Written a year before his death, this paper describes in detail Hagerman's life from his birth in 1838 until 1881 when he went to Europe to regain his health.
H. J. Hagerman's correspondence relates primarily to his term as Territorial Governor of New Mexico, 1906-1907. Most of the letters support his position in the various disputes in which he was involved as Governor. Significant correspondents are:
- Secretary of Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock
- William Loeb, Secretary to President Roosevelt
- Holm O. Bursum
- Governor Kibbey (Arizona)
- Secretary of Interior James R. Garfield
- Charles Springer
- A. A. Keen, New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
- Herbert B. Holt
- F. C. Dezendorf, Chief of Field Division, General Land Office
- Frank L. Campbell
- George W. Knaebel, Secretary of Irrigation Committee, New Mexico
- W. H. H. Llewellyn, United States Attorney
- Judge Parker
- Frank W. Clancy, District Attorney
- Francis M. McMahon, Auditor, Colorado Title and Trust Company
- Granville Pendleton, President, Bureau of Immigration
- R. C. Gortner, District Attorney
- W. C. Reid, Attorney General
- Senator Fred DuBois
- Arthur Trelford
- R. W. McClaughry, Warden, Leavenworth, Kansas
- W. H. Andrews
- E. A. Cahoon, cashier, First National Bank, Roswell
- Albert Bacon Fall, United States Senator
- E. P. Holcombe
- Henry A. Buchtel, Governor of Colorado
Most of the documentation of his years in Russia is contained in scrapbooks which contain such memorabilia as calling cards, invitations, letters received, programs, broadsides, list of the diplomatic corps, postcards, menus, death notices and newspapers clippings. One scrapbook also serves as a photograph album; family photos and 35 mm copy negatives complete the Photograph series.
JAMES JOHN HAGERMAN
The papers of James John Hagerman consist of the personal and business correspondence, memoirs and family business history of a wealthy, mining and railroad developer. Hagerman was instrumental in the development of the Pecos Valley from 1889-1931, and lost a considerable fortune in the process. These papers cover the years 1881-1931 (bulk 1881-1908).
J. J. Hagerman's correspondence consists of letters he sent to his brother-in-law, George Graves, while convalescing in Europe, 1881-1884, and copies of letters sent from his new home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1884-1890. Correspondence includes letters to Jerome B. Wheeler, Charles Otis, T. M. Davis and J. R. Busk.
The business correspondence consists of fragmentary records which survived accidentally. Percy Hagerman destroyed almost all of his father's business records when the family's Pecos Valley ranch folded in the 1930s. However, some of the correspondence concerning the development of the Colorado Midland Railway Company survived. Fragmentary correspondence, most of it in J. J. Hagerman's handwriting, details the development and sale of the railroad (1886-1892). There are also some legal papers and a list of stockholders of the Colorado Midland per the Secretary's record, December 31, 1889.
Other business related fragments are: two land patents; a pamphlet entitled "Statement of Facts: Jerome B. Wheeler vs. James J. Hagerman," and a brochure advertising the sale of the Southspring Ranch land (1908).
Also included here is a family history of the Hagermans' business interests in the Pecos Valley entitled "The Great Illusion: Notes on the Hagerman Experience in the Pecos Valley," written by Percy Hagerman at Colorado Springs in May 1934. This item includes much vital information about Hagerman's financial affairs after he became interested in and invested in Pecos Valley irrigation projects. Eventually he also became deeply involved in railroad and land development. The Hagerman involvement in a project to bring Swiss immigrants to the Pecos Valley is included in this history. Attached to Percy Hagerman's history is a three page paper written by J. J. Hagerman, shortly before his death, on the same incidents.
In 1908 James Hagerman wrote his memoirs entitled "James John Hagerman, Memoirs of his Life." Written a year before his death, this paper describes in detail Hagerman's life from his birth in 1838 until 1881 when he went to Europe to regain his health.
J. J. Hagerman's correspondence consists of letters he sent to his brother-in-law, George Graves, while convalescing in Europe, 1881-1884, and copies of letters sent from his new home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1884-1890. Correspondence includes letters to Jerome B. Wheeler, Charles Otis, T. M. Davis and J. R. Busk.
The business correspondence consists of fragmentary records which survived accidentally. Percy Hagerman destroyed almost all of his father's business records when the family's Pecos Valley ranch folded in the 1930s. However, some of the correspondence concerning the development of the Colorado Midland Railway Company survived. Fragmentary correspondence, most of it in J. J. Hagerman's handwriting, details the development and sale of the railroad (1886-1892). There are also some legal papers and a list of stockholders of the Colorado Midland per the Secretary's record, December 31, 1889.
