James M. Flanagan papers
Collection
Identifier: Ms-0259
Scope and Content
The James M. Flanagan papers primarily contain photographic materials dating from the 1880s to the 1960s. These include mounted and un-mounted prints, transparencies and negatives. Most of the negatives are black and white in 4x5-inch format. Also, there are black and white negatives in 5x7-inch, 120, 35mm and various other formats used during the 1920s-1940s. There are some 35mm and 4x5 color transparencies from the 1950s. A large portion of the collection is made up of 4x5-inch negatives made by Flanagan during the 1950s in the course of his work as a law officer in Dona Ana County. These include police investigations, crime scenes and vehicle accidents. Also significant are his negatives of Las Cruces-area community events, businesses and social activities during that decade. Other photographs in the collection includes early images of Las Cruces and the surrounding area, ca. 1900-1950; a series of mounted photographs from Berino, New Mexico, ca. 1893-1900; 19th century photographs (prints and glass negatives) of Native Americans, primarily Crow and Hopi; 5x7-inch negatives of the Las Cruces area, and a series of prints and negatives that depicts the construction of public and private buildings, bridges and water tanks, mostly in Texas during the 1920s-1940s. Papers include collected material, correspondence, printed matter and police-related items.
Dates
- 1890 - 1960
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.
Copyrights associated with this collection have not been transferred and assigned to New Mexico State University.
Copyrights associated with this collection have not been transferred and assigned to New Mexico State University.
Biographical Sketch
- 1912
- Born Aug. 20 in Junction City, Kansas
- 1937
- Sheriff's Deputy in Geary County, Kansas
- 1938
- Was living in Las Cruces Married Amelia Moya in Santa Rosa, New Mexico They had 4 sons.
- 1945
- Wounded in Germany during WWII and received the Purple Heart Law officer Dona Ana County, New Mexico
- 1958
- Sheriff of Dona Ana County
- 1959-60
- Chief of Police, Las Cruces, New Mexico After retirement from Police Dept., managed a local gun shop
- 1983
- Died Dec. 22 in El Paso, Texas age 71
James Matthew Flanagan was born August 20, 1912 in Junction City, Geary County, Kansas. He served as deputy in the Geary County Sheriff’s Department until 1937. In 1938 Flanagan moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he worked for the National Guard. He met Amelia Moya, of Puerta de Luna, New Mexico, in the Las Cruces drug store where she worked. They married, settled in Las Cruces and had four sons. Flanagan served in the U.S. Army, 45th Infantry Division, during World War II in Sicily, Italy, Germany and southern France. He was severely wounded in Germany when the tank in which he was riding struck a land mine, killing all the other occupants of the vehicle. He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the World War II Victory Medal, among other military distinctions. He joined the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department around 1950 and served as deputy for 10 years. During that time he established a photographic lab for the department and did extensive photography work of crime scenes and police investigations. His experience led him to write an article on the usefulness of police photography. Flanagan also photographed community events, such as weddings, school pageants, festivals and parades, in the Las Cruces area during this time period. In 1959 he became chief of police of the Las Cruces Police Department and served at that post through 1960. After leaving the Las Cruces Police Department, Flanagan operated a gun store in Las Cruces and served as a consultant for an ammunition manufacturer. He also taught marksmanship to National Guard personnel in Las Cruces. After retiring, he developed and operated a museum in Mesilla that highlighted the desert vegetation of New Mexico. Flanagan died at the Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso in 1983 at the age of 71.
Extent
15.00 Linear Feet (48 Boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection contains photographs and negatives made by James M. Flanagan, a law officer in Las Cruces and Dona Ana County between 1950 and 1960, and a collection of other photographic materials dating from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries.
Processing Information
Processed by Don Day, August 1874. Reprocessed by Julie Murdoc, May 1987. Reprocessed by Dennis Daily and Lenny Silverman, 2005.
- Title
- Guide to the James M. Flanagan papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Don Day, 1974-08; Julie Murdoch, 1987-05; Dennis Daily and Lenny Silverman, 2005
- Date
- 2005
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the New Mexico State University Library Archives and Special Collections Repository