2010 by David Francis Cargo. All Rights Reserved.
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Book and Cover design
Vicki Ahl Body typeface
Palatino Linotype and Piegnot Lt Std Printed on acid free paper
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cargo, David Francis, 1929-
Lonesome Dave : the story of New Mexico governor David Francis Cargo / by David Francis Cargo ; edited by Dennis Domrzalski.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-86534-762-5 (softcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-86534-753-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Cargo, David Francis, 1929- 2. Governors--New Mexico--Biography. 3. New Mexico--Politics and government--1951- I. Domrzalski, Dennis. II. Title.
F801.4.C37A3 2010
978.9053092--dc22
[B]
2009053231
www.sunstonepress.com
SUNSTONE PRESS / Post Office Box 2321 / Santa Fe, NM 87504-2321 /USA (505) 988-4418 / orders only (800) 243-5644 / FAX (505) 988-1025
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to the members of my family:
F irst of all, to my daughter Elena Read, who transcribed what amounted to almost three hundred fifty pages of audio recordings. She has been a loving daughter over the years. A dental technician, Elena lives in upstate New York.
To my son Patrick, an attorney, engineer and certified public accountant (CPA) with masters degrees in both business and accountancy. Patrick attended the University of Michigan, University of Texas, and Oregon State University. He is vice president of Mary Kay Cosmetics.
Likewise to my youngest child, Eamon. He is a CPA and has also been a stockbroker and financial manager. Eamon has a masters degree in business from the University of New Mexico, as well as a masters in accounting; he holds a masters degree in finance from Notre Dame, including studies at Cambridge University and the Imperial College in London, England. He has been a great companion to me throughout the years.
To Veronica, my eldest child and a great help to me over the years.
To my son David, who is employed by a stockbroker in Arizona.
In recognition of my brother Gerald who has advised me through the years. He is a retired professor of advanced mathematics at Syracuse University, in the state of New York.
CONTENTS
A TRIBUTE
T here is no precise way to explain the energetic life of Governor David Cargoattorney to the downtrodden, as well as the rich and famous; a changer of legislative reapportionment, and at the same time inventing the first Governors State Film Commission in the United States.
He was a dedicated promoter of many films shooting and spending fortunes in our state. Then the true miracle happened: a Republican became beloved by the liberal Democrats of Hollywood. It had never happened before and mostly likely never will again. He became personal friends with those behind the camera as well as the stars facing it, and consequently had acting parts in 12 of those films.
And now, while writing his priceless historical memoir, he has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to build, and/or maintain 12 libraries in such isolated New Mexico villages and towns as Mora, Anton Chico, Villanueva and Corona. This is an unsurpassed heritage to leave for the mental and spiritual growth of the youth of New Mexico.
Viva, Lonesome Dave!
Max Evans
Max Evans is the author of The Rounders, The Hi-Lo Country, Madam Millie, Bluefeather Fellini and other novels.
INTRODUCTION
N o one paid much attention to the political storm that blew into New Mexico in May of 1957 in the form of David Francis Cargo.
At the time, New Mexico was a small state that no one in the rest of the country cared much about. The local and state politicians were comfortable in knowing that the states irrelevance meant that they could continue in their old, abusive and corrupt ways.
Corrupt they were. Governors sold liquor licenses for campaign contributions, state legislators gave themselves state contracts, county sheriffs campaigned for themselves in their squad cars; lobbyists bought lawmakers cars, trucks, liquor and everything else; political candidates bought votes with whiskey, chickens, money, threats and promises. When those incentives didnt suffice, ballot boxes were stuffed.
White conservative Southern Democrats controlled the statehouse and kept Hispanics, Blacks, Indians, women and anyone else they held in contempt and viewed as inferior down and out of government. Public schools were segregated. Government employment was based on the spoils and winner-take-all patronage system. There was no Civil Service or merit system, so every time a different faction of the Democratic Party won the governorship or a majority on school boards or county commissions or city councils, thousands upon thousands people were fired and cronies of the winners hired.
Organized labor was kept down. Legislators and local elected officials were in the pockets of corporations and mining companies. Some state employees were forced to work six days a week. Governors hired and promoted and demoted state police officers. Some governors took kickbacks from insurance company executives for making it mandatory that state employees buy insurance they didnt need. Large companies dodged taxes by making hefty contributions to governors. State government had no formal budget.
The state legislature was a joke that made people cry. Legislators were elected from counties at-large, meaning there were no districts, and meaning that, for the most part, white conservative Democrats controlled the state Capitol. They did control it. When Dave arrived, only two Republicans had been elected to statewide office since 1934. More than a dozen Democratic Party county chairmen were on the state payroll. Most never workedthey had their paychecks mailed to their homes. But they did show upto demand five percent of employees paychecks every payday for their infamous Deduct Boxes.
Then there was the Republican Partya nearly non-existent organization that was never able to muster enough guts to confront and challenge the Democrats corruption and their lock on government.
David Francis Cargo blew into Albuquerque that May. Fresh from his home state of Michigan and armed with a masters degree in public administration, a law degree, a wicked sense of satire and irony, and an outrage at corruption and incompetence, he was a storm that lingered, built in intensity and then burst in full fury onto the corrupt system he saw.
And New Mexico was never the same.