Other business related fragments are: two land patents; a pamphlet entitled "Statement of Facts: Jerome B. Wheeler vs. James J. Hagerman," and a brochure advertising the sale of the Southspring Ranch land (1908).
Also included here is a family history of the Hagermans' business interests in the Pecos Valley entitled "The Great Illusion: Notes on the Hagerman Experience in the Pecos Valley," written by Percy Hagerman at Colorado Springs in May 1934. This item includes much vital information about Hagerman's financial affairs after he became interested in and invested in Pecos Valley irrigation projects. Eventually he also became deeply involved in railroad and land development. The Hagerman involvement in a project to bring Swiss immigrants to the Pecos Valley is included in this history. Attached to Percy Hagerman's history is a three page paper written by J. J. Hagerman, shortly before his death, on the same incidents.
In 1908 James Hagerman wrote his memoirs entitled "James John Hagerman, Memoirs of his Life." Written a year before his death, this paper describes in detail Hagerman's life from his birth in 1838 until 1881 when he went to Europe to regain his health.
HERBERT JAMES HAGERMAN
The papers of Herbert J. Hagerman consist of fragments which document several important events in the life of this wealthy, well-educated man. Spanning the years 1898-1935, the bulk of these papers are for the years when Hagerman was Second Secretary at the United States Embassy in Imperial Russia (1898-1901) and for the years when Hagerman was Territorial Governor of New Mexico (1906-1907).
H. J. Hagerman's correspondence relates primarily to his term as Territorial Governor of New Mexico, 1906-1907. Most of the letters support his position in the various disputes in which he was involved as Governor. Significant correspondents are:
H. J. Hagerman's correspondence relates primarily to his term as Territorial Governor of New Mexico, 1906-1907. Most of the letters support his position in the various disputes in which he was involved as Governor. Significant correspondents are:
HERBERT JAMES HAGERMAN
- Secretary of Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock
- William Loeb, Secretary to President Roosevelt
- Holm O. Bursum
- Governor Kibbey (Arizona)
- Secretary of Interior James R. Garfield
- Charles Springer
- A. A. Keen, New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
- Herbert B. Holt
- F. C. Dezendorf, Chief of Field Division, General Land Office
- Frank L. Campbell
- George W. Knaebel, Secretary of Irrigation Committee, New Mexico
- W. H. H. Llewellyn, United States Attorney
- Judge Parker
- Frank W. Clancy, District Attorney
- Francis M. McMahon, Auditor, Colorado Title and Trust Company
- Granville Pendleton, President, Bureau of Immigration
- R. C. Gortner, District Attorney
- W. C. Reid, Attorney General
- Senator Fred DuBois
- Arthur Trelford
- R. W. McClaughry, Warden, Leavenworth, Kansas
- W. H. Andrews
- E. A. Cahoon, cashier, First National Bank, Roswell
- Albert Bacon Fall, United States Senator
- E. P. Holcombe
- Henry A. Buchtel, Governor of Colorado
HERBERT JAMES HAGERMAN
Hagerman wrote, at various times, memoirs of significant periods in his life. The personal account of his years in Russia, entitled "Some Memories of the Old Regime in Russia," offers a glimpse of Russian aristocracy at the end of the 19th century. He also wrote Letters of a Young Diplomat, which was published by Rydal Press in 1937.
Most of the documentation of his years in Russia is contained in scrapbooks which contain such memorabilia as calling cards, invitations, letters received, programs, broadsides, list of the diplomatic corps, postcards, menus, death notices and newspapers clippings. One scrapbook also serves as a photograph album; family photos and 35 mm copy negatives complete the Photograph series.
Most of the documentation of his years in Russia is contained in scrapbooks which contain such memorabilia as calling cards, invitations, letters received, programs, broadsides, list of the diplomatic corps, postcards, menus, death notices and newspapers clippings. One scrapbook also serves as a photograph album; family photos and 35 mm copy negatives complete the Photograph series.
Dates
- 1848 - 1937
Access and Use Restrictions
This material may be examined by researchers under supervised conditions in the Search Room.
Copy Restrictions
Limited duplication is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with copyright and other applicable statutes.
The literary rights possessed in this collection by Lowry Hagerman have been transferred and assigned to New Mexico State University. EXCEPT that Lowry Hagerman retained his literary rights to "Fragments of Personal Memoirs of Herbert J. Hagerman" and "The Great Illusion: Notes on the Hagerman Experience in the Pecos Valley," by Percy Hagerman. Users of these two manuscripts should be guided by the doctrine of "fair use" expressed in Title 17, United States Code, Section 107.
The literary rights possessed in this collection by Lowry Hagerman have been transferred and assigned to New Mexico State University. EXCEPT that Lowry Hagerman retained his literary rights to "Fragments of Personal Memoirs of Herbert J. Hagerman" and "The Great Illusion: Notes on the Hagerman Experience in the Pecos Valley," by Percy Hagerman. Users of these two manuscripts should be guided by the doctrine of "fair use" expressed in Title 17, United States Code, Section 107.
Biographical Sketch
James John Hagerman was an entrepreneur involved in iron production in Wisconsin, ore mining in Michigan, railroads and mining in Colorado, and railroads and irrigation in New Mexico's Pecos Valley. The collection includes J. J. Hagerman's correspondence from Europe with his brother-in-law George Graves regarding the Menominee Mining Company and additional correspondence on his Colorado and New Mexico business interests. There also are financial and legal documents relating to his Pecos Valley projects. Other correspondents include Jerome B. Wheeler, Charles Otis, T. M. Davis and J. R. Busk
Herbert James Hagerman, son of J. J. Hagerman, served as Second Secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Imperial Russia, 1898-1901; Governor of New Mexico, 1906-1907; president of the Taxpayers Association of New Mexico; and was appointed Commissioner to the Navajo Tribe. His correspondence covers his tenure as governor and the scrapbooks and manuscripts relate to his diplomatic service in Russia. Correspondents include President Theodore Roosevelt, Ethan Allen Hitchcock, J. J. Hagerman, and others.
Percy Hagerman, son of J. J. Hagerman, was a Colorado Springs businessman. Included are his biographies of his father and brother and an account of the family's business activities in the Pecos Valley.
James Parrot Hagerman was the father of J. J. Hagerman. His naturalization papers, 1848, are included.
James John (J. J.) Hagerman was born March 23, 1838, near Port Hope, Canada, to James Parrot Hagerman and Margaret Crawford Hagerman. The family moved to Newport, Michigan, in 1843. In 1857, J. J. Hagerman entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, graduating in June 1861.
While attending the university, J. J. worked as a steward and clerk for Captain Eber Ward, whose interests were in the shipping, iron and railroad businesses. After graduation, J. J. continued to work for Captain Ward and in 1863 was made secretary and business manager of the Milwaukee Iron Company. J. J. became the general manager of the company in 1869. Due to an economic depression in the iron rail business, the Milwaukee Iron Company lost a great deal of money in 1873. In the same year J. J. contracted pulmonary tuberculosis.
In 1867 J. J. Hagerman married Anna Osborne; two sons were born to the couple, Percy and Herbert James Hagerman.
By 1876 the need for the ore used in Bessemer steel had greatly increased. J. J. Hagerman became involved in the Menominee Mining Company, whose deposits were in northern Michigan. Within four years he had acquired a large fortune
J. J. Hagerman's health deteriorated and in 1881 he and his family moved to Europe, living in Switzerland and Italy. The Hagerman family returned to the United States in October 1884 and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. J. J.'s health improved and he developed business interests in the area.
In June 1885, J. J. Hagerman gained control of the Colorado Midland Railway Company; this railroad would run between Colorado Springs and Aspen. The railroad was completed in 1888. Hagerman later sold the Colorado Midland to the Sante Fe Railroad in 1890.
J. J. Hagerman also took an interest in silver mining and during the 1880s bought claims around Aspen. J. J. organized his various claims into one company, the Mollie Gibson Consolidated Mining and Milling Company. Jerome B. Wheeler, a partner of J. J.'s in the Mollie Gibson Mine, brought a lawsuit against J. J. Hagerman in April 1892, but dropped the charges in July.
After the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893, the mining of silver decreased while the mining of gold increased. At the same time a major gold strike was discovered in Cripple Creek, Colorado. J. J. Hagerman organized and was a major stockholder of the Isabella Gold Mining Company located at Cripple Creek. J. J. Hagerman played a minor role in the miner strike at Cripple Creek. Although Hagerman's miners already worked only an eight-hour day, J. J. was against the violence that accompanied strikes. In 1898 J. J. sold the Isabella Gold Mining Company and turned his Colorado interest over to his elder son, Percy Hagerman.
J. J. Hagerman had acquired a new interest in an irrigation project in New Mexico, the Pecos Irrigation and Investment Company, originally formed by Charles B. Eddy and associates. In 1889, Hagerman surveyed the Pecos Valley and decided to become an investor in the financially troubled company. In 1892, J. J. Hagerman built a home at Hagerman Heights near Eddy (Carlsbad), New Mexico. J. J. moved to Roswell, New Mexico, in 1900.
Herbert James Hagerman was born December 15, 1871, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. H. J. lived with his parents and brother, Percy, in Europe in 1881-1884, and then moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1884. In 1890 H. J. entered Cornell University, and graduated in 1894. H. J. passed the Bar in Colorado in 1896.
Recommended by Senator Wolcott, H. J. Hagerman was appointed Second Secretary of the Embassy of the United States in Russia in 1898. He lived in St. Petersburg and served until March 1901. H. J. served under Ethan Allen Hitchcock and, later, Charlemagne Tower while in Russia.
H. J. Hagerman returned to the United States and went to Roswell, New Mexico, to live with his parents. H. J. worked for his father in Roswell on the Pecos Irrigation Project. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed H. J. Hagerman as a reform governor of the Territory of New Mexico. H. J. was governor for only 17 months, January 1906 - May 1907, when Roosevelt requested his resignation and replaced him with George Curry, a Democrat. A controversy ensued over the reasons behind Hagerman's dismissal as Governor.
H. J. returned to Roswell to work with his father, J. J., on the Southspring Ranch. J. J. Hagerman's health failed and he returned to Europe and died in Milan, Italy, in 1909. H. J. then became president of the Southspring Ranch and Cattle Company and Percy Hagerman oversaw the family's interests in Colorado.
H. J. Hagerman continued to be involved in public affairs. He played an active role in New Mexico's first state elections. H. J. organized and was president of the Taxpayer's Association of New Mexico. He also served as chairman of the New Mexico Special Revenue Commission in 1920. In 1923, H. J. was appointed by the Secretary of the Interior as Commissioner to the Navajo Tribe. In this capacity he worked to protect the Navajo interests when oil was discovered on Navajo land, and arranged for the Navajos' oil leases to be sold at public auctions.
In 1924, H. J. was appointed a member of the Pueblo Indian Lands Board, a board established to settle land disputes. He worked on the Board until 1933. H. J. Hagerman died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on January 28, 1935.
Herbert James Hagerman, son of J. J. Hagerman, served as Second Secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Imperial Russia, 1898-1901; Governor of New Mexico, 1906-1907; president of the Taxpayers Association of New Mexico; and was appointed Commissioner to the Navajo Tribe. His correspondence covers his tenure as governor and the scrapbooks and manuscripts relate to his diplomatic service in Russia. Correspondents include President Theodore Roosevelt, Ethan Allen Hitchcock, J. J. Hagerman, and others.
Percy Hagerman, son of J. J. Hagerman, was a Colorado Springs businessman. Included are his biographies of his father and brother and an account of the family's business activities in the Pecos Valley.
James Parrot Hagerman was the father of J. J. Hagerman. His naturalization papers, 1848, are included.
James John (J. J.) Hagerman was born March 23, 1838, near Port Hope, Canada, to James Parrot Hagerman and Margaret Crawford Hagerman. The family moved to Newport, Michigan, in 1843. In 1857, J. J. Hagerman entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, graduating in June 1861.
While attending the university, J. J. worked as a steward and clerk for Captain Eber Ward, whose interests were in the shipping, iron and railroad businesses. After graduation, J. J. continued to work for Captain Ward and in 1863 was made secretary and business manager of the Milwaukee Iron Company. J. J. became the general manager of the company in 1869. Due to an economic depression in the iron rail business, the Milwaukee Iron Company lost a great deal of money in 1873. In the same year J. J. contracted pulmonary tuberculosis.
In 1867 J. J. Hagerman married Anna Osborne; two sons were born to the couple, Percy and Herbert James Hagerman.
By 1876 the need for the ore used in Bessemer steel had greatly increased. J. J. Hagerman became involved in the Menominee Mining Company, whose deposits were in northern Michigan. Within four years he had acquired a large fortune
J. J. Hagerman's health deteriorated and in 1881 he and his family moved to Europe, living in Switzerland and Italy. The Hagerman family returned to the United States in October 1884 and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. J. J.'s health improved and he developed business interests in the area.
In June 1885, J. J. Hagerman gained control of the Colorado Midland Railway Company; this railroad would run between Colorado Springs and Aspen. The railroad was completed in 1888. Hagerman later sold the Colorado Midland to the Sante Fe Railroad in 1890.
J. J. Hagerman also took an interest in silver mining and during the 1880s bought claims around Aspen. J. J. organized his various claims into one company, the Mollie Gibson Consolidated Mining and Milling Company. Jerome B. Wheeler, a partner of J. J.'s in the Mollie Gibson Mine, brought a lawsuit against J. J. Hagerman in April 1892, but dropped the charges in July.
After the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893, the mining of silver decreased while the mining of gold increased. At the same time a major gold strike was discovered in Cripple Creek, Colorado. J. J. Hagerman organized and was a major stockholder of the Isabella Gold Mining Company located at Cripple Creek. J. J. Hagerman played a minor role in the miner strike at Cripple Creek. Although Hagerman's miners already worked only an eight-hour day, J. J. was against the violence that accompanied strikes. In 1898 J. J. sold the Isabella Gold Mining Company and turned his Colorado interest over to his elder son, Percy Hagerman.
J. J. Hagerman had acquired a new interest in an irrigation project in New Mexico, the Pecos Irrigation and Investment Company, originally formed by Charles B. Eddy and associates. In 1889, Hagerman surveyed the Pecos Valley and decided to become an investor in the financially troubled company. In 1892, J. J. Hagerman built a home at Hagerman Heights near Eddy (Carlsbad), New Mexico. J. J. moved to Roswell, New Mexico, in 1900.
Herbert James Hagerman was born December 15, 1871, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. H. J. lived with his parents and brother, Percy, in Europe in 1881-1884, and then moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1884. In 1890 H. J. entered Cornell University, and graduated in 1894. H. J. passed the Bar in Colorado in 1896.
Recommended by Senator Wolcott, H. J. Hagerman was appointed Second Secretary of the Embassy of the United States in Russia in 1898. He lived in St. Petersburg and served until March 1901. H. J. served under Ethan Allen Hitchcock and, later, Charlemagne Tower while in Russia.
H. J. Hagerman returned to the United States and went to Roswell, New Mexico, to live with his parents. H. J. worked for his father in Roswell on the Pecos Irrigation Project. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed H. J. Hagerman as a reform governor of the Territory of New Mexico. H. J. was governor for only 17 months, January 1906 - May 1907, when Roosevelt requested his resignation and replaced him with George Curry, a Democrat. A controversy ensued over the reasons behind Hagerman's dismissal as Governor.
H. J. returned to Roswell to work with his father, J. J., on the Southspring Ranch. J. J. Hagerman's health failed and he returned to Europe and died in Milan, Italy, in 1909. H. J. then became president of the Southspring Ranch and Cattle Company and Percy Hagerman oversaw the family's interests in Colorado.
H. J. Hagerman continued to be involved in public affairs. He played an active role in New Mexico's first state elections. H. J. organized and was president of the Taxpayer's Association of New Mexico. He also served as chairman of the New Mexico Special Revenue Commission in 1920. In 1923, H. J. was appointed by the Secretary of the Interior as Commissioner to the Navajo Tribe. In this capacity he worked to protect the Navajo interests when oil was discovered on Navajo land, and arranged for the Navajos' oil leases to be sold at public auctions.
In 1924, H. J. was appointed a member of the Pueblo Indian Lands Board, a board established to settle land disputes. He worked on the Board until 1933. H. J. Hagerman died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on January 28, 1935.
Extent
2.5 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Family with water, transportation, cattle and political interests in New Mexico. Collection includes papers from three generations: James Parrot Hagerman, his son James John (J. J.), and J. J.'s sons Percy and Herbert James. Most of the material pertains to James John and Herbert James.
Acquisition
- A77-16 Gift of Lowry Hagerman
- RG81-117 Gift of Lowry Hagerman
- RG83-119 Gift of Lowry Hagerman
- RG85-39 William Reese Company
- Title
- Guide to the James John Hagerman Family papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Lynda MacKichan, Julia Tuten, Linda Blazer and Andrea Conners.
- Date
- 2001
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is in English
Repository Details
Part of the New Mexico State University Library Archives and Special Collections Repository